Avril smiled as she looked over her work. The ship's cargo hold had held all sorts of special little knickknacks for her to use in restocking her special items. The woman was actually quite worried, having had used up all she originally had left back on Duke's Island. Although, Avril's work had proved to be quite... a burden to some of the others. The woman had essentially locked the door behind her when she went inside, stressing to everyone that the work she was doing behind the door was of the extreme, confidential variety.
"Well... I guess I should go see what sort of place we landed at," Avril mused. She made her way out of the cargo hold and back onto the deck. Her eyes widened at the sight of the island they landed at. She had never seen anything quite like this before. "Wow... Talk about wantin' to make an impression on tourists..."
"It's pretty impressive, right?" A voice came from up above Avril. Vance was sat across one of the mast-beams, tying a firm knot on a length of rope holding part of the sail in place now that the ship was resting at the dock. He smiled down at Avril. "I've been here twice before, and it definitely left an impression on me, heh. Have you ever been here before?"
Avril shook her head in response. "This is the first time I've been here, actually. A doctor I know of mentioned this place before. He said he had taken trip here back when he was still studyin' medicine, but... it doesn't look anythin' like he described it."
"It's been like, two years since I was here last, and it definitely looks like there's alot of new buildings. It's growing pretty quickly." Vance commented. Finishing off the knot, he slid off the side of the beam and jumped down onto the deck, bending his legs as he landed before stretching his arms out above his head, turning to look at the city-island. "It'll be nice to get proper footing, but... it can be a pretty rough city if you go to the wrong area." He glanced at Avril, sending her another smile. "Got anything you wanna take care of while we're here?"
Avril looked thoughtful for a moment. She looked Vance up and down... followed by looking over her shoulder at Morgan... and then down at herself. A small smile graced her lips as she nodded.
"I think so, Vanny..." Avril replied. "Maybe we should get of the ship and see if there are some clothin' stores or somethin' nearby? Very few of us actually look presentable to go... most places off the ship."
Blinking, Vance looked down himself at his jacket and trousers. Granted, it was starting to look a bit... raggedy, but he didn't think to pack more clothes when he ran away from home. "Well, uh... I don't know Avril, I wasn't really planning on going anywhere. I was just sort of... thinking of taking care of the ship, you know?"
Meanwhile, towards the front of the deck, Lotte had sparkles practically oozing out of her as her eyes took in the grand sight before her, running from one side to the other and leaning over the railings to get a better look. Could she get off now? Now? How about now? She listened in agony as Avril and Vance talked-- yapping on and on about whatever they were talking about that didn't involve getting off the ship yet. But like a dog waiting to go on it's daily walk, she kept throwing longing glances between them and the city, all of her senses completely overwhelmed by this mysteriously grandiose place.
Perking up when Avril mentioned her favorite thing in the world (read: shopping, specifically for clothes) she eagerly hurried over, mouth open about to jump in and volunteer herself for the job. But then Vance opened his first, and she pouted.
"No!" Her response was instantaneous as, in an unusual display of forwardness and strength, she grabbed at Vance's arm, dragging him over to Avril and looking at her with determination and... more sparkles. "We're going." She declared, looking as if she might bubble over with anticipation, "Both of us!! Let's go shopping!! Vance can hold our bags-- he's my bodyguard after all." It had been awhile since she'd drawn the body guard card, but between her choices of male acquaintances or perhaps friends on board, Vance was definitely sturdier than Skellen. "Let's go-- like right now!! Right now right now! Not later right now but now now!" She paused for a split second before adding politely, ".... Please."
Avril giggled lightly at Lotte's excitement. It was sort of like watching a little kid the night before Christmas. She nodded at the shorter girl before looking over at Vance.
"You know, shoppin' right now might not be too bad an idea... We might be even able to find a really nice deal or three while we're out there," Avril paused, a small smirk gracing her lips. "This place is sort of big though... Probably a few thugs and criminals lurking about, waitin' to get two pretty girls like us alone for their own devious reasons... Surely, you wouldn't want that to happen, right Vanny...?"
Vance, still reeling after Lotte pulled him over besides Avril, blinked a little as he was adressed, glancing between the two girls now staring pretty intently at him, Lotte with a very excited, child-like smile and Avril with a more mischievous, plotting smirk. He felt his cheeks darken as he swallowed down, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Well, err... no, I guess I don't. The ship can probably take care of itself anyways. Or, err... well, maybe not, but you know." He glanced up at the helm and then back at the girls and gave them a smile and a nod. "Alright, I'll come along with you two. Just, uh... no running from the bill again, okay Lotte?"
She jumped up and down, shaking Vance in the process, "Yes!! I know what that is now!" Lotte announced the fact rather proudly, extracting a beli from her bag with a grin. "And anyway you and Avril will be there so if I forget it's fine!" Scuttling over to the edge of the ship she pointed excitedly towards the city, completely ignoring all of Avril's warnings about criminals and thugs because they were irrelevant in the face of shopping. "Let's gooooooo~!"
"Shall we?" Avril questioned to the navigator, before making her way to join Lotte. As much as Avril was looking forward to this herself, the smaller girl seemed a bit too eager for her own good at the moment, and something told her it was probably not in their best interest to keep her waiting to much longer, lest the girl explode from the energy running through her. "So... What sort of clothin' store do you think we should look for first, Loli? Somethin' sporty? A bit more formal...?"
Vance looked a little unsure at first, but quickly shook it off as he smiled and followed behind the two girls, moving his arms behind his head, enjoying the rather sunny weather and the fresh air as they headed off of the harbor and into the thickly populated streets of the city.
Must be a spring island.
"Something adverture-y!" She announced, holding up a finger, "Because we're on an adventure!!" While her reasoning was shallow, what she had in mind wasn't exactly on the impractical side of the spectrum. She did know that their last stop had been disappointing in the shopping selection, and that islands from here on out might not always be so... abundant. So it was better not to get anything delicate. Because then she'd have to wash that separately, as well. It would be better to get things that are durable, things that could be both warm and cold, and... "Soooo I don't know about the others just yet- I have to keep thinking, but I know we should get a new jacket for Skellen, because his current one is.................." Her mouth drew into a line as she recalled borrowing it-- and while it had been welcome at the time against the cold, it was definitely not her first choice in outerwear. "And then.... well, let's see what's there first. The whole trick is if you look at something and think for even a second, 'I'm not sure I really like this', then that means it's a no go. You have to go with the gut!!" She lectured on and on as they went from store to store, and she flicked through the racks with expert precision, needing only a split second to pass judgement on each garment of clothing. Ones that passed her initial screening were tossed behind her to Vance, or a waiting store clerk-- and she occasionally paused to consult her fellow female sense, Avril.
Normally, Avril was not one to take part in such frivolous clothes shopping. While she knew that she and most of the others could stand to have a new outfit or two because of how the adventure at Duke's Island had treated them. There was something a bit... contagious about Lotte's enthusiasm through the the experience so far. The woman was starting to find herself getting really caught up in the moment with the younger girl. She took two skirts that she had found from their newest target, quickly tossing them into Vance's growing load. Avril herself had been aiding the shopping group in making sure they got a good deal by making use of her... assets, to some degree.
"Loli, don't forget to maybe keep an eye out for a cloak or two for Batsy-chan," Avril sugested, smiling softly at the short girl. "It wouldn't be too fair if we bought new clothes for everyone else and didn't let get him somethin' to wear so he could get out and stretch his... legs and stuff..."
"That's... a pretty good idea. Nfh... whoa!" Vance winced as one of the smaller boxes on top of the growing pile in his arms almost fell off the top, but he managed to swerve to the side in order to get the balance back straight. He was physically fit enough to not get bothered by a couple (Or twenty) boxes stacked in his arms, or at least the weight of them. Keeping it all balanced took more of an act, however. "A-Anyways, don't you think we've got enough clothes for now? I mean, you both have gotten like, four different outfits... shouldn't we buy some provisions and stuff too?"
"Okayyyy~" She replied, only half-paying attention to Avril's warning. As far as she was concerned, that area of inconvenience was Avril's duty, as Lotte didn't do much in the way of acknowledging that particular crew member's existence. She had yet to square away with how generally mangy he looked and wasn't really keen on conversation with him. A cloak was easy enough though, it wouldn't require her to do all that much searching around. Not as much as finding a proper jacket for Skellen had been. "It's not like the clothes are just for us-- I bought stuff for you and Morgan and Mr. Doctor too!" She counted the outfits off on her fingers, before blinking at Vance. "... Are we getting provisions too? Wasn't that everyone else's job??"
"I... Don't remember makin' it my job to..." Avril replied as she glanced back over at Vance as well, though not with out putting a new pair of boots onto his pile. "Didn't Skelly mention somethin' about it? Or Pepper-kun? It sounds like somethin' they would wanna do... Besides, when you think about it these new clothes are provisions!"
Vance stumbled a little to the side as a large man came past the three down the large, busy street, before dancing back behind the girls again, only just being able to peek around the side of the small mound of boxes in his arms. "Oh, really? I guess we'll let someone else handle that, then..." He paused, furrowing his brows a little. "Wait, you've bought stuff for me too?"
"Yep!" She lifted a cream colored tunic shirt from the racks of an outdoor boutique, thumbing at the fabric before putting it back on the rack with a shake of her head, "Hmmm I think it's the pink bag on your right arm--" She jabbed her finger towards a bag that was a particularly heinous shade of pink before happily moving on to the next rack, "It's just a new pair of pants though. Did you have anything you specifically wanted? Like how there's the cloak and then Skellen's jacket. Since you're with us you can pick!"
"Well, uh..." Vance started, glancing briefly down himself at his current attire, which wasn't much to speak of. There was one part of it he deemed completely necessary though. "I sort of need a jacket or shirt, or... you know, something with long sleeves, like a coat."
"Huh? How come?" Avril questioned, giving him a curious look. "I mean, I know it might be chilly some places, but not absolutely everywhere. And you're not a doctor like Skelly... I think it's almost required that those fix-'em-bleed-'em guys gotta wear one."
"I didn't really mean a doctor's coat, more like... just an overcoat? And, uh, I just sort of... do. I can't really tell why. Sorry." He managed to send Avril an apologetic look past the boxes before dancing around a small child running between the three, which almost sent the wares flying, but he managed to keep a hold of them.
"OK," Lotte piped up. She'd seen his ropes in action, but even so didn't connect the need for an overcoat with them. All she cared about was that now she was looking for two coats. Er, three, including the bat's. It was another good long while before she was finally satisfied with the day's purchases-- having gotten new clothes for everyone, even the bat. She was very quickly falling in love with this island- already having made the deduction that she liked large islands better than little ones. Things just seemed less backwards! "OK!" She announced at long last, putting her hands on her hips and looking back at Vance who was very impressively balancing most of their purchases, "Lets go back and take a break! I learned how to make tea so I'll put some together for us and we can sort through everything-- unless there's anything else you want?"
"Huzzah!" Vance's voice came from behind the mountain of boxes, now starting to struggle with balancing them, his hands constantly shifting to keep several of the smaller boxes from falling onto the ground. "Ship sounds like the best idea if you- whoops, got it- ask me!"
Avril giggled lightly at Vance's enthusiasm, both at the prospect of returning to the ship and catching of the several boxes from falling to the ground. "I agree. I dunno how much more our little packmule can carry, Loli," Avril teased, patting Vance on the shoulder as she walked by him. "Plus, I'm quite lookin' forward to puttin' on some clothes that don't look like I've been lost at sea from a shipwreck."
Grinning at the unanimous decision, with a skip and hop she bounded off to lead the way back to the ship-- "Okay, lets go!" ... or at least, in the direction she thought the ship was probably in. Just head towards the ocean, right?
... After many redirects from the more direction-savvy Vance and Avril, and a few detours from the easily distracted Lotte who ended up buying a few things on the way back as well, they at long last made it back to the ship-- and commandeering the kitchen which had the most table surfaces on which to sort their purchases, Lotte began the battle of sifting through boxes and bags of clothes, accessories, and other paraphernalia she'd deemed necessary.
"This table will be my clothes, this table Avril's, this one Vance's, this one Morgan's, and then Mister Captain's, and then Mister Doctor's, and then..." She blathered on and on as she expertly opened boxes-- something that would've normally been kept to servants work at her own home, but opening boxes in and of itself was something she deemed as part of the shopping process, and so had always done it herself. "In the meantime," She pulled out a large brown cloak-- and then another black one, laying them on the table, "I think the brown one would be better for this town-- a black cloak will make him look more evil than he already does." She held out the brown cloak for Avril, stating plainly and officially wiping her hands clean of the affair, "I don't know where to find the bat though."
"Vance you should go change while I'm doing this-- find the others to come change too?"
"If ya don't mind, I'll take my own to go change before findin' Batsy-chan," Avril replied, taking an outfit in particular she wanted to wear first. She smiled at Lotte and Vance before heading to the girls cabin which she and the shorter girl shared, before giving Vance a small, mischievous smirk. "Be a good boy, and don't go peekin'..."
Vance's cheeks went red at Avril's walk-by comment, quickly busying himself with picking up the clothes Lotte had put out for him, bundling it all up in his arms. "I, uh, I'll go change as well before finding the others. With any luck, they should just come back here at one point." Pausing, he looked from the clothes, to Lotte and sent the girl a smile. "Thanks for helping with this, Lotte." And with that, he went off to the boys' cabin, which was a lot more crowded at night and in the morning.
"Kayyy!" Lotte chimed off to Avril, holding up a shirt that she was having second thoughts about-- maybe it wouldn't fit Morgan after all. Skellen perhaps...? She turned it over in her hands, completely missing Avril and Vance's exchange as she deliberated on who out of the crewmates to bestow the shirt upon. "Hmmm... Oh?" Looking up when Vance thanked her, she nodded enthusiastically, smiling brightly back, "Sure, it was fun!" Without thinking of thanking him in return for carrying all their things, she tossed the shirt back into Morgan's pile, rummaging around for her new brown boots. She'd have to get changed as well, but set her new outfit aside as she waited for the others to come pick up their new clothes as well.
Avril made her way into the girls' cabin, shutting the door softly behind her with a smile. The whole shopping experience had been a lot more fun that she thought it was going to be. In fact, Avril could not remember the last time she had had so much fun. In fact, as she thought about it, the woman realized that that was the first time she had ever really... went shopping for something like clothes.
"Maybe I'll have to do it again with Loli sometime..." Avril mused with a small giggle.
Stepping further into the room, Avril removed what bit remained from her old outfit before beginning to change into her new one. She wore a pair of acid-wash style, light blue, denim shorts on her legs, held in place around her waist by a new, black leather belt. A black, midriff-baring halter top covered her torso, with a denim vest that matched her shorts worn open over top of it. A pair of black, forearm-length, fingerless gloves now rested over her hands, and a new pair of black, heeled ankle boots were worn on her feet, and her usual choker still rested around her neck Avril decided to remove her hat for the time being, carefully laying it on the bed which she called her own, before giving herself a once over in the mirror.
A quick grin graced her lips. "Not bad... but somethin' still feels missin'..." she mused. Her eyes drifted over towards a small dresser by her bed, grin growing wider as she spotted her black goggles laying on top of it. The woman quickly placed them around her head, wearing them in her hair as she turned back to look at herself in the mirror once more. "Perfect!"
Meanwhile, Vance had just shut the door behind him, shuffling over to place all of the clothes given to him by Lotte onto the table in the middle of the boys' cabin. Wiping his brow, he began sorting out the clothes, placing them seperately on the table.
Alright, let's see what Lotte had in mind for me...
After a few moments of sorting through the items, he had a good overview of what the girls had in mind for him. A pair of dark-blue, nearly black trousers, a white shirt over his torso, with a sort of leather 'harness' consisting of a few straps, one going across his chest and two going up over his shoulders, which he figured was some kind of fashionistic thing. All of this would be under a slightly-longer-than-waist-length, black canvas jacket, which seemed very sturdy to Vance. It even had long sleeves, perfect for rolling up if he needed to. To top it all off, there was a long, dark-blue scarf which he personally liked alot, and finally, a pair of sleek, long, brownish-gray boots with a small sort of protector-flap going up in front of his knee.
All in all, it seemed like a pretty solid outfit, and he was actually looking forward to trying it on. He proceeded to tug off the rather worn jacket he was currently wearing, tossing it over a nearby chair, leaving him in the equally tattered undershirt, on top of which the long rope he'd been using several times was coiled many times around his chest, up over his shoulders and down his arms.
He stepped over to the chair he had dropped the jacket on and tapped one end of the rope along his left upper arm with a smile. "Hey. Come on, I need to change." he said, as if expecting the rope to just slide off by itself.
The rope then proceeded to do exactly that. It unfastened itself from his chest and arms and slid down along his limbs to coil up on the chair, one end of the rope, which was pulled into a tight with a small nub sticking out of it raised into the air, facing him, like a snake. Vance smiled and gave the rope an affectionate pat on the... knot.
"I know, you love being wrapped around me, but you can't expect me to never change clothes. Anyway, the two girls in the crew just helped me buy some new clothes, and I think you'll really like it! Although... I think I'm supposed to keep the jacket open, so I'm not sure how we'll sort you out..."
"Sort ya out...? Who in the world is he talkin' to?" Avril thought, leaning closer to the door.
After the woman had changed her clothes, Avril was curious to see what Vance had thought of some of the outfits which she and Lotte had picked out for him. She was going to knock on the door and see how he was doing, but that's when she happened to overhear Vance talking to someone. Needless to say, she was a bit curious. Did Lotte stop in first before she did? Her eyes widened suddenly at a thought. Were they doing something...?
He frowned thoughtfully, folding his arms over his chest while the rope swayed from side to side, a faint noise, like a mixture of a hiss and the creaking of rope being strained emitted from the coil of rope, the other end of it lazily hanging off the side of the chair. "I know, I know! We'll figure something out, don't worry." Vance muttered, furrowing his brow in thought.
Avril gasped in surprise. "Of course, that's it! They must have some sort of secret relationship or somethin'... I gotta let them know they don't have to hide it!" Not wasting another moment, Avril quickly opened the door and stepped inside the room. "Vanny, Loli! Stop, ya don't have to sneak around doin' stuff like this!"
Freezing in place, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck, Vance's head snapped to the newly opened door, his eyes wide with surprise as he was half-kneeling in front of the chair where the equally frozen coil of rope was laying, Vance's fingers in the middle of what could be assumed as tickling its chin.
"...Loli?" Avril called out, stepping further into the room. It did not exactly take a great deal of effort to see that the girl was nowhere to be found in the room. All that stood within it was Vance... and a rope coiled up in the chair. The room was absolutely quiet, so much so that you could probably hear a pin drop from outside on the deck. "V-Vanny... Are you... talking to a rope?"
"I, uh," Vance began, but before he was able to explain himself, the rope that had previously held itself frozen, lifted into the air, suddenly lashed out, the entire length of it slithering onto the floor, darting over to hide underneath one of the hammocks. Vance jumped a little as this happened, before hurrying after it. "Ack, no! Wait!" He winced as he knelt down in front of the hammock, peering underneath it, holding a hand out. "Come on, it's alright! It's just Avril, you know?"
Avril slowly took a step back. "Vanny... That rope, how... how is it..." the woman stammered, trying to find the reason that such a thing could even happen. "What in the world is goin' on, exactly?"
Sighing, Vance slowly pulled his arm back, dejected that the rope wasn't coming out. He slowly stood up and raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, turning to face Avril with a sheepish smile on his face. "Uh... it's a... magic trick? Eheh...?"
"...I don't think ropes moving on their own as a conscious bein' counts as a magic trick," Avril replied, crossing her arms over her chest in the process. She moved back to the door, closing it softly behind her. Despite the fact that the whole display had been... more than a bit odd for her, Avril had quickly regained her cool as she turned back to Vance and offered him a reassuring smile. "Now... Why not try the truth this time, Vanny?"
"Okay, okay!" Vance raised his hands defensively while pushing a finger to his lips, peering around to make sure there wasn't anybody else here. "But you have to promise to keep it a secret, alright Avril?" Vance demanded, his expression suddenly turning somewhat stern.
Avril nodded. "I think that can be arranged. So, what's the grand secret here...?"
Vance took a deep breath, seemingly steadying himself before nodding his head, his hands planted at his sides. "Alright, well... err, basically... mnnh. Well, see, my dad's a marine captain. He's really the reason I'm so good at fighting and... navigating, I guess. But, uhm, at one point, he brought me to this... lab or something, where I found her." He gestured back at the hammock where the rope was hidden. "Basically, she's a... rope that's 'eaten' a Snake-Fruit of some sort. They were going to do all kinds of tests on her and keep her locked up, and I didn't want that to happen to her, so... I replaced her with regular rope." He gave a sheepish grin and shrugged a little, rubbing his left arm with his right hand.
"And... well, when I ran away from my dad, I brought her with me. She really likes huddling up against me, and she's super useful, like you've seen. She's just a bit... cautious, towards people, so that's why I haven't told anyone about her. And... well, because she's a top-secret project from the marines, so, uh... please keep this a secret between us, Avril?" He pleaded, biting his lower lip while wringing the bottom of his undershirt, clearly more nervous than he'd ever been.
Avril closed her eyes, trying to take everything in as best she could. She really felt like she had just learned quite a bit about Vance in the past few moments, especially with the fact that he was a former Marine, just like herself. However, she also had several questions. She walked further into the room, kneeling down to take a peek under the hammock, the rope laying coiled up in the corner, twitching as she came into view.
"But... how exactly does a rope manage to... well, eat?" Avril asked, staring intently at the rope. "And for that matter, why keep... her a secret?"
Vance shrugged a little and knelt down as well, holding out a hand for the rope, as if offering a treat to it. "I don't really... know. It's just what they told me. It's something to do with some Marine scientist figuring out how to... 'feed' devil fruits to inanimate objects. So she's... an experiment. If the Marines ever got wind that -I- had her this whole time... well." He paused, suddenly looking extremely worried. "... Dad might just come after me, then."
"But... I'm pretty sure ya don't have to worry about that sort of problem..." Avril replied. She flashed the navigator a positive smile. "I mean, none of us are Marines, but... Still, if ya wanna keep it a secret, you have my word."
Vance returned the smile, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck a little. "I think I'd like to, at least for a little while longer. Thanks, Avril." He then lowered himself back down and held his hand out again. "See? She's just trying to help us. Come on out, we'll sort through this."
Slowly, the rope began slithering out from underneath the hammock, the knot in one end starting to suspiciously look like the head of a snake. It coiled up along Vance's arm, the 'head' raised up, as if looking at Avril, as Vance slowly came to a stand again, smiling. "There we go."
"So... How exacty do you use her in combat...?" Avril questioned. "Do ya just hide her under yer clothes or somethin'?"
"Well, usually..." he starts, then wriggles his finger against the rope-snake, causing her to coil around his chest, with both ends moving around his back, up over his shoulders and down his arms, sitting snugly around his chest and arms, without restricting him. "... I have her like this, with my coat on top, so she's hidden, and... well, we're pretty good at figuring out what each other want."
"That has to be a bit... uncomfortable though..." Avril mused. "Especially when you get into warmer climates, right? I mean... Ya can't wear a coat everywhere..."
"Well, uhm... it's not that bad, but..." He paused, glancing over at his new clothes, laying out on the table. "I was actually trying to think of a better way to do it, but... I don't really know how. I mean, I can't just leave her. We're a team, you know? Not to mention if someone found her while I was away from the ship..."
Avril's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. Her smile grew wider as she looked back and forth between Vance and the rope. "What if... There was a way ya could carry her around without havin' to hide her?"
Raising his brows, Vance glanced at Avril while rubbing a finger against the knot that seemingly made up the snake's head. "Uhm... what do you mean?"
"Well... Like a backpack or somethin', only... not!" Avril began to explain. Her usual calmed voice was starting to perk up with excitement, much like it had when Vance promised the woman his share of the treasure. "I could make you somethin' that you could wear on your back, like... maybe somethin' she could wrap around, and yet would still have that easy access she needed to unwind and be used for combat or... anythin' else you might need her for!"
Staring at Avril with wide eyes, Vance seemed a little put off by her sudden change in demeanor, but quickly began smiling as well. "Well, erh... that'd be... pretty amazing. But how'd we get something like that? I mean, it's not something you can just go out and pick up. 'Hello, I'd like to buy a carrier for my snake-rope', you know?"
Avril giggled lightly. "That's what I'm here for, remember?" the woman said. "Did ya forget what I said back when we left Duke Island? I'm gonna make the world's greatest weapon one day! Sure, this probably won't be anythin' close to what I had in mind, but... It'd be like a small steppin' stone. Plus, we are crewmates, right?"
Raising his brows slightly more, Vance wasn't sure how to feel. Sure, he saw Avril as a crew mate, which is why he offered to give her his half of the treasure, once they found it, -if- they found it, but...
But what? I guess I've been a little unsure about Avril since she came along, but... it turns out she really -is- one of us. His surprised look quickly turned into a bright smile once again, nodding his head firmly. "Yeah, we are! Do you really think you can make something like that for her? I mean, I'd be really happy if you could, Avril!"
"Leave it to me! It'll take me a bit to sketch out the plan and get it built for ya, but by the time I'm done, I promise both of ya are gonna be happy with what I come up with," the woman replied.
In the time it had taken for Avril and Vance to change and deliberate on his sentinent rope, Lotte had taken the opportunity to shower-- and change herself-- though her clothes hadn't been tattered thanks to previous purchases on Duke Island as well. Why would she be left out of trying on new clothes though? Her new tube-top white dress was simple, with brown leather accents on the chest to match her brown boots-- a number of bracelets on her left wrist and a gold-ruby bangle on her right arm-- one of the many valuables she'd lifted from her jewelry box and intended to trade in for funds when she needed them. Her hair was parted differently, slightly more to the side and the front braided back and around to keep it out of her face from now on-- and while she was excited to show Vance and Avril, she was more keen on finding the others so that she could start putting the extra clothes away-- there was more she wanted to see on the island, and she didn't want to be stuck on board all day.
And so, stepping onto the deck, she leaned on the railing, looking up and down the dock for familiar sights like a giant bat man, a grumpy doctor, or a hot-headed skirt-chaser.......