#3katanas

Balls in the off season were not nearly as big of an affair as during the main season, but they were still a nice way to break up the winter months. Penelope wasn't too surprised that she received an invitation to Lady Danbury's country home or her ball, she had become rather close to the older woman in her last season and thought of her as a confidant. It took little convincing for her mother to agree and so Penelope set off for the country, arriving the day before the ball, dawning a light blue day dress instead of the garish colors her mother normally put her in, she was surprised to see other visitors there.

@wintersxkiss/ @3katanas (because I can't figure out which one to start the torment with lol)

Phantom hands rove over his body, some causing pain, others striving to cause pleasure to make it even worse for him; to make him feel like he was betraying the love of his life. He tried fighting the feelings, tried writhing away from the hands that travelled over him making him feel sick with every touch; but he felt like his hands were bound by chains once more.

"...Ry... Ry...arry... Harry" A male voice spoke as the terror gripped him, the moment that Harry felt Sanji's hand touch his shoulder, a startled yelp that echoed through the halls of the ship escaped him which also resulted in Sanji immediately backing away in terror as Harry was pulled into a depths of a panic attack.

His breath came out shallowly as his eyes barely focused on the surroundings, his arms thrown over his head now that they were finally free of the blankets that had trapped his wrists down so he couldn't move. Sanji immediately grabbed onto Gil and Luffy to keep them from forward as they wanted to protect and reassure him but the cook knew that touching him was the worst possible idea right now.

"Lu, can you go get either Robin or Nami please?" Sanji requested softly, his voice low but the pain very evident in his tone as he held Gil close.

Learning the ways of a proper Wano Kunoichi was easy. Nami already had many of the skills required, including going unnoticed along roof tops. A proper thief cat, now turned lady ninja. It felt right, like she'd been preparing her whole life for this raid.

Most of all, she was happy to have something to keep her busy while waiting. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been land-locked on an island- Weatheria didn't really count, not only was she not on a traditional island, they had an ability to fly from the clouds to the sea where she belonged. Some days she would spend hours swimming, but in Wano she was not given that luxury beyond a trip to the local bath houses. Here Nami wouldn't risk the pollution from the run off of the soiled land, not after hearing what happened to their allied navigator from eating from the river's and lakes. Poor thing.

When she wasn't on a job, the female ninja kept tabs on her nakama. Most stayed close and worrying about what her captain got up to was no longer on her mind. Honestly, he was better off in prison, leaving her with one she truly needed to worry about.

If only the wondering swordsman would do the same… Despite never staying in one place long, he was easy to keep tabs on. The drunken Zorojuro left an impression, so much so that she briefly chose to simply watch him from afar atop a nearby roof. He certainly seemed in their element, if only they had been Wano-born citizens and not pirates, they might have had a more traditional romance…

Kuraigana Island was absolutely wonderful! Dark, gloomy, filled with graveyards! She couldn’t have been sent to a better place when that awful warlord cornered her. In that moment she had be so sure she was gonna die, the ragtag band of pirates that her captain was dealing with were bad enough but then Warlord Kuma came and pawed her away. Perona had a few wonderful weeks just exploring the island before anyone else joined her.

Mihawk owned the island in the way of Warlords, he planted himself there and dared people to move him. Perona was learning her footing with him, he seemed pleased enough to ignore her despite her attempts to get his attention. She didn’t know how to feel about him, to used to the constant beratement of Moria that his silence was a chill from the grave. Still, she was using his observation haki as a way to practice her astral skills, and he seemed content enough to glare at her ghost self every time he noticed her.

The other on the island came from the ragtag band of pirates, the former bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro. When he appeared in a paw the same way she had Perona couldn’t help but interrogate him on what happened to her captain. He didn’t have many answers, more focused on getting off the island and back to his own captain. They had been there for three weeks now, a week past the announcement from Strawhat that his crew should reform in two years. Perona was floating over him as he was recovering from another training session with the humandrills, practicing floating in her non-astral form as he patched himself up.

ㅤReady to willingly make foolish mistakes and questionable choices, is what celebrations should be called instead. Or the ones of this caliber, anyway. The ones that came in the form of a sake cup ready to be emptied. Which, truth be told, Itachi could do as easily as if he was drinking water - perks of coming from a clan that breathes fire for a living. With so much practice and so much use, it really got to a point where the mouth and throat became so desensitized to actual fire that the burning of alcohol did not even come close.

ㅤA different matter altogether was the tolerance to said alcohol, but hey. If Itachi had been worried about that, he wouldn't have suggested it to start with. The point of the night was to help his friend unwind and take the edge off his mind, and the rest the Uchiha would bravely put up with. It wasn't like he had any hope of winning their bet anyway. Putting down his cup after effortlessly finishing it, then, he smiled at Zoro.

Last night's storm had done quite the damage. Not necessarily to the ship, Nami had no recollection of anything happening to the ship, but loose items had down a number on her. Nami didn't remember much after being hit, she wasn't even sure the storm was actually last night and not longer ago.

As she woke on a shore, Nami looked around. The sun was rising, the day just beginning, whatever day it was.

"No," she whispered as she caught sight of some wood that was probably once a barrel and something else, or rather someone else: Zoro.

Nami struggled to her feet and over to him, to turn him over.

@3katanas sent: [ 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃 ] My muse sits by your muse’s bedside while they are sick/hurt.

ZORO HAD CHALLENGED HER TO a duel. And when it came to challenges, Erza was never one to back down. She never held held back. That wasn't in her vocabulary.

        Her strength may have been considered on a high tier, an S-Class, but she would never underestimate an enemy. She had always been confident with her skills, but seldom had she ever been cocky. Her mind was wired to think of every opponent as equal or greater. This mindset had kept her level-headed and determined, heightening her chances of winning. It rarely ever fails her.

        Their fight had concluded with her as a victor. She's proud of the results, though it ends up with the other swordsman bedridden. She's worried, feeling bad for the wounds and injuries she inflicted. She heads to the infirmary, paying the other a visit.

        She sits on the chair by his bedside. ❝Are you awake?❞

They had been knocked out when surrounded by the smoke, just like with Buggy, with the difference that this time Nami had been able to avoid the worst of it, and from her hiding spot had seen the little group of Red Pirates take Zoro's precious sword; collectors of rare items, no doubt, and she should have waited for her friends to wake up and kick their asses, the gas wasn't that strong. She should have waited. She should have, and yet she was running after them, because they had such a penchant for disappearing, and what if the Wado Ichimonji disappeared with them? Nami ran up the hundred of steps that led to the citadel above, chasing the pirates, and attacked with her staff as soon as she reached them to slow them down: it was just three of them, maybe she could buy time until Zoro woke up. Usopp was there too, but she knew she had to count on the strongest of the two.

Unfortunately, she found herself quickly beaten down. They weren't interested in ganging up on a woman, so they were ready to walk away, but Nami got up and tried again. And again. And again. Feeling as powerless as she had with Arlong, she pulled herself from the ground with shaky arms but couldn't get up on her legs, blood dripping on the ground underneath her. Only then it occurred to her that she wasn't alone anymore, and he was her friend, he would come if she held on enough. One of the pirates shoved her back down, and she took a deep pained breath.

"Zoro!!!"