Laughing, we sit ourselves at a table, awaiting our desert.
Barnabe: “We’ll move after eating so we can retrieve the vase for sensei. There are always several marine ships, stationed at Vanilla Isle, so one of them is bound to be headed for the Grand Line. We’ll embark and come back to Creepy Mountain. From there, we’ll have to… separate.” I say, reluctantly.
Looking down, Elia knows I must continue on my path as a marine. Biting her lip, she doesn’t reply. To lighten the mood, the ice creams finally arrive. “Let’s dig in!” I say.
Elia: “I want to eat this every day! It’s way better than the stew Gran makes!”
I can’t help but laugh, Elia has a way to inject innocence in every sentence she pronounces, making someone believe that eating ice cream all the time could actually be a possibility.
Barnabe: “Let’s go, sensei is waiting for his vase.”
Walking at a brisk pace, we hike Tabletop Hill together, a caper that seems fairly bland in comparison to the epic that we’ve experience in two days alone. While climbing, I feel a shake in my backpack. Remembering the very alive animal inside, I open the sack. Docile, the snake wraps around my arm, slowly making its way to the ground. Trying to get inside, like on its native cloud, Richard slams its head on the floor. Confused, it looks at me, then in the area, searching for prey. A few minutes later, it comes back with a fieldmouse in its mouth, gulping it whole and swelling its stomach. Slowly, it in my backpack for another nap. “Real useful, this one.” I mutter grumpily.
Reaching the top of Tabletop Hill, our gaze is now on Beaten Earth Valley, the place at which I met sensei and learned about the fine tuning of training, in all its shape or form. Spotting a nice, sharp trail leading down, a challenge grows in my head.
**Barnabe: “Hey, Elia, let’s race to the bottom!”
Elia: “You’re on!”
Quickly taking the lead, I rush to the trail, letting my feet slide off to gain speed. Grossly underestimating her speed, I see Elia pass me and beat me easily, taunting me on arrival.
**Barnabe: “I guess I’ve got some practicing to do!”
Making our way to sensei’s tent, we appreciate the afternoon sun on our skin. Entering the dojo, I look around, trying ti find his fabled vase. In the back of the room, on a pedestal, a large vessel, blue like the sea with ornate carvings sits alone to be observed by all. “That must be it, I say. Let’s bring it back to him.”
We head back to the harbour, finding a marine ship without much trouble.
A week later, on Creepy Mountain
Sensei: “Ah, Barnabe, you are back! Did you find my vase? You were quick, how did you go to Vanilla Isle and back in eight days?”
Barnabe: “Well sensei, it’s a long story… here is your precious vase.” I bow as I present to the master his previous vase.
Sensei: “Ah finally. I’ve missed you, my dear.” With a swing, sensei smashes the vase on the ground, revealing a multitude of scrolls. Horrified, I say:
Barnabe: “Sensei! But why?”
Taking a close look I notice that every scroll, or nearly, contains a drawing of naked, or nearly, women.
Barnabe: “Erotic art, really??” I declare, visibly jaded. “I did all this work, for this?”
Sensei: “Hee heee heeee! It seems we both gained the same thing in this whole adventure, have we not?” With a wink, he looks at Elia. Blushing, I take my leave, offering master a quick, shameful bow.