Leyla clung to her older brother as he gently guided her behind him.
Before any of them could do anything, the robot's arm changed into a vacuum cleaner.
Their hair swayed as William held Leyla tightly.
''So, what do we do now?'' He asked Vanilla urgently.
Escaping the robot's whoosh of air, her brown hair was fluttering as she forced a step back.
''I may be a genius, Willy, but how am I supposed to know that?! The can's most vulnerable wires should be at its back, but if we go any closer, it's going to inhale us into Berlin knows what!''
She turns to Adam to bark an order at him, but he was nowhere to be seen.
''And where did he go?!''
They all look back up at the robot with Adam lied down at its shoulder with crossed arms, smirking down at them smugly.
''Are you sure you don't need my help yet, angel~?'' his voice was barely reaching Vanilla's ears, yet it annoyed her all the same.
She had to physically restrain herself from rolling her eyes and swept them over the robot.
Wires were sticking out of its arms, so maybe she could try cutting out these ones first…
She turned sharply to William and narrowed her eyes at him.
''Do you think you're able to use your powers?''
William thought about it for a moment and squeezed Leyla's shoulder reassuringly.
''I could try… but I'll need some time to get used to it.''
Great. That's exactly what she wanted to hear.
Especially now that they were in a death situation where changing space would've subtly but greatly helped them.
Vanilla groaned as she ran a hand down her face.
She turned to the invisible table behind them, guarding the alley then looked back at William.
''Are you fast? Like, really fast, Willy?'' She asked calmly.
William gently squeezed Leyla's shoulder and tried to stay composed.
''I mean… I guess? And my name's William—
-That's what I said.
-Genuinely not—
-Genuinely yes. Trust.''
William stared at her questioningly, but he noticed a shadow looming over them and held onto Leyla tighter. The robot was swinging his arm and aiming his punch at all three of them. The fist was too big for them to dodge, in time.
William and his sister both squeezed their eyes shut.
But then—
Vanilla grinned.
She pushed William, Leyla and herself under the invisible coat and table.
Her makeshift shield was also a weapon. It was long enough to protect all three of them, and heavy enough to snap the robot's fist into dust.
The ground shook under us, but we remained crouched under the table.
The robot stumbled and fell backwards to sink into the four buildings behind him.
Leyla's eyes lightened up when she saw the robot's rear and back stuck onto those buildings.
A funny contrast to Vanilla and William's reactions.
They were both horrified.
Who knows how many innocent people died in that building for that kid's little tantrum? How many people didn't even have time to say goodbye to their close ones?
Leyla stood up from the table, hurting her head in the process, and ran up to the stuck robot that was still trying to stand up.
''Yes! We did it!''
Vanilla and William followed her steps and didn't gaze at the robot, but at the buildings that contained dozens of people under them.
Vanilla gritted her teeth, her hands clenching into fists at her side.
'How can she congratulate us for doing such a thing?' She thought. 'She's not a baby anymore so, why isn't she feeling anything but joy right now?'
William was now staring at Vanilla with a hint of surprise.
Capricorn would've loved this massacre. She would've made it even more brutal, actually. Who knows what Moon and Silver would've done… Blue Berry would've done everything for it to not end that way, but Vanilla? He could feel a weird sense of self-loathing radiating from her. Had he become more empathic or was that just a new power that Blue Berry gave him along the way?
Vanilla slowly made her way to Leyla dangerously calmly. It looked like she was about to snap at her…
She slowly raised a hand…
Then she lightly rested it on her shoulder.
''We did it indeed!'' She smiles sweetly.
Too sweetly.
William wandered how could she switch up that fast, but before he could ask her about it, something happened…
The robot's vacuum gradually turned back on, the air coming from it much stronger than it was before.
''Oops! Wrong wire—!!!''
A bit of noise came out from the robot's middle before it turned off.
Adam opened the robot's inside door and jumped out of it to land smoothly on the tip of his toes before standing back up.
''Phew—! I finally managed to take it out!''
He walked back up to Vanilla to wrap his arms around her waist for a tight hug.
''Don't you think I deserve some head scratches, angel~?''
Vanilla tenses up at Adam's hug and nuzzling.
One second, he was enjoying their proximity. The next, he was pinned down on the ground while she was twisting his arm in an odd angle.
Adam gasped and aggressively patted the ground multiple times.
''Ow—!!!! Okay, okay, I'll ask Silver then—!!''
He sighed in relief when she let him go.
She didn't bother helping him back up and turned to where Sara was only moments ago.
''Where did she go?'' She muttered under her breath.
Vanilla then turned to the others and gave them a bored look.
''I ain't cleaning the city.'' She takes the device on the table that made it invisible and took back her coat to wrap it around her shoulders. ''I already have done too much.''
As they headed back to the ship, William returned to the alley to take back the mirror.
———
Back at the port of Cross Bourg, had taken her place back. She was standing on a barrel while looking down at all 13 members of the crew, with Adam, William and Leyla behind her.
''Are you all ready for the big come back of 'The Rose Noire'?!''
They all clinked their beer and started drinking.
Soon enough, the crew went to their assigned positions to start their journey.
As they walked through the ship's alleyway, with Blue Berry's mirror hooked under his arm. Capricorn opened a door and pushed William inside. She crossed her arms and lazily leaned against the doorframe while looking at him holding that mirror. It felt familiar… but she wasn't the kind to care about anything other than… well, her.
''Here's your bedroom. Well, technically, Jean-Jacques and Gustave's. Along with Adam's currently.''
William blinked and turned to Capricorn with wide eyes.
''Are they nice?''
Capricorn huffs out a laugh.
''Well, to me, yes. But I'm their Captain, so, who knows how they'll be with you…''
William sighs and looks at the messy beds and empty desk.
''Why is it so… empty? Don't you guys live here?''
She shrugs.
''All of the people of the crew were orphans who needed a bed and roof over their heads. By swearing loyalty to me they basically started working for me in exchange of it. They prefer having a full stomach rather than getting attached to books or games or… anything you can think of.'' She rubs the tip of her gloved finger with her thumb. ''We all ended up having a good time and we're basically all a big family.'' Then she snorts. ''Besides, me and Miel are the only ones who're into gold and jewels, that's the second reason why they don't have many things in their bedroom.''
He slowly nods at her words and turns to the only neat bed.
Walking over to it, he sat down and raised an eyebrow at her.
''But then what do you do when you're bored?''
She hums in thought and takes off her black hat.
''We usually party or study sea monsters. They're not rare, especially in Pottam. Though it's rare for us to get bored. We usually are too busy sailing. It's a full-time job.
-Yes, but why—?
-That's your last question.'' Her eye twitches. ''You're gonna get me thirsty with all this talking when I don't even need water to survive.'' She rolls her yellow eyes.
William pouts and crosses his arms.
''Well sorry if I'm interested in you and your crew. Shouldn't that be stroking your ego?''
She snorts again, her eyebrow twitching.
''Well, you can stroke my ego without annoying me in the process.''
He pouts harder at that and takes a deep breath.
''It was going to be my last question anyway…'' he cleared his throat and leaned back in his bed. ''Can I know why you're an orphan? How it happened, I mean.''
Her gaze hardens as it averts to the hallway, her jaw tightening.
''It's not important. What is, though, is that you're becoming a sailor tomorrow. I'm not letting you sit around all day while the rest of us are sweating in the heat.
-But—!
-Night.'' She throws a hardly convincing smirk and leave.
The door slammed shut behind her with a whoosh of wind.
He blinked in surprise and tensed up at the sound.
Maybe he shouldn't have said that…
———
The night had been a surprisingly comfortable one for such a basic bed.
He had dozed off like a light the night before.
He was sleeping peacefully, right in the middle of a dream, when he was starting to get attacked by pillows.
William sat up on the bed and wiped off the drool clinging to his chin. He looked at the one attacking him and saw a pair of shadowed brown eyes pinning his own blue ones with a pillow in hand.
''WHO ARE YOU?!'' the young man shouted.
William heard a yawn coming from another one of the beds followed by a groggy voice.
''Calm down, Gustave… it's Myrtille's apprentice, so the Captain's too. So, give him a bit of respect, wontcha?''
Gustave's eye twitched as he glared at the other man.
''How?! She didn't give her blessing to anyone for years! And y'all just believe that?! Whether Cap trusts him or not, he's an intruder if he doesn't have proof !''
Another one in the dark room spoke up, his voice heavy with sleep.
''We get your point, Gustave, but Jacques is right. If the Captain says that we need to be nice to him, we'll be nice to him.''
Gustave's eye twitches again.
''You too, John?! You're on their side? You're supposed to be on mine!
-And I probably would be if you weren't yelling in the middle of the night!!!''
Gustave's mouth slams shut at that.
But the fight didn't completely drain out of him yet.
He crosses his arms and glares down at William in the dark room.
''I don't even remember him entering our room, so why should I believe that? I'm sure that he washed your minds!''
Jean Jacques sighs heavily.
''Yeah, you don't remember him entering because you were drunk out of your mind.''
Gustave ran a hand down his face as Jacques slowly guided him back towards his bed.
An awkward silence settled over them as William shifted on his bed.
It was weird to meet so many strangers at once. And when he did, there was usually Leyla at his side. At the thought of her, he started worrying about her, a bead of sweat forming on his temple.
He couldn't help but silently hope that it went better at her side of the ship…
He lied back down onto the bed and gazed up at the ceiling.
His eyes started to flutter shut when he heard Jean Jacques speak up.
''Soooo…'' he dragged the word on purpose. ''How were your parents, kid?''
William raises an eyebrow and chuckles, not sure about how he should take that question…
''What do you mean 'were'?''
Jacques raises an eyebrow.
''Aren't you an orphan too?
-Ahhh…'' William chuckles more freely this time. ''I'm not like you guys… I'm not an orphan. The thing is that my parents got kidnapped by The King…'' a chill ran down his spine, a tear forming in his eye. He tried blinking it away, but it still managed to roll down his cheek.
Jacques hummed in empathy and stared blankly out the window.
''At least, you know that they're alive… The King never kills people for no reason. As long as your parents were pretty normal, they should be fine.''
William let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding at his words.
Then, Jacques kept going…
''Mine died when I was 900…
-Say what now—?'' He almost choked on his saliva as he abruptly sat up.
Jacques huffed out a laugh.
''That's young for my species… but based on your reaction, you're probably, what, a Dew Drop?
-A what now?''
Gustave crossed his arms on the bed.
''Basically, they're like the humans in their current state. That means they got no magic. Except for a few of them, but it's only water-related powers.''
William raises an eyebrow.
''That isn't possible. I got magic, but completely different from water-related powers.''
Gustave sighed and ran a hand down his fave again.
''Have you ever heard about marrying someone from another country or another planet? Well, it's the same thing. Basically, you were probably meant to be a weak Dew Drop, but one before you married someone from another species, which made you look normal, but you still actually are a Dew Drop.''
William raises an eyebrow and looks down at his gloved hands.
''But how would you guys know that?''
Another silence settled in the room before John spoke up.
''Because Dew Drops are some of the weakest magical creatures we know about. Except from those with the powers.''
He sits up on his own bed, giving up the thought of sleep.
''You may not have their cyan hair, but you definitely have their blood in your veins.''
Then, Blue Berry's words echoed in his skull.
''Your powers are asleep.''
So, that was what she meant…
His powers were restrained because of that bit of powerless Dew Drop blood in his veins… That means that if he trained, or somehow got rid of it, he would be as strong as he was supposed to be…
He smiled to himself and thanked them.
But then, a knock at the door cut through the silence.