One Piece: A Sea of Endless Possibility

Avalon blinked vacantly as Coffret gave the area a look, but upon her discovery, he watched with increasing interest. When he finally saw the blooming purple flower, he smiled, cheering lightly, "Alright!" Eagerly, he glanced around as Coffret shuffled through her things, but something caught his eye: the light from the slightly brighter tunnel was moving slightly. By the time Avalon had processed it, Coffret asked about footsteps, and Avalon began to hear them too.

Without much warning, Avalon grabbed the girl by the wrist, dragging her and her pack away, rushing to a large formation of stone and stalagmites, slipping behind it, hissing to Coffret, "Shhh!" Once they were out of view, he peeked around the edge from his crouched position, cursing as he saw the forgotten lantern. Before he could even consider grabbing it, it was too late. Stepping out from the tunnel was a large man, the hair on his head cut short, his beard black and bristled. A Marine 'Justice' coat was fanned out over his shoulders, and his short sleeves revealed hairy arms. Eyes locked on the lantern, his attention was grabbed by the purple flower next to it. Approaching, the man grinned, nodding and he noted with his gravelly voice, "About time..." Glancing at the lantern suspiciously, he looked around, making Avalon hold his breath.

After a moment, the man called, "Terpin?"

Avalon had a jolt of recognition, but his train of thought was interrupted by a call from the tunnel Avalon and Coffret had come from, the slimy voice replying, "Yeah, yeah, hold yer horses..." Avalon heard more footsteps before daring to peek out a bit further, spotting a trio somewhat familiar to him. In the center was the goblin shark fishman, still in his sandals and aloha shirt. At his side were his two cohorts: one a small, lanky carp fishman with an elongated mouth and gray skin. The third one was a burly human in a sleeveless shirt with scraggly, black hair, but despite his muscled form, he was still smaller than both Terpin and the Marine.

Puffing on a fresh cigar, Terpin gave a grin through his needle like teeth, nodding, "Pleasure to be working with ya, Commander Barrows." His beady eyes narrowed as he spotted the lanterns, one in Barrows' hand and the other on the ground. Grunting, he sighed bitterly, "Thought as much."

Scowling, Barrows demanded, "Excuse me? You think I'm gonna double cross you or something?"

Terpin chortled, "Course you ain't! I'm more worried about that shitty devil boy."

Anger flaring, Avalon snarled, "Who are you calling 'devil'!?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he gasped, clamping a hand over his mouth.
 
"Wait, but the flower..." She wanted to take the flower oh so desperately, but she knew that by lingering any longer, they would be discovered, and so she let herself be whisked away. Anxiously watching the Marine Commander and strange group led by an ugly fishman in a gaudy shirt, she hoped that they would leave and not take the flower with them, but she knew that would not be the case. Feeling hopelessness well up inside her, she was contemplating whether to just give up on it...

"Avalon, no!" Coffret screamed as he suddenly shouted at the ugly fishman, whose name was apparently Terpin. And, with that, both of them had been exposed. "What's this!?" Commander Barrows growled, his booming voice echoing throughout the cave. "Intruders, in MY caves!?" Coffret put her hands up, and tried to make an apologetic face, but she was twitching with nervousness. "No, uh, of course not! We're not intruders! See, we just so happened to pass by, and we didn't mean any harm... We can find the way out ourselves, he he, no problem..." Slowly walking with her back to the wall, Coffret tried to make her way to the tunnel leading outside. But, she was interrupted by Commander Barrows, who violently jerked her arm. "The hell you are, missy! You don't think I know what's going on here! There's no way I'm gonna let someone break into my caves, try to steal my flower, and then walk away unpunished. Once we're done here, you're gonna be arrested for breaking and entering and attempted theft, got that!?"

Coffrets eyes darkened. "Don't you dare lay a finger on me... Vine Shawl!" Shouting her command, a thick vine sprouted from the ground at Commander Barrows's feet. It grew quickly, and ensnared his neck in a tight grip. "Hnngff!" The Commander groaned, struggling to get out of the choke hold of the vine. Coffret backed away, realizing that once she had initiated combat, there was no way out but to finish it. She had never intended to fight, in fact, she quite disliked it, but there was no other choice. The Commander grasped the vine with his two massive hands, and pulled until it ripped apart. "Why you little!..." Barrows charged at the fleeing Coffret, aiming to tackle her with all his weight. Quickly, she turned around, shouting "Bramble Wall!" while raising her arm. A thick wall of thorns raised itself before her, and Barrows's momentum was turned against himself as he came crashing into it. "EEOOOWW!" Burrows wailed in pain as he stumbled backwards, his whole side filled with tiny, bleeding wounds. "Bramble..." Coffret put her hand up against the wall of thorns. "Ball!" A tumble weed-like knot quickly grew from the wall, before being cut off at the stem. The momentum of the growth made the knot fly off towards Commander Barrows.

"Enough!" Barrows caught Coffret's Bramble Ball with his 'Justice' coat, throwing it on the ground. "I've just about had it with you and your silly games... Ohh, but how I'll enjoy locking you up. Yes, you'll be spending the rest of your life, if not more, behind bars for what you've done!" With an evil grin on his face, he once again charged at Coffret. She raised another Bramble Wall, but Barrow's barged through it, covering himself with his cape and completely ignoring the pain. His body then came crashing into Coffret's, sending her flying into the cave wall with a scream. Before she had time to gather herself and get up, Barrows went over to her, sat down on her back, and put her in a Camel clutch. She tried to scream, but the pain was too immense. It felt as though her back was about to break, her neck was about to snap, and all the air had been pushed out of her lungs. She was just about to white out, when she summoned the last bit of strength inside her mind...

A ball of spongy moss sprouted from her back, bouncing Commander Barrows off of her. He flew up, almost reaching the cave ceiling, before falling down on his back away from Coffret. Jumbled, he stood up, ready to put her in another wrestling hold. Coffret, still lying down, raised a shaking arm once more. This time, a tree grew out of the ground, completely misplaced in such a dark and confined space. Confounded, Barrow's looked at it. It was about the same height as him, but not close to impressively wide. Shrugging, deciding it was nothing more than an ordinary tree, he set out to make his way around it. Coffret then pointed her finger in the direction he was coming from, and a branch sprouted from the trunk of the tree. The branch knocked Barrow's over the head, and after standing still for a while, he fell to the ground with a thud, passed out.

The pain induced by Commander Barrows combined with the amount of energy she had spent using her powers to this extent rendered Coffret absolutely exhausted. Sighing, she closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side, but she was still conscious.
 
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Busted, Avalon could only sigh as they slipped from their cover, Coffret trying to let the situation blow over. The pirate's fists were clenched tightly in anticipation. However, before he could act, Barrows and Coffret began to scuffle. This mostly came as a surprise to Avalon when Coffret unveiled her Devil Fruit abilities, moving into the fight proper. His first instinct was not to help, but rather to gawk in amazement.

Finally realizing he should probably help, Avalon shouted, "I'm coming!" He doubted the girl even heard the words, however, as they were drowned out by the battle. Avalon's charge didn't go very far, however as a gray flash came from his side. The pirate raised his arm, blocking a kick from the carp fishman, whom bounced back in a battle stance as the other one of Terpin's flunkies moved to flank. Shooting his gaze at the fatter goblin shark fishman, whom puffed on his cigar calmly, Avalon roared, "How did you know I was here?"

Terpin snorted, "You think I'm stupid or something? I've got eyes, brat. A guy who caught a little fish also got a glimpse of you snooping around the entrance." Glancing at Coffret, he added, "Didn't expect company, but it doesn't matter: you're dead."

At those words, the two lackeys jumped in, the man punching high and the fishman kicking low. Adapting his stance, Avalon raised his arms and braced his legs, each of the two blows landing. Avalon grimaced, before twisting his body, curving his fist around to smash the man in the face. The punch connected, spittle flying, quickly followed by the man as he took a tumble. Taking opportunity, the fishman slipped in, wrapping its legs around one of Avalon's before pushing against the ground and lurching with his body, trying to bring Avalon down. His face contorted into surprise as the pirate failed to budge.

"Try to knock me down, will ya..." Avalon hissed, lifting his leg out of the hold as the fishman lost his energy, hopping up before dropping down, planting his knee in the fishman's chest, his eyes bulging as he was pushed into the mossy dirt. Quickly getting back up, the other lackey hesitant to strike, Avalon stared the two down, before taking note of Coffret's own battle, where Barrows had crashed her into one of the stone walls, the girl crying out in pain.

Avalon taking a step towards that battle riled Terpin's lackeys, the man drawing a knife, charging, while the fishman hacked in pain as he leapt and grappled Avalon's legs, holding him in place. Teeth bared, Avalon raised his hand, growling as he grabbed the incoming knife hand, some blood flowing as it nicked him. "Outta my damn way!" Avalon snapped as he bent the man's hand back, raising a fist as he burned with anger. The punch smashed into him once again, but this time, Avalon's rage made all the difference, the crook launching backwards, flipping over before smashing through a stalagmite. The carp fishman's jaw dropped as Avalon lowered his bleeding hand, the weakened fish letting go and scrambling away, clapping his hands together as he silently begged for mercy, too frightened to squeak out a word. Avalon didn't waste any time in planting a low punch to his face, sending him hurtling, bouncing a few times before coming to an unconscious stop.

Taking a breath, Avalon looked back to Coffret, not seeing her at the base of the tree, but spotting the fallen Marine Commander. Rushing over, he called, "Hey! Tell me you're okay!"

As the pirate headed to the girl's side, Terpin blinked in bafflement. I hadn't even been more than five minutes, yet his business partner and two employees had been laid flat. Ash fell from his cigar in his lack of attentiveness, but the fishman no longer cared, dropping it to the ground and stomping it out, eyes moving over to the Regorgia Flower a few meters away.
 
Hearing Avalon's voice, Coffret brushed the hair out of her face and opened her eyes. What with the kerfluffle between her and the Commander, she hadn't been paying attention to him, but she was glad to see that he was alright. Not only was he alright, but he seemed to have taken care of the other nuisances as well. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine, thank you for..." Coffret began with bated breath, but she came to a sudden halt when she noticed the fishman eyeballing her Regorgia. "Oh no, you don't!" She summoned a root at his feet, tripping him, and then tied him to the ground with vines. "You're not going anywhere near that flower..."

She had trouble standing up, with her whole body aching. She had probably cracked a rib or two, because attempting to take deep breaths sent a searing pain through her chest. So, taking small and controlled breaths, she made her way over to the rock and stalagmite formation where she and Avalon had been hiding earlier, and picked her backpack up which she had accidentally dropped there. "Good thing the Commander didn't let me leave..." She thought to herself, before getting on with her work.

In silence, she grabbed another glass jar from her backpack. This time, she let some water from one of the small streams pour into it. She then walked over to the Regorgia, and knelt beside it. It had bloomed fully now, and tiny drops of moisture glimmered on the thin petals. With a small brush, taken from her backpack, Coffret dusted away some of the dirt at the stem, revealing what looked like a particularly tough part of it. With a pair of silver clippers, also taken from her backpack, she began to snip away at the stem of the flower, where the tough part met the thinner, daintier part. Eventually, the flower came loose from the rest of the stem, and she carefully picked it up. With an almost spoon-like shovel, she dug up some of the soil which the Regorgia had been growing in, and put it in the glass jar, combining it with the water. She then slowly proceeded to place the flower onto the bed of soil, closing the lid on it. When she had put everything back into her backpack, and placed the jar with the Regorgia in a special compartment, she looked at Avalon with a serene expression. "I'm... Done."

And with that, she passed out.
 
As he caught his breath, Avalon watched in relieved silence as Coffret went to work, easily taking down Terpin before capturing the elusive flower. As she worked, Avalon kept a stern eye on Terpin, who didn't even try to struggle against his bonds, merely glowering as Coffret bottled the Regorgia.

When she finished, she began to fall, exhausted, but Avalon caught her, holding her steady before lifting her, his arms under her legs and back, her pack carefully hanging from her body. Without further word, Avalon made his way out, expecting a jab from Terpin, but hearing nothing as he headed the way they came. Looking at Coffret's unconscious, yet pleased, expression, Avalon couldn't help but smile, "All that for a little flower..."

Once the horned pirate was well out of the open cavern, there was a grunt from the trapped fishman. His muscles flexed, and the ground underneath him cracked a bit as he forced himself up with a snarl, ripping the vines from the earth. Dusting himself off, he shot a vile eye in the direction the pair had gone off too, muttering, "That little shit's stronger than I thought, and he found a User too?" Terpin's already small pupils narrowed with anger as he finished, "Hearing you two drownin' to death one of these days is gonna be reeeeaaaaaaal satisfyin'."

---

Several minutes later, Avalon had exited the cave, having a bit of difficulty in the last step of their adventure. From the cliffside, he looked down into the ocean, praying the slightly discolored spot was his boat. Once he heard the telltale groaning of wood, however, he sighed in relief, before hopping down, Coffret in hand. There was a loud thump of boots on the wooden deck, but he made it safely. Not wasting a moment, he moved inside, depositing Coffret on the lone hammock and leaving her backpack on the ground. Delving into his chest, he pulled out a map of the South Blue and a compass, before taking one last look at Coffret. With a grin, he nodded quietly, "I think I figured out what I want you to supply for my crew..."
 
Chapter 2: The Unbelievable on Elder Point

---

Coffret was awakened by the sound of waves, and a feeling of slowly rocking from side to side. Groggily, she wiped her eyes, and used her arms as support to sit up. A searing pain shot through her chest, and she was reminded of her fight against the Marine Commander yesterday. Covering her face with her hands, she shook her head. "Oh, dear lord... Why did I do such a thing? He'll probably have a bounty set on me by now." Coffret was a peaceful woman, and did not particularly enjoy the idea of having a bounty on her head, but she had readied herself for the though of it before. After all, if she was going to take such big risks, she was bound to end up in trouble sooner or later. Besides, who was there to say the Commander would even put a price on her in the first place? Maybe he was embarrassed over having been beaten up by a girl? Or, maybe he wanted to cover up him being at the cave at the time of the Regorgia's blooming?

Speaking of the Regorgia... Coffret frantically looked around for her backpack. She found herself stuffed in a suspended hammock, but her bag was not there with her. Looking down, she put too much weight on the edge of the hammock, and she fell to the floor with a thud. Groaning, she sat up, discovering that the backpack had been placed on the floor next to the hammock. Relieved that it was there with her, she looked through it, and found the Regorgia, safe and sound in its glass jar. Having that off her mind, Coffret came to wondering further where exactly she was. In all likeliness, judging by the small cabin she found herself in, she was on Avalon's boat heading somewhere other than Recursi Island. That being said, Avalon was nowhere to be seen. She noticed a door, coming to the conclusion that he was probably out on deck. She got up, walked over, and opened the door. Her eyes were met by blinding sun, and the vast expanse of the sea. "Avalon?..." she called out.
 
"You're up!" Avalon grinned, the voice coming from behind Coffret. Standing toward the rear end of the ship, sail rigging in hand, Avalon tied it down before hopping back over, a compass and map on the ground nearby. Looking her over, he noted, "You slept for a while. The Marine didn't get you too bad, did he?"

Bursting with questions, Avalon first got down to business, explaining, "I'm trying to get us to Elder Point. It's really close, actually, so we should be able to reach it sooner rather than later, but..." Scratching his head awkwardly, he began, "Well, you never really told me...what was your Devil Fruit called?"
 
As soon as Coffret heard Avalon's voice, she turned around. "Yes, quite..." She replied to his initial remark while walking up to him. "No, not terribly. He may have injured my ribcage, though. Might need to have it examined, but I should be all right." She once again felt a short, stabbing pain in her chest, but she covered it up with a gentle smile. I'm glad you asked, though."

Looking over the railing, Coffret gazed at the sparkling blue sea. She had always been fond of it, though having consumed a Devil Fruit had deprived her the joy of swimming in it. She nodded as Avalon explained they were headed for Elder Point. She had heard of it before, but never been there. Then, he asked her about her abilities. She had always made a point to hide the fact that she was a User, but yesterday's events had forced her to expose them. But, she wasn't worried about revealing them to Avalon. He had proven himself to be trustworthy on multiple occasions, not only by bringing her along with him while she was passed out, and not just make off with the precious Regorgia on his own.

"Oh, that... It's called the Plant Plant Fruit. It allows me to grow any type of plant; tree, bush, flower, you name it, from any surface, including myself." She slowly rubbed the back of her hand, and a short, fern-like plant with broad leaves grew from it. She ripped it off, crumpled it together, and then threw it into her mouth. "Sedative..." she said while chewing on it. "A pain killer, for my ribs. Terribly bitter, but it works" Having swallowed the juice of it, she spat the chewed-up remains into her palm, and threw it into the ocean. "My power comes with a limitation, though. It requires me to have a deep understanding of each plant before I can utilize it, meaning I have to study it up close, not only on paper. Do you remember that book I had? It contains notes about marvelous plants, with properties and uses one could only dream of. Some of them are so rare, they're either regarded as legends, or they're only available to the select few. But, with my power, I can strip them of their myth, make them available to the masses, as long as I find them first. It's my dream to do so, and you helped me get one step closer to achieving it." She gave him a smile of serenity and gratitude, one that exudes a rare, motherly warmth. "But, I still have a long way to go. I have yet to discover a third of the plants listed in my book, and I'm sure that there are several times more than its pages contain. Unfortunately, so many of them reside within the Grand Line... If a flower such as the Regorgia can be found in an unseemly place such as Recursi Island, then just imagine what wonders await in those waters. Alas, I'm afraid I'll never reach it..."

Having stared dreamingly at the ocean while speaking, Coffret had almost forgotten she was having a conversation. "Oh, I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away. I hope I didn't bore you."
 
Avalon listened carefully to Coffret's words, giving a satisfied smile as she finished, nodding, "Man, I'll bet you can do a lot with a neat Devil Fruit like that. I guess that explains what you wanted the flower for." With a grin, he began, "Speaking of the flower, you said you'd reward me for helping you out right?" Getting closer, he continued, "Really, I should have thought of it ages ago, but it's so obvious now..."

Raising his arms, Avalon grasped Coffret by the shoulders, softly saying, "Well..."

The, his eyes, began to glow as he asked, "Join my crew!" Remembering that she was injured, the pirate backed off, before continuing, "Sure, I don't have any members yet, but we work well together and we both want to go to the Grand Line! I mean, I know we're not ready yet: we need a sturdier ship, a Navigator, Doctor, maybe a Cook...as long as they're good at what they do I'd take them on." Smiling at Coffret, he added, "That's why I want you on my crew! I don't know what awaits in the Grand Line, but if you're with me, I know we can handle it. What do you say?"
 
Coffret was surprised, to say the least, of Avalon's proposal. "Well, I uh..." A mixture of emotions welled up inside of her, and they made her quite awkward. Her eyes flicked everywhere, and she began fiddling with her hands. "I'm sorry, but I can't, I just, I just can't..." She turned away, feeling very uneasy. But, there had been something... Something in Avalon's eyes when he asked her to join. A certain glimmer, which she couldn't quite put her finger on. Madness, perhaps? Or perhaps it was a sense of reliability, a sense of unwavering determination. Maybe he actually would be able to take her to the Grand Line; quite far into it, even. She turned back around to face him again. Yes, there was something about those eyes that just made her want to trust his words. They reminded her of a time when she thought anything was possible...

"Well, I don't know what type of position I'd fill in a Pirate's crew, but... Heck, if I'm going to have a bounty on my head anyways, I might as well make it count, right?"
 
With Coffret's hesitance, Avalon didn't waver: a 'maybe' was not a 'no'. She seemed to go back an forth, but Avalon said nothing, keeping his hopeful gaze. Finally, Coffret relented, and Avalon's smiled turned into a wide grin. Pumping his fist into the air, he cheered, "Yes! The Coal Pirates are officially a crew now!" Running over Coffret's words again, he added, no less happy, "Oh yeah, we're gonna get bounties too!" With satsified laughter, Avalon took another look at the compass an map again, he prayed they would keep their course. He could have tried to see if Coffret was more apt for this kind of thing, but he was the Captain! He had to be reliable, dammit! It was going to be a little while though...

---

Several hours later, the sun had passed the noon threshold, beginning it's decent into dusk, though the skies remained blue for now. While keeping watch for the island, Avalon finally found spotted the dot on the horizon, though it was not in line with Avalon's course. As Avalon steered the ship the back in the right direction, he couldn't help but feel glad he'd done that much: he was quite certain he'd gone circles around Recursi yesterday.

As the island grew closer, its shape became more and more apparent. Most of it wasn't to much higher than sea level, but a gray lighthouse topped a prominent point, which seemed to hover high over the ocean. Avalon steered his course to the lone town, at the lowest spot near the point. As he stopped the ship in the slow moving port, he couldn't help but noticed the medium sized town beyond. The streets of Elder Point were very quiet, and the buildings were made of wind weathered stone. A few people went about their business, not seeming to mind the arrival.

Once he tied the ship down, Avalon briefly became worried, wondering what would happen should they be outed as criminals. After trying to think a moment, his thoughts became interrupted, and he suggested to Coffret, "Oh yeah! Under the chest in the cabin, there's a plank you can move. The flower'll be safer there!"

Hopping out onto the dock, he though for a moment, before thinking aloud, "Okay, we need to find a newspaper, then we need to look around and hope we can find some kind of ship or navigator." Before he could go further, his stomach loudly demanded he find lunch, and Avalon suggested, "Maybe we should eat first?"
 
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After having agreed to becoming a member of Avalon's crew, she went back into the cabin to examine the Regorgia. While setting up all her instruments, there was a nagging question on her mind...

"Why Coal?"

---

Arriving at Elder Point, Avalon mentioned hiding the Regorgia under a plank in the cabin. "Oh, right, it probably wouldn't be very good if we were found with it..." She went back inside to stuff it away.

Coffret climbed carefully over to the dock, not wanting to put any unnecessary strain on her ribs by jumping. "A newspaper? What do you need that for?" She remarked when Avalon started talking. "I imagine if you're looking for a ship you'd go to a shipyard, but where do you go to recruit people for a Pirate's crew?" As his stomach growled, Coffret realized that her sense of fatigue probably stemmed from not having eaten for a while. "Sounds like a plan to me. I suppose you should lead the way... Captain." Getting used to calling him that was going to take a lot of effort.
 
Avalon couldn't help but puff out his chest a little when Coffret referred to him as 'Captain'. Somehow though, it didn't feel quite right. Thinking she might have been forcing it a bit, Avalon began to move into town as he insisted, "You can still call me 'Avalon' if you want."

Spirits heightened, Avalon kept a good pace as he led his small crew through the town's paths. The cobbled walkways were just as worn and weathered as the buildings, giving the place a vintage air to it. They only passed by the occasional pedestrian, whom generally paid them no mind, seemingly lost in the peaceful air. Avalon didn't mind it in the least.

Finally, after several minutes of looking around, he finally came across an open air restaurant towards the edge of town. Heading over, it was quite in the mid afternoon, the only ones present being a portly middle aged lady with a long face and curly black hair tending to a stove, and a small girl in a white shirt, tan shorts, with a ponytail of light brown hair. Curiously, the runt glanced at the pair as they approached, grimacing as she looked over the horned pirate captain. She and Avalon exchanged thoughts without words, the girl not even hiding her displeasure with him, while Avalon couldn't help but narrow his eyes briefly, before ignoring her.

With a sigh, the woman remained peaceable, asking the two, "How can I help you, youngsters?"

Avalon took a calming breath, before answering, "Some food please. And today's newspaper if you have it."

Turning to the smaller girl, the woman requested, "Rose, be a dear and get the paper for them, would you?" As the girl nodded in compliance before scampering off to the backside of the restaurant, the woman asked, "Well, what were you in the mood for, exactly?"

Avalon grinned, trying not to salivate too much as he ordered, letting Coffret do the same, before moving aside as they waited for it to be prepared. Thinking aloud, he muttered to Coffret, "You know, they might know about any local navigators or ships, now that I think about it."
 
Coffret noticed the looks shared by her captain, whom she now comfortably could keep referring to as Avalon, and the waitress, apparently named Rose. She gave the other girl a slightly apologetic smile, as though excusing them for their presence.

After having ordered, Avalon brought up asking the tenders of the restaurant about whether they knew of a navigator or a ship in the area.

"They might, but... Do you think they'd appreciate you asking? I mean, I'm sure they realize we're not exactly a pair of regular sailors or passers-by. What if they get upset?"
 
Avalon took a seat at a nearby table before crossing his arms in thought at Coffret's question, pointing out, "Well, if they don't know, we'll just ask someone else, I guess?" Glancing over to the woman, her back turned as she worked over her counters, Avalon shrugged, "Besides, we're customers."

As there was still a little time before their food was ready, Avalon revealed, quietly hissing, "I was just thinking you could ask them. I mean, the kid wasn't giving you any nasty looks. And who'd think you're a pirate?"

Speaking of the devil, Rose returned. Dropping the paper on the table, the light brown haired girl muttered dismissively, "Here you go." Task complete, she went over to a table of her own, kicking her legs in the air, but Avalon ignored her, flipping open the paper and skimming through it, intent palpable.

As he read, the older woman approached, two dishes in hand. "Enjoy!" she requested as she placed them down. Avalon's will weakened as the scent of his roast beef sandwich caught his nose, but he resisted, continuing to scour the paper, eventually grumbling, "There's no article on us..."
 
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Coffret chuckled mildly while blowing on a spoonful of her vegetable soup. "So that's why you wanted the newspaper?" Sipping on her soup, she felt quite relieved. The lack of an article meant that they were probably trying to tone things down. Or that the news just hadn't gone out yet. She was hoping for the prior. The girl, Rose, who had brusquely dropped the newspaper down in front of Avalon then continued to drop herself down on one of the chairs furthest away. Coffret observed her, and then turned her look to the seemingly calm, older woman.

"No, they probably wouldn't take me for a pirate, at least not if I weren't seated next to you."

Still, Coffret would do as she was asked to. Weighing her options, she decided to call over the cook.

"Hello! I just wanted to say, the soup was absolutely delicious. May I ask what mixture of vegetables you've used? And... I'm tasting some kind of herb... Slightly earthy... Ah, it's simply divine, you must give me the recipe!" She smiled charmingly at the woman. "Oh, and also, I was wondering if you know about a place on the island where I could get a hold of a ship? And perhaps a navigator? I'm trying to find my way around the nearby islands, but it's terribly difficult with the condition of the boat I have at the moment, and without someone to steer the way..." She had a spoonful of the soup, making a pleased sound as she swallowed.
 
With a sigh, Avalon wondered aloud, "Do I really look that much like a pirate?" Dropping the paper, no other articles sparking his interest, he took a bite out of his sandwich, the temptations being too much for him to ignore any longer, the juicy meat making him regret not eating sooner.

When Coffret called to the restaurant's tender, the woman came over from her bar, beginning, "Oh, that's the cumin! Good sense. It grows naturally around here. The tomatoes are grown elsewhere but I really think it brings the zucchini and bell pepper together!" Avalon couldn't help but smile as Coffret slipped in with the other questions, as casually as ever. As he took a bite, the woman seemed thoughtful, while Rose perked up a bit. Looking over to the little girl, the woman asked, "Rose, isn't your father trying to sell that ship he inherited from his friend?"

Rose laughed, "Yeah! But Mrs. Kim, there's only one Navigator in town, right? Right?"

Kim smiled, "Ah, of course, silly me. But will Alphonse be interested?"

With a determined grunt, Rose nodded, "Of course! And if that book bum doesn't want to get off his butt, then..." Rose thought for a moment, before looking to Coffret and suggesting, "Well just have to get him to marry you!"

As Kim gave a smile with a roll of her eyes, Avalon, mid bite, found too much of the delicious sandwich in his lungs, stopping his meal to pound his chest and avoid choking.
 
Coffret was obviously flustered at the girls suggestion.

"Marry him!? Oh, ah that's a bit, uh, ha ha..."

Her cheeks flushed rosy red, Coffret noticed Avalon starting to choke. As it created a diversion from her distraught self, she proceeded to stand up, walk up behind Avalon and forcefully pound his back with her fists clenched.

"Oh my, how awful! There, there, this'll help!" She semi-shouted as she continued to punch his back.

"So, tell me..." she said while still hitting Avalon. "Where can I find this Alphonse?"
 
With Coffret aiding him, Avalon stopped choking rather quickly, but in her flustered state of mind, she didn't seem to notice, even as Avalon muttered, "I-I'm fine now."

Rose, however, hopped from her seat, saying, "I'll take you to him! He's my cousin."

Grinning, Avalon nodded, "Yeah, now we're getting somewhere." Not wanting to leave his meal unfinished, however, he wolfed down the sandwich, almost wishing he'd had a bit more time to savor it. Letting Coffret finish her own meal, Avalon paid for their food, before turning to Rose and asking, "So, what's he like?"

Using her fingers, Rose counted off a list, explaining, "Well, he's smart, handsome, cool, and good at fighting." Looking up to Avalon, she gave a sly grin as she giggled, "So the opposite of you!"

Avalon growled, "Huh!? I'm plenty good at fighting."

Holding back more laughter, Rose continued, "But you're not smart, cool, or handsome."

As Avalon glared, Kim said, "Now Rose, you shouldn't be rude to strangers. Get to know him first."

Rose lit up, nodding, "And then I can make fun of him?"

Avalon scolded, "Should you really be teaching this shit to brats?"

"Language!" Kim snapped, leaving Avalon helpless.

Trying not to get too mad, Avalon muttered to Coffret, "See, this is why I wanted you to ask them."
 
Coffret laughed at Avalon and Rose's quick exchange of words. "I'm sorry, Avalon, but your rhetoric could really use some work." She turned to Rose. "All right then, we'll follow your lead" And with that, the group of three made their way towards Alphonse's residence.

Rose lead them on a trail leading further and further away from the town center, and closer to the outskirts. After a while, a mansion came into view. Coffret was slightly surprised, as it wasn't what she had imagined. "Is this where your cousin lives, Rose? I have to say, it's quite impressive... You mentioned that he's uh, "smart, handsome, cool, and good at fighting", and that he's skilled at navigating, but what exactly does he do?" Coffret looked up at the house, which was getting increasingly impressive the closer they got to it.
 
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