One Piece: Unforeseen

Chapter XXVI | Promise me |

Bitsy rubbed at her upper lip and sat down on the edge of Mae's bed. "What're you going to do?"

"What else can I do?" Mae glared at her own reflection in the window. "I have to go."

Grabbing the pillow from Mae's bed, Bitsy laid it in her lap and relaxed her arms on top of it. "I can't believe Jessabel. How could she do this to us?"

Stressfully massaging her fingers against her forehead, Mae forced out a short laugh. "Jessabel's been waiting for a chance to screw me over."

"Why did CP-0 come here in the first place?"

Mae glanced at Bitsy's reflection. "From what I understand, they originally came here to discuss business with Akainu."

Setting the pillow aside, Bitsy glanced at the back of Mae's head. "What kind of business?"

Exhausted, Mae moved her hand to the window's frame and used it for support. "I have no idea," she sighed. With an agitated grunt, she slammed her fist against the wall. "This is all my fault. I should've reported the Straw Hats when I had the chance."

Bitsy watched as the wall cracked under the pressure of her fist. "This isn't anyone's fault, so stop blaming yourself. And stop putting holes in the wall."

Slamming her hand into the wall again, Mae bowed her head and stared down at her feet. "It's hard not to blame myself when I let it happen."

"Well you're going to have to stop blaming yourself. It's going to be hard to concentrate on your mission if you're overwhelmed with regret and remorse the entire time."

Standing up from the bed, Bitsy straightened out the sheets and then moved behind Mae and comfortingly grabbed her shoulder. "Viske and I will be fine. Like you said earlier, the World Government will dismiss our actions as long as you complete the mission."

Mae chewed ruthlessly at her lip. "But what if I screw things up?"

Bitsy's grip on Mae's shoulder tightened and she shook her tenderly. "You're not going to mess anything up."

"There you are!" Spandam expressed boisterously from the bedroom doorway. "What're you doing in here?"

Turning an eye to Spandam's reflection, Mae scowled and muttered inaudible words under her breath.

"Well? What're you doing?" He tapped at his wrist. "You should already be on that little boat of yours and catching up to the Straw Hats! You're wasting precious time!"

Mae bit down on her tongue. She tried desperately to appear calm, but the hardened expression that she wore wouldn't wash away.

"I had to take care of a few things before I left."

"Things? What things? This mission is your first priority! You don't have time to take care of things!" Spandam spat.

Mae turned to him and crossed her arms. "You know, I'd be a lot quicker if you weren't in my room."

"Eh?" Spandam took an uninterested glance around the room and then let his eyes settle back on her suspiciously. "What does it matter if I'm in your room or not?"

Mae combed a hand through her knotted hair and tugged at the ends. She was still a mess from the fire. "I need to change, and I'd prefer it if you weren't in my room for that."

"Change?" Spandam snorted. "You don't need to change. What you have on is fine."

Mae scoffed and gestured to her burnt shirt. "My clothes are destroyed. You won't give me time to take a proper shower, but the least you can do is let me change."