Commit to the Bit (2)

<<part one part three>>

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Morning comes sooner than you wished it to, earning a soft groan as you roll yourself out of bed. The far too close cry of your neighbor's rooster, who you've found often decides to scream whenever it pleases, startles you as it stands outside of your window as it does every morning. Yelping, you slip from the side, landing painfully on your butt as your blankets fumble to the floor around you.

For a moment, there is silence as he peers in the window, eyes locked on you as you stare back, eyes heavy with sleep.

“Can I not have one morning of peace?” you growl out, narrowing your eyes. At this, the creature squawks at you before bounding off from the ledge. As if congratulating itself on a job well done, you can hear it babbling to itself all the way back to its coop. Huffing, you push yourself to your feet slowly, tossing your blankets back onto the bed before moving to get your day started. 

Call of the Sea

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The distant wash of the waves against the shore settles over you as nothing more than white noise, the ever present ebb and flow of the water a comforting constant in your life. Around you, whispers of life hover, crying out into the blackened skies. 

Your eyes never leave the shore line, watching as the waves wash away the evidence of life lingering on its beaten shores. There is no mistaking the way you gaze out at the blackened waters, the deep seeded longing for the pull of the tide. Sanji hesitates as he settles in behind you, his long legs stretched out around your hips. 

“What are you thinking about?” he asks quietly, shifting to rest his chin on your shoulder as his arms wind around your waist. Humming contently, you lean into his hold, smiling to yourself when they tighten slightly. 

“Life,” you admit. “And the sea.” if you feel the way he tenses behind you, you don't say anything.

Commit to the Bit (1)

Early mornings were always your favorite. 

The gentle risings paired with the lingering silence in the streets as you wander towards the building resting in center square. Though silent, you're not alone. Wandering shadows linger in groups as the various vendors trickle into the square to begin their daily set up just as the sun begins to kiss the horizon. 

Your family has long since owned many of the buildings in the square. Before the last revolution on the island, your grandparents ruled it with an iron fist. You have since taken over the duties, your grandparents being some of the few taken in the onslaught, your father left with permanent injuries that keep him from working any longer. 

You often feel as if these things should trouble you, the knowledge of what happened. The passing shadows flickering in your peripheral should bring you some sort of unease, even as one darts towards you as you turn the key to your shop. Instead, you turn towards the small body, quickly accompanied by that of his mother, a smile hiding the exhaustion on your face as they call your name.