The air had an even crisper smell about it than usual. It was autumn and even the docks of this small town they had sailed into smelled cleaner than usual. Usually all port towns smelled at least partially of garbage but although the structures seemed archaic the waters were fussily neat.

Elly was leaning morosely over the deck as the entire crew shuffled and leaped around behind her with excitement. Even Robin seemed intrigued by the tall stone building close by that had a book sign out front. Yet she was staring out at the inhabitants with a grim look on her face.

The ladies all wore very feminine outfits. She was not going to be happy about that.

Sure enough the first thing that happened when they arrived in the Inn they were staying at was the onslaught of tailors and dressmakers, bent on making everyone look as old-fashioned as possible. She simply sighed and submitted. Nami, of course, had no problem about low-cut bodices or silks and sashes. But the pale, lavender-haired woman hated them. It reminded her that she never felt feminine - even in a kimono or dress. Nothing she could do about it, though...

"Hey! What - why am I getting ...what is this?" Elly gasped at the daring outfit the dressmaker had draped about her.

"You've got a fine figure, Lady," the woman smiled. "Why not show it off?" Elly spluttered and waved a hand down at herself. She had on a chest piece - there was no other word for it -- in embroidered lavender satin, with light blue and green accents. Her belly was free of any cloth down below her navel, where a flowing purple silk skirt was caught at one hip. The woman had given her some sort of leggings to wear underneath of a darker shade and pointed shoes that matched the entire ensemble, as well as gloves that reached to her elbow. The hairdressers hadn't been able to do much with her hair so they had added a headpiece of silver and more green, woven and intricately designed in curling shapes. The top pieces looked like a cat's ears. She blinked down at the strap of silk in her hand. It had a silver bow on it.

"Someone's going to hear about this," she muttered. But if they'd seen through her human guise, why not play along? She tied the bell around her neck and swished out the door, following Nami and Robin out to the main room to meet the others. The other girls were smiling faintly when they stepped out into the area. Nami ducked and stepped quickly to one side to avoid getting hit by Sanji as he propelled himself gleefully forward. Robin sat down on a large and comfy-looking chair by one of the  arched windows and Elly found herself alone rather too quickly, standing awkwardly in the middle of the doorway. She grit her teeth and walked in as fast as she could, hoping to hide in a corner.

"So beautiful!" Sanji was almost wailing with glee. He spun around on one heel and gasped when he saw her. "Angel! You - you too!" Elly passed a hand over her face, trembling. She didn't want to bring attention to herself. The damn fool. Even Chopper was gaping at her outfit.

"But you look pretty," the little reindeer said meekly. He sensed her discomfort and wished she would just be happy like they all were.

"Thank you." She tried to smile, but her eyes were automatically seeking out one face. She passed over Sanji's heart-for-eyes, Luffy's grinning happiness and Usopp's raised eyebrow ... there. She barely noticed what the others were wearing but now she caught her breath. In a far corner of the room a familiar form was slouched over, lightly snoring. His soft fabric haramaki had given way to a real armour piece, dyed green straps with beaten metal and red feathers accenting the top. A purple silk cord was tied loosely around his waist as well, light blue beads knotting the ends as they dangled between his legs. He still wore black silk pants but now they were of a finer quality and they clung too him as he shifted against the stone pillar he rested his back against. He had wrappings tied to his wrists and a fine silken shirt with green accents and flared shoulders. Zoro grunted and opened his eyes, seeming to sense her scrutiny.

"What's all the yelling about?" He turned to face them all, stretching unselfconsciously. One hand rested lightly on his three sword hilts even now. "Can't we just -"

"The girls got here!" Luffy chirped happily. The green-haired swordsman sighed and his eyes locked onto Elly's by accident.

Zoro blinked. His hand fell from the katana at his side nervelessly. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink, then slightly redder. Elly was staring down at the floor in embarrassment so she didn't see his confusion and the others were already caught up in various amusements. Brook had wandered off some time ago - there was a musician in town with some skill and he wished to go visit him -- and Franky had gone with him for some reason. Chopper was bouncing up and down at the idea of tournaments (they offered sweets at the concession stands). Luffy was about as enthralled with plans for a huge buffet of meats later on that Ussop was reading off a menu nearby. No one noticed Zoro's preoccupation except Nami, who nudged Sanji and pointed to the pair. The blond chef's single eye widened.

"No way," he breathed incredulously.

"Told you," Nami grinned smugly.

"That's got to happen," he chuckled evilly. "How can we...?"

"She doesn't like me. She'll listen to you better. Tell her..." She dropped her voice to a low whisper and chatted with Sanji for a bit more while the two in question stayed frozen in the middle of the room. "That should work," Nami finished. "I think."

By this time the bigger young man had regained some composure in the form of acting grumpier than usual. He thrust his lower lip out in a pout.

"I'm going out," he declared pugnaciously and stomped out of the room on thick-soled leather boots. Elly walked slowly over to the window and watched as he left the inn. She was trembling with emotions she was struggling to control and she was about to rush back into the other room and put a robe on to cover herself when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"What!"

"It's just me, Angel," Sanji murmured. "Listen, they're formal here and we all have to play by the rules if we're to fit in, right? A man is going to have to take each one of you girls down to the table tonight. Escort you." He winced at her expression of pure horror. And as he watched she couldn't hold back the tear that snuck out of one of her eyes. She choked and spun back to the window, hands gripping the cold stonework.

"I'll suggest it when we're in a room with a lot of guys," Sanji said quietly. The jingle of the bell on her collar cut off abruptly as she jerked back around.

"Great," she hissed. "Because then at least someone will want to take me?"

"Something like that," Sanji said with a perfectly straight face. "You're going to be surprised though, I think."

Time passed slowly for her until they'd all gathered together again. She felt dejected, and worse yet, what if Zoro took another girl down to the table? She'd have to sit there the whole time while the tart flirted with him. Enough girls did when they went to bars and stuff anyway. It didn't even help that he didn't care because it hurt to have to let it slide. They walked into a common room with several young ladies and men gathered about, and Sanji raised his voice. Her heart about stopped. Zoro was absently scratching his chest and looking down the hall, obviously wondering why they couldn't go get something to drink already.

"We have some lovely ladies here that need dates for the night," Sanji said in a louder voice than usual. He scowled at a man that was eyeing Nami and grabbed the red-haired girl's hand. Nami made a face but said nothing. Robin was standing by Luffy's side and he was shrugging. He didn't care and she didn't want any fuss, so he'd take her down the hall. There was food there - the faster the better was his opinion!Elly seemed confused when a group of men homed in on her. The native ladies in the room began to look a little green as most of the men tried to vie with each other for her attention. She tucked a strand of her lavender hair behind an ear and shook her head in amazement, swallowing hard. At least she wouldn't be humiliated by going alone. Her shoulders sagged lightly when she realized she couldn't see Zoro. He was probably there already, with someone of course.

And suddenly the horde of babbling young men melted away. Most looked pale and almost worried as they rushed off. Elly bit her lip, crushed. When they got that close to her was she really that hideous? She turned and nearly bumped into Zoro's massive chest. He had walked directly behind her and was scowling angrily in the general direction of the fleeing young men, his arms crossed and his eyes flat with promises of broken bones and perhaps dismemberment.

Her left eye twitched in shock. He reached down with that same frown on his face and grasped her upper arm with a gentleness that surprised her even more.

"Dinner's that way," he said shortly. "You going to walk or do I have to carry you?" Elly just blinked at him, her eyes wide and dark, so he sighed and scooped her up very easily. She found her voice when he had only taken a few steps.

"What are you doing?!"

"I wanna be drinking in a minute." He grunted and shifted her in his arms when the dress she was wearing flared slightly. "Plus I'm hungry." He shrugged and walked with purposeful strides, passing the rest of the crew except Luffy, who was already seated at a long area prepared just for their party. Zoro settled her comfortably on one of the embroidered mats before flopping down next to her with a grunt. She blushed and tried to cover it by looking around.

"I'll take some, too," she murmured, picking up her cup for some of the sake Zoro was already reaching for. He grunted and held the flagon out wordlessly, pouring with the ease of a man that has drank much in his lifetime. He then poured for himself and set it close by. Luffy was crowing happily as delicious smells started to drift by their table.

"I smell meat guys!"

"You always smell meat, idiot," Sanji snickered as he wandered by. He glanced over at Zoro and grinned impudently at the green-haired young man. Zoro's lip thrust out in an even harder pout and he scowled at him.

No one noticed the little group of girls standing in a corner with their eyes blazing. They'd been taken aback during the choosing of dates and now they were swarmed under themselves for partners.

Nothing much happened for awhile. The food was really good and so was the cold ale - Zoro was enjoying himself immensely when the blond idiot pushed at him under the table with his foot.

"What," he ground out. Sanji glanced to the side and saw the ladies were chatting. Good.  "This is really like a date for you, wasn't it?" he prodded. He ignored Zoro's grimace and pushed on. "You gonna walk her back to her room? Maybe you should try for a good night kiss." He ducked automatically, knowing the swordsman would strike first if he was embarrassed. The fist went sailing harmlessly over his head and he laughed softly.

"You asshole!"

"Shithead," he tossed back casually, gauging the other's reaction. "You looked nervous, dumbass. Why?"

"I don't dance," Zoro snarled in frustration. "It's a girl thing."

"I know how."

"Yeah." Zoro scoffed, his tone an obvious insult. Sanji's eye narrowed but he pointed the dance floor. Couples were beginning to gravitate towards it as the musicians struck up some antique-sounding but beautiful tunes. There were a lot of string instruments and the piercing notes of a certain mandolin caught Elly's ears right away. She half-turned to watch, here purple eyes a mystery. Zoro briefly wondered what she was thinking and then frowned. Why would he ...?

"All you have to do is hold her and move around a little. It's not a fast dance."

"Why do we even have to bother with this crap?"

"We have to blend in for now. You know that." The blond young man shrugged. Then he began to smile, blushing deeply and wiggling. "Besides, don't you want to smell her perfume and..."

"Already know what she smells like." Zoro clamped his lips shut on that. Sanji covered a smile with one hastily raised hand as the swordsman nervously reached an arm around his bemused 'date' to tap her on the shoulder. Elly looked confused but reached out to have her pale fingers lightly clasped in his much larger palm. The musicians were playing a very slow air that was perfect for close dancing. The big man couldn't stop blushing as he drew her out onto the highly polished wood floor. Even if his hand rested above her waist and even if she wasn't pressed tightly against him like some of the people he saw it was more than enough. They moved along with everyone else, finding a natural rhythm that didn't involve any awkward bumping or stumbling.

He was so politely correct. Elly sighed disconsolately. She would have welcomed a little nudge or a hand dropped below, even on accident. Then she smiled at herself. Look at this, she was dancing with the man she'd wanted to be with for such a long time. Even if this was only for show she should enjoy herself as much as she could. After a short while, however, she dared to reach up and slip her arms around his neck. Zoro blinked and blushed harder, the burn spreading down to his neck. Then he felt her body tense and frowned.

"The newcomers? I heard she's not even human. That's disgusting, he shouldn't be with her."

Elly blinked. Her hands fell away and she stared to the side, not really seeing anything but struggling to forget what she'd heard. The pain wasn't because she had been targeted - she was used to it and quite frankly, this was nothing compared to what she'd been through -- but because yet another human was being cruel. Why did this species try so hard to hurt others who had never hurt them?

Zoro's frown grew deeper as he realized something was amiss with his dance partner. He looked over and caught the snickering group right in the corner of his vision. They seemed to be looking at them.

"Oh," one girl said, tossing her lanky brown hair to one side and looking down her nose at the couple on the dance floor. "I really want to kill her!" The others all simpered around, consoling the young one as she watched them with eyes burning with hatred.

"It's okay, she's probably a total whore."

"She's ugly, anyway, it's all right. You're prettier."

Zoro stopped and ran a hand across his face. Elly glanced up, startled to see that the hand was shaking. When he removed it his eyes were flat and his mouth set in a thin, angry line. He deliberately took the pale woman's hand and led her from the floor.

"I think we'll leave," he announced gruffly. "The air in this place smells shitty." Elly cocked her head in a manner reminiscent of when she was a cat. She bit her lower lip, trying to stifle back the laughter that threatened to bubble to the surface. The swordsman's face was like a thundercloud as he stomped along beside her and she had to struggle to keep up the pace. When they were out of the ballroom, however, she tugged on his hand to slow him down.

"Thanks," she said gratefully.

"Eh." He pointed down the hall. "That's the way to your room, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'll go with you."

"You don't have to," she said quietly. They began walking even as she spoke and really it wasn't long until they were at her door. The big man couldn't grasp what she'd said, though.

"I don't?"  Isn't that how things went? Her lips quirked in a little smile that made him catch his breath for some reason.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," she told him seriously. "Thanks for taking me tonight, though. I didn't want to go with any of those other guys. And those girls...that was bad."

"Uh." Zoro froze in place as she turned away and unlatched the door to her room. He suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe and he tore at the neck of his finery in a struggle to get more air. Faced with her slipping away from him without a chance to explain - god knew what -- he reacted without thinking and slammed a hand on the door, closing it before she could disappear.

"What's wrong?" Elly jerked around, eyes wide with the sudden fright he'd given her. He shook his head, earrings jingling, and waved a hand almost angrily in the air. She'd hardly seen him like this, so furious at something. And for the life of her she couldn't tell what he had to be angry at. She only hoped it wasn't her! "Did I say someth-"

"Shut up. Stupid, stupid..." He muttered the last word under his breath and clenched the fist that lay on the door frame. "...all right, here." The door was abruptly shoved open and she opened her mouth to suck in a great rush of air, afraid she was about to fall. She did not. A very large hand had wrapped around her waist and she did gasp when he pulled her closer to him than when they had been on the dance floor. The swordsman had been the soul of propriety before and kept a nicely-maintained distance that looked romantic but no improper areas had touched. That flew out the window now as he snatched her to his side while he closed the door. Her front was pressed tightly to him, her legs around one of his and her hands instinctively clutching at his arm.

"Zoro?" She squeaked awkwardly, cursing herself for sounding so (what else) stupid. Good god. His warm, masculine body was doing things to her lower body that nothing else ever had. The scent of steel was in the air, mixed with her own lavender perfume and it seemed thick, heady. It was an odd smell that went well together for some reason. Elly shook her head violently, trying to focus, sensing she was falling into a kind of stupor but unable to help herself. Her purple hair fell out of the intricate braiding along the sides as she did, but before it even tickled her cheek his fingers tucked it away behind her ear. Zoro's massive back was to the door now, his arm around her. Still holding her to his side, still silent. His chest was heaving more than usual and she saw his eyes were a bit wild. He closed them and frowned.

"Eh," he grunted quietly. "You're purring." He opened his eyes and stared right into her own, mesmerizing her with the intensity of his gaze. She'd have scoffed at such a thing - laughed at it if she'd read it in a bad romance novel -- but it happened. He bent slowly towards her, keeping the hand that had carefully swept that strand of hair away on her cheek. And then he softly kissed her. He was gentle and quick; she didn't have time to respond before he pulled away with his cheeks burning as hotly as her own.

"You just..."

"Aa." He swallowed so hard she heard the gulp in his throat and saw his Adam's apple spasm. "Wanted to." He took a deep breath and dropped his hands away from her cheek and side. In her euphoric state Elly wasn't sure whether or not he meant he'd wanted to take her to the dinner that night or kiss her. Zoro chuckled lowly.

"Both," he said firmly.

"You knew what I was thinking."

"Wasn't hard." He paused. "Stupid cat," he added almost as an afterthought.

"I guess," she murmured. Certainly wasn't going to argue when she could still feel the big man's lips against her own. She touched her mouth with a finger tip as if to try and bring back the moment. It was something that had humbled her, not just his kiss but the blushing hesitation behind it.

"I have more," he rumbled, lightly grasping her wrist and turning it in his hand. The next one was placed carefully in her palm and it burned as hotly as it had on her lips. "If you want." When she didn't answer he took it as a yes anyway and dropped her hand to lightly grasp both cheeks in his palms. Elly couldn't look away as he approached, so calm now that he'd made a decision. His eyes were serious, even grave. Before he pressed forward close enough to kiss he raised an eyebrow, tilted her face gently with his hands to meet his.  

"I want," she murmured somewhat sheepishly.

"Oh?" He drew the kiss out so long this time that she started to sway on her feet. "I want you," he said in a low, thrilling voice that left very little question as to what he meant.

"Ah," she cast about wildly, not able to believe her fortune. He did? Did he really just say that?

"S'matter?" He asked, his rumbling tone amused. "Not expect that?"

"No," she squeaked. "I didn't!"

"I don't screw around," he told her with a dark twinkle in his eye. Apparently he meant both implications of what he'd just said. But this? This was Zoro? She'd never thought he could be this way. "Listen," he added more seriously, "I just wanted you to know. I don't mean to do anything about it." Elly visibly relaxed. Her body wanted exactly what he just suggested but her mind was reeling from way too many emotions and new perceptions.

"Uh, not at all?" She asked softly.

"Not right now." He grinned, bent and kissed her on the corner of her mouth before leaving.

She had a marvelous night of anticipation and dreams, knowing there would be more days and nights to come filled with even better moments than this one.