Missy

Paper Faces on Parade

I don't own One Piece. If I did I WOULDN'T BE GOING TO UNI AND GETTING SO EXHAUSTED!...Okay I probably still would.

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"Yakisoba here! Come get your Yakisoba, only 1,000 beli a bowl."

"We've got roasted corn! Roasted Corn, straight from Verdura Island!"

"Get your Water Water meat here! Fresh off the grill!"

You wiped away the line of drool escaping your lips. It wasn't fair. Why did it all have to smell so good? And right when you couldn't taste it too! So not fair.

"I feel it is an ample price to pay." Mello hummed on your wrist as you sidestepped around a particularly portly tourist. Summoning him had been pretty tough, especially since you couldn't properly say his name, but you'd managed it somehow. "From what I have heard, it takes a week for the Log to reset. We can sample the local cuisine later."

'If I haven't been executed by that point.' You snorted, tugging your hood further over your face. There was no reason to really. Deep down you knew that no one was looking at you, everyone preoccupied with haggling their way to a better deal or chatting to their companions. But it didn't stop the thought that they might be. One or more of these people could be a new agent that you didn't know about. A new threat to be dealt with.

For all you knew, CP9 could be watching you right that very moment.

A shudder ran through your body. You had to stop thinking like that. Now. This was just paranoia. Simple stupid paranoia. You were fine. Nothing to worry about.

But if you thought you were fine, why had you asked Zoro to cut your tongue out?

A weight slammed into your shoulder, shocking you out of your agitated mind. Your fist clenched, expecting the worst, but were completely taken aback to see them turn up ahead.

"Sorry about that," the horse man chuckled, raising a completely human hand. "It's hard to see in this damn mask. Watch your step."

You blankly watched him go, not understanding just what had happened. A mask? And no one around found that suspicious? Although... now that you took a more indepth look around... practically the entire crowd was wearing one. You had just thought that you were imagining things...

"There currently is a festival in San Faldo." Mello supplied as a gaggle of elaborately feathered peacock girls sailed past on a Yagara. "This is a common resting point from the celebrations."

So that was it. Your lips curled. Perfect. This was even better than what you'd hoped for. After a quick stop at a small market boat, a simple mask with a beaming smile was now in your possession. It wasn't unique, and you were glad about that. Too distinctive a mask would be useless. And it wasn't as if you were particularly dressed for a festival. Hopefully people would think you were doing this halfheartedly.

Still, it was strange how much more secure you felt behind your layer of resin. You felt safe. Protected even. The eyes couldn't get to you now, no matter how hard they tried. And now, with the attention off you, you didn't have to school your emotions too much. Your deadpan finally slid of with a sigh, letting your mouth slink into a smile of its own. It just felt better, using the only thing you now had to communicate. Walking around town with a silent face and voiceless words... it felt robotic.

You turned the corner. And froze dead in your tracks.

Like you'd gone back.

It looked happy. Deceptively happy, smiling with the glow of newly painted wood and roaring with the laughter of satisfied customers. But the name... Oh Kronos the name...