ACE

[ballies]

(pirate noises)

Comments

[ballies]

[ gets a pickaxe and smacks the topic. ] How old were you…?

[ she has a feeling she’s not going to like the answer. ]

Well, yeah but having a new outfit everyday is fun. Especially seeing as we’ve only had a few things to wear so far.

[selfimmolation]

Like... [ pauses, thinking, calculate ] Four? Don't remember if I really hunted before that.

[ she is not going to like the answer. ]

I feel like you've found plenty to wear already, but if it's a task, it's a task. Might as well go with it I guess.

[ballies]

[ well she stops walking. ]

Four?!

[selfimmolation]

[ stops as well and turns back to her like yea? what? ]

Yeah...?

[ballies]

[ y’know when you know someone’s world is super different to yours and stuff is weird, but then you hear something and you Know? there’s a difference. ]

Why were you alone in a forest when you were four?!

[selfimmolation]

The bandits liked me better out of the house.

[ this is also abnormal for one piece. ]

It's alright, I could handle myself. [ that actually does not make it ok ]

[ballies]

I don’t doubt you could handle yourself, but I also don’t care?! You don’t just boot a kid out because you feel like it — that’s bullshit!

[ :o a swear ]

[selfimmolation]

[ :o a swear... ]

... It probably won't make you feel better if I say I also liked it better out of the house, huh? [ a measure of self-awareness, here ] I was the one running off, they didn't kick me out or anything.

[ballies]

Not really when you just told me you had to hunt for your food. They couldn't throw a sandwich after you or something?

[selfimmolation]

I just had to earn my keep, that's all. Once I was old enough they'd only do a bowl of rice a day unless I helped out around the house, so I went and hunted and shared the meat instead.

[ there is no part of this backstory Tama is going to enjoy ]

[ballies]

[ yeah no kidding. she just looks Tired. ]

No such thing as child labour laws where you're from then, huh?

[selfimmolation]

Even if there were laws, I don't think the bandits would've cared much.

[ on account of being criminals. ]

[ballies]

"Even if there were"--? Geez.

[selfimmolation]

I was kind of in the lawless area of the island, so maybe I'm not a good example.

[ lightly because she is clearly Offended on his behalf but also yeah kids work. why wouldn't they. ]

[ballies]

[ labour laws!!!! ]

Maybe not. There’s pretty strict rules about it where I’m from, mostly to some kids from being exploited for cheap labour. [ … ] Not that it works all of the time.

[selfimmolation]

Well, at least they're trying, right?

[ just gonna... glide past... the backstory stuff and move on.... ]

[ballies]

[ jiiiiiii. ]

Yeah, which sounds like more than whatever was or wasn't happening where you're from.

[selfimmolation]

Mostly kids'll work if they're poor and need the money, I guess. Or just... beg and steal.

[ s h r u g s ]

[ballies]

Well, yeah. That's a given. It still happens where I'm from, in some places.

But that's why there's laws in place in the majority of countries -- to support families so the kids don't have to work. Or to protect kids that don't have a family until they find a replacement or are legally old enough to take care of themselves.

[ sigh ]

The system isn't perfect, but like you said: they're trying at least.

[selfimmolation]

Yeah, the World Government doesn't have any kind of system like that, so most islands kind of decide what they do by themselves. Some villages are nicer to orphans and some aren't.

[ eats his snaccie ... it is almost gone... tragedy ]

[ballies]

[ they fell into the politics sauce-- well. tama fell, and dragged ace down with her i guess, and no shopping was done. ]

So it's like a roulette of island policies, and sucks to be you if the place you were born has nothing for you.

[ hmmm ]

There's probably a pretzel stall around here somewhere, by the way.

[selfimmolation]

Sure, something like that.

[ it's more like sometimes villages are nice and take care of kids and sometimes they aren't, let's not go there. she is freaked out about hunting in a forest and that is actually the least terrible part of his childhood. he grins at the mention of pretzels ]

Oh, seriously? Let's stop there!

[ballies]

[ still the hit or miss principle. but hey-- food. ]

Sure-- you've gone through what you got earlier pretty fast. [ pacify with food tactics-- go. ]

[selfimmolation]

We stopped for a while. [ so clearly it's not his fault there wasn't a lot of food? ]

[ballies]

Yeah, yeah. My tangent. [ she's not stopping him from buying like seven pretzels. ]