Belle-mère (1/2)

The woman let out a sigh. Although she herself wasn't the wisest person on the island, Belle-mère considered herself to be reasonably smart, at the very least she could quite easily discern if someone was lying to her. Though not exactly a human lie detector, the womans skill at picking up minute details such as body language and slight changes in facial expressions was pretty helpful in separating fact from fiction. It was because of this that Belle-mère knew that every single word the kid in front of her had uttered was a load of bullcrap. Apart from his own name, the weird boy with the dog ears and tail had spun nothing but lies since he had met her nearly an hour previously.

The two of them were sitting in the living room, occupying opposite sides of the table. The one that called himself Mako D. Carson was sitting in nothing but a long t-shirt and checkered boxer shorts, clothes that had been provided by herself. As the back of the young mans shirt and pants were soaked from the rain and caked in mud from being slammed onto the ground, Belle-mère had felt a tad bit guilty about what she had done and given him something to wear. She knew she had taken it too far when she had pressed the sharp glass under his chin but her day hadn't been going very well which lead to her snapping.

Still though, while she did regret going full on psycho, she felt that he might have deserved it after hearing the rampant fibs spewing forth from his mouth.

"Okay, so to repeat what you told me earlier, you're from Matchstick Island and want to see Nami and Nojiko. After hearing that the girls grew up on this island, you landed here hoping to get to see them?" Belle-mère rubbed her temples, the after-effects of drinking making her head throb continuously. "Do you even hear how ridiculous that sounds? Such a lie wouldn't be able to fool anyone with half a brain."

The youth gave a nervous smile. "Well, telling you the truth would be quite difficult as of this moment. As much as I'd like to tell you the whole story, I'm afraid that you'll have to treat this piece of fiction as the correct one for the time being."

Belle-mère gritted her teeth. Frustration to the point of screaming welled up within her. She wanted answers, not excuses. If the kid knew anything about her girls' situation then she had the right to know. Him telling her to essentially shut up and accept his lies was severely stretching out her patience. She had half a mind to beat the crap out of him and force him to talk.

Belle-mère glanced up and gazed into Mako's eyes, dark grey meeting the brightest blue. She wanted to make him talk through strength alone, but her instincts told her that wouldn't be a good idea. Through their earlier exchange, Belle-mère knew she was far stronger than this child to the point where he couldn't match up. Despite that however, whenever she looked into his eyes, a sense of danger would envelope her, her body tensing up in preparation for defense.

The blue eyes held intelligence and something else she couldn't describe. The same way a wolf would assess its prey. As if he could see right through her. Even if she could beat him now, making enemies with him would be potentially dangerous. Not to mention he might even clam up if she got rough with him.

"Fine," Belle-mère said after silently debating for a minute longer. "I'll accept your lies for the time being. I do have a few questions for you however that don't involve where you're from or how you got here. Mind answering those?"

"Ask away." Mako leaned back in his seat, looking relaxed. Belle-mère wanted to punch him so badly but she restrained herself. "However, I would like to ask some questions in return. If I give you honest answers then I would also like some as well."

((Honest? Why should I?! You haven't been honest with me you brat!!)) She let out a sigh as she leaned back in her seat. "Fine. No lies. First question. Though it may seem a tad personal I have to ask. What's with the ears and tail?"

Mako glanced back at his rather large fluffy tail, seemingly surprised she had asked him. "Oh, well you see, there's a really amazing story behind it. I don't mind sharing if you're interested."

Without even waiting for her answer, Mako launched into his tale. At first she wasn't very interested, but as time went on, Belle-mère became immersed into the story and plot. An amazing work that could easily have been made into a book.

Born through not a mother but experimentation, the kid was a product of combining a wolf and a human being. The tails and ears of a wolf were a byproduct of the fusion between DNAs, leaving Mako as a hybrid with abnormal abilities surpassing that of a human. According to the kid, this didn't have an impact on his life in the slightest. He had the good fortune of being raised by an amazing lady with fiery red hair and began to learn about the world and its wonders. While he was ostracized by some people, others found it to be amazingly cool, leaving him with friends.

Belle-mère marveled at Mako's life. It sounded so fantastical that it was hard to believe anything he was telling her. The kid spoke with so much passion though, with so much zeal, that she didn't think he was lying to her which made it even more amazing. Additionally, despite this seeming like it had been something personal, he still shared it with her in such a way that he didn't appear bothered by it which made her feel slightly guilty.

"So what happened to the woman with the red hair?" Belle-mère asked after he had finished his story.

"We got separated," Mako responded with a sad expression. Even though she didn't know him, the sadness in his eyes made chest ache. "I don't know where she is as of this moment."

((I guess I'm not the only one suffering then)) Belle-mère sighed internally as her thoughts drifted towards her daughters. She missed them terribly to the point where depression had eventually set in. She was ashamed to admit it, but after six years of them not being around, she could only find relief at the bottom of a bottle. Knowing the pain of losing someone precious, Belle-mère sympathized with the young wolf cub. ((We all have our share of pains. Its easy to forget that others have stories of their own that they struggle through)).

Growing up on the island, Belle-mère had always been strong. Even for a female, her strength and combat prowess was unmatched, so much so that everyone referred to her as a "thug". At the young age of 15, she joined the Marines, hoping to put her abnormal strength to good use against those who went against the law. She wanted to make a difference in the world and travel on the vast seas as an enforcer of her own way "Justice". For six years she stayed as a Marine, shooting up the ranks to become a Captain, gaining experience and knowledge as she went. However, despite her strength and experience, she still almost died and would have died if not for her daughters giving her the will to continue living. From the moment she had met Nojiko and Nami, the two girls had become her drive to live.

"So, are you on this island to find her then?" Belle-mère asked, bringing herself back to the present. "I'm almost positive that she's not on this island. No one here has the bright red hair your talking about. It's too eye-catching."

Mako gave her a carefree smile. It seemed he had already bounced back from the rather sad mood before. "I know. I'll probably go and look elsewhere after I defeat Arlong."

Belle-mère, who was beginning to actually take a liking to the kid, froze. It was such a ridiculous statement that she couldn't help but freeze up and question whether she had heard him correctly or not. If the boy hadn't said it so calmly and confidently, she could've easily mistook it for a joke.

"You're gonna defeat Arlong?" Belle-mère asked incredulously. "Did you happen to bring an army with you to make that happen? Or are you just delusional?"

"Okay, that was a tad rude." Mako made a face at her that made her feel frustrated once again.

Just because she sympathized with his predicament didn't mean she was going to let his shit slide. From what he had said, he seemed to vastly underestimate Arlongs strength and his ability to command his henchmen. She was even beginning to doubt if he knew how much stronger SHE was then him. She had thought he was competent but it seemed she was wrong.

"Arlong isn't someone you can defeat with just confidence and a bit of luck." Belle-mère decided to put it as straight as possible so he could understand. "He's cruel, cunning, and possibly one of the most dangerous pirates in the East Blue. He's not someone who can easilt be defeated by a kid with little combat experience and no information on his opponent."

"So let me get this straight," the young boy said, a displeased look in his eyes. It was clear he felt offended, even Belle-mère could see that. "I should just sit here and do nothing? Accept my fate instead of fighting back? When did you become so cowardly?"

She was silent for a moment before she snapped, rising to her feet. "WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW??!! You haven't lived on this island for the past six years!! You have no idea what I've been through, what Conomi Islands have been put through!! Do you even know what my situation is like??!! There isn't anything I can do!"

Breathing heavily Belle-mère wanted to keep shouting but the look Mako gave her made her sit back down. It was one of pity and sympathy while at the same time being full of conviction. It was apparent that he felt bad but her shouting wouldn't change his mind, so she stopped and fell back onto her chair.

Leaning forward, the young man placed his hands on his knees. "Since I don't understand, then tell me about it. Tell me about your situation. Help me understand what made you lose your will to fight. You're strong, I can tell. Why not fight back? There has to be a reason for it."

Belle-mère hesitated for a minute. It had only been an hour since they met and she was already telling him what he wanted to know. She couldn't recall how they had escalated to this point, but she couldn't turn back. Since Mako had given her his backstory, it only seemed fair to give him some history as well.

"Alright," Belle-mère said, giving a small sigh. She sat up and regained her previous composure. "I'll tell you about the situation. First though, in order for the story to make sense, I'll have to tell you how I met my daughters and what they mean to me."

Picking up an empty bottle, Belle-mère looked through the bottleneck to the bottom. "This story is rather lengthy but I'd appreciate it if you could sit through the end."