xxxxxClaimed by: Luka Scarlet (Ryunosuke Ryusei)x▰▰▰▰▰▰
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Portgas D. Rouge fled to here in order to hide from the World Government, and she secretly gave birth to Portgas D. Ace here. Little else is known about this island.
Having set out from that annoying dessert island she was now thoroughly alone once again. With nothing to really do but sail it was pretty easy to dedicate some effort to examining her powers further and it was a prime time to do it since there was obviously nobody else around. I suppose that my other glove should serve as a decent preliminary test subject. Carefully slipping off her right hand's glove she looked at it intently as though half expecting it to do something all by its self. Of course nothing happened but that at least meant in all likelihood that there had been some kind of trigger for the event last time, or at least that was a more rational explanation than a freak case of spontaneous ice creaming. Thinking back on that time, I was quite hungry and exhausted. Two points of physical strain, and while it had seemed as if the transformation occurred based on a wish that was disproved by that sum of beli I asked for failing to appear. However there could still be a mental component to these powers, in fact it was probably heavily based on my mental strength. If I focus on the... her train of thought was suddenly caught off as she felt her hand become cold and somewhat damp. The glove! It's gone entirely soft and semi solid almost as if, it's made of soft ice cream! Why's it soft ice cream this time but last time it was hard? Wait never mind that Vittoria the better question is why in the seven hells is it ice cream at all? A pretty relevant question since it's not what one thought of when it came to the infamous devil fruits, though perhaps not out of the scope that was their weirdness. Focusing her attention on the glove again it suddenly converted back to leather, though it wasn't quite right. The top and bottom half had become fused together. Perhaps she wasn't very good at putting it back together or perhaps things would never go back together right if they melted in the slightest. Giving it another go she focused on transforming the glove once more but this time it became a glove shaped popsicle in stead of regular ice cream. The universe must be joking, what even is this power? There was little use in lamenting what a clownish power she'd apparently gained and besides that Vittoria was the practical type, she'd continue to work and experiment with her powers further as needed. Focusing on the transmuted glove again she desired to get a closer look at it and while she lifted it with her hand it almost felt like another force was acting on it too. Taking a leap of faith she let go of the popsicle while fully expecting it to splatter upon her boot below. What the! It's floating, but how?! Closing her her eyes to take a deep breath she would suddenly realize her mistake when her creation smooshed upon the boat's bottom. Apparently when she'd lost her concentration whatever force had been holding it up had dissipated. At least she'd confirmed that her powers had a strong mental component if nothing else. That and apparently it was one that she'd need to work on developing quite extensively if she had any hope of realizing these powers.
With her glove in melted pieces there was little reason to keep practicing, especially since a town was appearing on the horizon. Her navigational skills were sub par at this point so at first Vittoria was unsure of where exactly this place was. Smart as she was the girl often just found herself getting lazy at sea. However upon getting closer it soon became recognizable as Baterilla. Though it may have been a far flung place for your average marine, she'd become familiar with it in her youth while her father had brought her along on business trips to conduct illicit deals with the local pirates. Knowing of the types of people who frequented this island gave the young woman the foresight to remove her marine badge from its prominent place on her jacket's breast so that it could be pocketed and kept hidden from sight. Within a half hour she'd pulled into a smaller section of the city's port and tied her tiny vessel up next to a dock meant for small personal vessels much like her own. Though she didn't particularly need anything from here since it could be obtained elsewhere this would be a good time to get some replacement leather gloves at a very cheap price. Stepping off onto the wooden planks of the dock sounded out as her heels clacked against the surface rough surface. Before continuing she popped her parasol open with a sliding fwoosh before continuing on to walk further into the city. Eventually she made her way to a market a district where she began to casually browse the wares while keeping the sun off her skin thanks to the parasol that she always carried. Though Vittoria probably stuck out like a sore thumb this marine wasn't really too concerned about any potential threats since she could probably handle them. Approaching a market stall with a smile upon her face she eyed some interesting jewelry, perhaps she'd pay someone to come steal it for her at some point since she found the prices to be disagreeable. With a soft sigh she continued on with looking around the market area.
Walking along the road Terra sighed to herself. This had to be like the third island was she walking around with her little stack of wanted posters. Most of them were for criminals and known pirates, holding bounties made by the World Government for the arrest and bringing in of said people regardless of their state of life or death. However, there were also Marines listed in this stack as well. The underground was full of crime lords and mafia bosses and s**t like that and these kinds of people tended to pay to have threats or potential threats removed early. She looked through the section of Marines, raising an eyebrow or two at how many of them weren't even human. One was even a wolf! She really wanted to meet him and scratch him right behind the ears. He probably ******** loved that too. A shame she couldn't ask her old best friend SIMBA for an introduction since she hasn't SEEN HIS a** IN YEARS! The b*****d still owed her dinner and she was determined to make him pay up for it sooner or later, and thanks to her job as a mercenary, she had a picture of how he looked now. Taller, more muscle-y, and he still had those stupid a** lookin shades. He wouldn't bee too hard to track down since he was such a ******** dweeb too.
There were a few other higher bounties in the Marines though. A blue haired babe named 'Lirrin' and some redhead named 'Luka Scarlet' had the two highest bounties right now. They were kinda cute, though if they were worth more then that meant they must be stronger than the others. She wondered how strong they'd actually be and was eagerly looking forwards to a chance to fight them if she could. A shame attacking Marines was a crime and all that. Then again Terra did want to fight strong people and if the strong people came to her because she was wanted then that just made things easier didn't it? Then again being a criminal could make it harder to enjoy certain things like a hotel without people callin up the popo on your a** or something. She'd have to think about it some more as she riffled through the pages and she paused at the girl with multi colored hair. She was worth the same as her best friend that owed her a metric s**t ******** ton of food (which is in fact a proper unit of measurement) as she noted the beli she was worth upon defeat and 'arrest'.
She hummed to herself as she thought to herself about the most attractive girl so far in the Marines. Most weren't human, Lirrin only had a face pic, and Luka was sort of a hardass lookin chick, all stiff in her picture. This other girl was more relaxed, all posing class and s**t for her picture and it only made her look cuter. Like she'd totally ask her out if she had the chance. Not like these loser a** mafia wannabes were offering much money for these marines anyways so Terra could go without the temptations of crime for now at least. She sighed and she kept walking and she passed by some girl with a large umbrella out in the broad daylight. She got a good fifteen feet or so before she stopped. Wait...Umbrella...didn't that cutie on that poster have one of those? Terra reached back into her bag and pulled out the poster to confirm as she looked at it and then over to the girl looking at jewelry from one of the local shops. There was definitely no mistaking that hair, or that curve to her body shape or that fancy a** umbrella she was using as Terra smiled, putting away the posters again as she walked on over to the other girl. "You know, you kinda stand out a lot with the umbrella and all like that but I'm guessing you don't really care, do ya?" She asked with a smile as she approached the young Marine. "But I thought that I should warn you that some bad guys just might be after you and all and you might wanna know~" She held up the poster of Vittoria to show her the picture of herself, labeled with her name and a 'bounty' of about 55,000 beli listed on it. "I mean this really cute girl is you after all, isn't it~?"
A female voice was speaking though Vittoria didn't register that it was directed towards herself until the world 'umbrella' was mentioned. Spot on that I don't care about the high class accouterments I possess drawing attention to myself. After all self defense is not something of which I am lacking. Those disparaging thoughts were to be the opening words in what surely going to be an interesting relationship story one way or the other. Nobody would say such a thing unless they wanted something and so far as Vittoria was concerned it was a stupid way to open an interaction if the woman planned to attack her. A sneak attack would be ever so much more effective. However the odds of an attack diminished rapidly as the conversation shifted to a delivered warning, and the act of a friend. As for the idea of a bounty being on herself it wasn't all that surprising. Any number of the criminal elements she'd double crossed might want revenge, or those harmed by her father for that matter. However one idea stood out quite prominently to her since none of those spineless cowards would probably have the guts to target her. Oh father, how quaint that you would take it upon yourself to up the difficulty level of our little game. It wasn't as if a man who was prepared to disown his own daughter over a perceived aristocratic ability or rather lack there of would be above putting a bounty out on his child during her coming of age trial. In all likelihood he was the prime suspect for such an act.
Turning with a smile to look upon this supposed good Samaritan, Vittoria took in her appearance quite quickly. Of note to her was that despite Terra's rather brutish manner of dress the woman did appear to maintain some quite beautiful locks of golden hair and that her skin was pretty nice too. Despite the less than positive thought earlier the young marine did always love flattery and Terra sure was giving it to her good. Such a thing was a great way to get on the real Vittoria's good side. "He he he, really I must thank you for both the warning and the compliment. It's not everyday that I get called really cute. Especially by someone with such pretty hair." Her voice was earnest and sweet as she spoke with a high pitch that reflected her small stature. At only five foot four Vittoria was fairly small compared to most other marines. Well maybe at least the humanoid ones. Hmm not really, it's more like every day but then to be fair it's usually not by other women, her internal self sneered in a self praising manner before she gently twirled her parasol. "I hope we can be friends, I'd hate to have to arrest someone as sweet as you...?" her voice trailed off almost if she was searching for a name. It wasn't like the real Vittoria actually cared what this woman's name was but then that wouldn't fit the outward self she projected on a regular basis. It also wouldn't be as fun to play pretend if she actually cared.
"I'm so sorry that I forgot to ask earlier it was really rude of me to forget such a thing. After you were so helpful and kind too." To many who knew the real Vittoria these games she played probably often seemed pointless or like a waste of time. But as her father had imparted to her long ago, you never knew who might become an important figure in the world. Whether it was a simple baker who owes you a debt, or a young man setting out to be a pirate somebody if you pretend to like or be kind towards someone they may be useful as a tool later. That was why she acted the way she did. Though it was impossible for her predict she had met several figures recently who were likely to become import sometime down the road. Terra was probably one of them though that remained to be seen. So far Vittoria had little reason to truly be interested in the woman besides the possibility of being attacked for a bounty. How things proceeded from here would be up to the mercenary woman.
She didn't seem to react at first as Terra awaited a response as she looked at the girl more properly from a face to face view. She was smiling at her as she flirted and she even laughed a bit before thanking her for letting her know she was a cutie with a booty bounty on her head. Though the return compliment to her hair made Terra blink a bit as she grabbed a few locks of her golden mane. "Hm? Oh thank you!" She smiled as she wasn't too often on the receiving end of compliments most of the time. Last time she tried flirting with some guy he was so boring it was like he didn't even realize that she was trying to hit on him while she was hitting him! Oh well, he kind of deserved getting his butt kicked for it, though he was strong so she was hoping for that rematch still. Maybe he'd learn something else besides that unsheathing thing he kept repeating over and over. Oh wait, flashbacks an wait while in the presence of super cute potential future girlfriends.
Terra folded up the poster and slipped it into the space between her yellow shirt and her brown jacket thing, letting it be held firmly in place by her bosom like a second pocket. From there her new friend was saying something silly about arresting her. Not that Terra was against the idea of playing around with some handcuffs with this girl, that was an adventure for another day...maybe. "Terra! Terra Black~" She responded to the questioning of her name as she shrugged at the claims of how kind she was being. "Well I mean to be honest I make money of these kinds of rewards but since I'm not lookin to break the law yet, I held off on attacking any Marines and junk. I mostly do it as an excuse to fight strong people for fun actually. That and maybe find my shitty best friend who ran off to be a Marine a few years back." She had put her arms up behind her head in a relaxed manner by this point, fingers laced together as she leaned back ad spoke so casually about herself to the other girl that was likely sifting through all of the offered information for ways to manipulate her later or something.
"He's a big pointy shades wearing dork but he's alright. Owes me dinner actually and I'm gonna kick his a** for leavin me. But the whole takin orders from old dudes wan't really my thing." She sighed and shrugged it off metaphorically and literally as well before looking to her new lady friend. "What about you? Do you like being in the Navy?" She asked it mostly out of curiosity really. She didn't really meet many Marines or hang out with any all that much so she was in the dark on how they did things other than putting bounties on peoples heads, chasing pirates and being assholes sometimes...or all the time.
Watching her slip the poster between her breasts may have caused Vittoria's smile to widen ever so slightly. Apparently she enjoyed the sight and also may have just tipped her hat on her own receptiveness to another woman's attentions. As for the name Terra Black? Not much, it wasn't that it rung any bells or the like. The name was interesting but it wasn't like she was worth a huge some of money or anything so far as Vittoria knew. The idea that she hadn't decided to break the law yet was amusing, not just the idea of it but that she was speaking to someone who broke the law on a regular basis. Well at least through the dirty work of others more often than not. No sense in getting her self directly tangled in such sordid affairs if it could be helped after all. Oh goody, another fool that likes to bash their head against the fists of others in some sort of barbaric hobby. Sounds oh so much like my mother's tribe. Not that such a thing is a positive comparison.... I've met far too many of these types today, though he was the worst by far. Oh yes did Terra's attitude ever reminded the tri colored marine of her comrade in arms that was perhaps as dense as a brick or the smith's anvil even. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Black, and I'm glad that you don't seem to be..." she paused just a second to seemingly adjust her parasol before continuing with a wink that closed and reopened her chocolate colored eye, "a terra-ble person." she then lightly covered her own mouth while giggling slightly at the horrendous pun. "I'm sure it was on the poster but, I'm Vittoria Vance."
When Terra began to detail that she had a friend in the Marines Vittoria was ready to pounce and ask about who, where, and how they serve but then Terra began to describe the man in question. An eyebrow cocked slightly while Vittoria just kind of remind silent. No it couldn't... there's no way the universe is so unjust... I can't bear to hear more. I reject this. Noooooooooooooooooooo it's about that horrible brute of a man!"You don't mean Simba by any chance? I met him recently and while not the word I would choose 'dork' is an apt description." If the man was one in the same, of which she was most certain that he was, then Vittoria would be more than willing to share more. As for talking about her self well, the silver spoon woman really had no problem with talking about her self at length in the slightest. "Well I can't say I get involved with too much fighting since I'm a member of the research division so my job sure isn't scary. I mostly just read old books and take notes. I know it probably sounds unexciting but the library on base is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Say, is there somewhere you'd like to sit down since it's rather hot out here today?"
Once Vittoria had her name, Terra herself smiled as the girl accepted the introduction and then she did something absolutely amazing. She made a ******** pun! Now most people would likely groan, sigh, roll their eyes, or do all three in response. But Terra nearly snorted as she giggled out, her hand over her mouth slightly as she truly and legitimately enjoyed the 'shitty' pun on her own name. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well~" She smiled, offering a hand to shake to the other woman with the far less pun-able name. She probably could have said something about her name being like 'Victoria' without the 'c' but that would just end up leading into a dirty joke or innuendo or something and Terra wouldn't do something like that...before a first date.
Though Terra herself paused after her new friend mentioned a name she hadn't heard in a long a** time and she lit up as she found out this woman knew the ********. "Yea that a*****e~!" She said with a big grin, even though she had just called her 'best friend' an 'a*****e', but it was meant in an endearing sort of way for the most part. "He's...a bit dense sometimes but he's still a nice dude really." She avoided going on and on about her friend that owed her a lot of food as Vittoria spoke about herself and Terra listened intently. While it wasn't Terra's first choice in a hobby or job due to her whole adrenaline junkie thing, she was by no means going to look down on the cute little book nerd. OK, she physically was looking down on her due to a height difference yes, but metaphorically speaking she wasn't doing that at all.
She held off for a moment at the request of a place to sit and talk since it was hot outside. Terra herself hadn't noticed but someone who stayed inside more often than not was probably temperature sensitive, hence her umbrella for the sunlight most likely. "Oh yea sure~! I passed a little diner while I was walking around a bit ago, follow me~" She chimed in with a pleasant smile. "Oh and the book thing ain't so bad really. It's not my thing but someone has to do it ya know?" She would speak as they went down the street together. "I mean I'm a fighter at heart and all but I think it's kidna cool still. You probably know about all sorts of cool things and they said brains beat brawn so if you're really smart then that makes you strong in your own way ya know? So don't play yourself down too much~" She spoke in an upbeat sort of tone, a little inspiring as she seemed to have at least some understanding over the differences between mental and physical strength as they arrived at a quaint little restaurant together. "Oh and I'm a little hungry so you can get whatever ya want too, consider it my treat for a first date~" Of course it wasn't officially a 'date' technically speaking and Terra had even referred to a physical battle as a 'first date' before, but that's mostly due to her flirty nature which was likely a byproduct of her father more than anything.
Though she detested displays of greetings that positioned two unequal people as equals, such as the offered hand shake, she often had to engage in them regardless of her own negative feelings. Such was the current case as she gently took Terra's hand within her own for a hand shake. Although this one was particularly bad for Vittoria since she had the added issue of needing to hope she didn't accidentally transmute the poor girl or something. After what had happened to her second glove it was doubtful that she'd be able to put a human back to normal without horribly mangling their body parts to where they'd most likely rather cut off the afflicted parts than live with them. Something she kind of wished had actually happened to that buffoon Simba. It'd be a shame for such a strong body to go to waste but between the moronic posing, the idiotic way in which he went about trying to activate his lightning, and whatever the hell that flatulence he decided to let loose was she'd had just about enough of that man for a life time. Sadly she still needed to pick his brain for information about these devil fruits. Otherwise she'd probably do her best to avoid him like he was a kestia bug. The last thing she wanted was for his well chiseled body to get to her and infect her with his stupidity. Such a thought brought with it a great dread.
Interesting, I wonder is she actually realizes that intelligence does in fact beat brute strength? She might be more of an asset than I first imagined if so. Vittoria was curious about this woman now, despite her line of work and rough manner of dress she still recognized the value of books. Such a thing seemed be a rare gem in these times. However being told that she was being treated as it was a first date did catch the scheming woman by surprise, causing her to blink in astonishment. Unlike that pathetic man back on base named Roy this woman seemed to actually possess courage in the face of beauty. Whether Terra had intended to get it or not she now had Vittoria's undivided attention. As did most individuals who demonstrated themselves to at least be a proficient asset, or possess such nice brea... a nice breadth of personality traits. "That sounds quite lovely, are you sure you're not trying to violate the law? If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to steal this little marine's heart." She giggled slightly again before adding, "Such a thing comes with a stiff penalty you know?"
After baiting Terra again with another bad joke Vittoria eyed the diner with her iconic hetero-chromatic eyes before coming to the conclusion that it was charming in a kind of "this is how the lesser half lives" sort of way. Beyond that she imagined it was sub par compared to the meals prepared by the family chefs though probably still better than the garbage they served the grunts back at Marine HQ. Easily closing her parasol she smiled to Terra once again before following the woman inside.
Shaking her hand was a brief moment of physical contact between the two, but the difference in their skin would be noticeable at least to some degree. While they were by no means sandpaper, Terra's hands were a bit rougher due to her position as a bare handed fighter and all that. By contrast, Vittoria's hand was much softer and somewhat dainty in Terra's grip as they shook. Considering she avoided combat by the way she spoke, Vittoria was likely dainty and soft all over from lack of intense physical exertion. She probably sat around a lot reading so she probably had a soft rear end as well, but that can be confirmed later. Back to the conversation at hand, Terra smiled as her date was accepting her proposal as they walked and talked together. The declaration of this being a date did seem to surprise the girl but as no objections were made then everything was a-ok as far as Terra was concerned.
"Well if stealing your heart is what gets me in trouble with the law then maybe you'll have to arrest me at this rate~" She grinned as they sat down at a small table together. "And while I'm not against cuffs or anything, that doesn't mean I'd come quietly~" She winked playfully at the double meaning there with her reply before a waiter came by to ask what they each wanted to eat. Terra looked up from her flirting with the lovely lady across from herself. "Oh uh, can I just get six large pizzas please? With steak on like half of them? I'm not that hungry right now..." She replied, with no joke intended as the server looked at her a little confused but nodded after a moment and wrote down the order as He'd let Vittoria order as well before he'd leave to inform the chef. Though Terra was almost certainly about to get a curious look or raised eyebrow at least from her date as she shrugged. "I have a fast metabolism." She would say in response to the question that didn't need to be asked for her to know it was there. "But I guess I burn a lot more calories than before too. Kind of happens when you're a bombshell babe. Literally~" She grinned as she held up her right index finger at that and there was a small bang sound as her fingertip literally ******** exploded right then and there, a small bit of smoke issuing out from her finger before dissipating as she smiled at the joke and the little way to sneak her power into the conversation. After all having cool super human abilities was always a good way to keep a conversation going and impress your date. And it wasn't like Terra planned on fighting her so her usual 'hide the power until you need it for a flashy reveal to look like a total ******** badass' thing didn't really apply here.
The interior of the place tended to fall in line with her earlier exterior examination. It was quaint, slightly dirty by her standards, and filled with the general rabble the frequented Baterilla. However by now Vittoria had become used to such places even if she thought of them as trash. Taking a seat opposite Terra she gently hooked her parasol on the edge of the table before smiling at Terra's flirtatious words. This was how she liked it, somebody that recognized her stunning visage and yet didn't feel intimidated by it at the same time. Though at this rate it was actually beginning to take some energy on the part of Vittoria to not accidental break her careful facade with a sinister smirk of enjoyment derived from fantasizing about the hypothetical hand cuffing of Terra. The thought of putting that buxom temptress in some cuffs before making her beg, either from pain or pleasure, was quite an amusing one. Especially with how interested Terra seemed in getting a little closer. Some bonding would probably end up being a very nice treat since it'd been awhile since she'd had maids or a servant girl to kick around. "Hmm resisting arrest? You sound like such a naughty woman Ms. Black, I'm glad we're just here for some food or I might be in some real trouble as it were." The approach of the waiter did little to change her opinion of the place but then at this point probably nothing actually would.
Terra's order certainly was eyebrow raising. Six large pizzas with a beef topping on three of them? All while stating that she wasn't that hungry? What on earth was this woman that sat before her. When the waiter first turned to Vittoria she was still somewhat stunned. It actually took her a moment to think of an order for herself. "I'll have a bowl of the onion soup for my self. Oh and um that's just a regular bowl by the way, nothing so extravagant as my friend's order if you don't mind. I scarcely think it would even fit inside me." The waiter didn't really seem to find her funny but evidently Vittoria didn't care. However before she could ask about such a strange order it appeared that her date wanted to simply offer up an explanation first. Hearing that she had a fast metabolism didn't really seem to explain anything. From what she knew of anatomy maybe eating a whole pizza solo could be explained by that but not six. She was about to say something in response when Terra continued. Bombshell babe? That's actually kind of an amusing way to put it. She certainly fits the role quite well. Though it's curious to see that a higher appetite is concurrent with devil fruit power usage assuming I'm correct about her. Simba exhibited this trait as well so it's likely that given either time or use so will I. That could be dangerous, after all such a thing could give it away that I'm also a person who has consumed a devil fruit. Something to watch out for int he future I suppose.
"Huh? That's amazing! How does such a thing even work?" Though she was sure that such ability simply came from a devil fruit it couldn't help to find out more and just make sure that it was exactly what she had pegged it to be. Obviously she'd be curious to find about when and where Terra had consumed a fruit if any, and to what extent her abilities actually were. However as far as chance run ins went this one was turning out to be better and better. While Terra said whatever else she wished to add the waiter would return with the first of many incoming pizzas and Vittoria's soup. Picking up her spoon Vittoria quickly began to dig into the cheese, and beef broth covered onions as she soon realized just how hungry she herself was. Even with how little she'd used her own powers it seemed that her body already was beginning to have a demand for greater caloric intake. "It appears that I was actually quite famished, he he."Well I guess the soup isn't total pig feces, they could have done a better job with these croutons but I suppose they'll do. Still it doesn't hold a candle to home or even university for that matter.
Smiling as they continued to flirt, Terra grinned a bit at the remark about resisting her theoretical arrest. "I can be very naughty when I want to be but I don't think you could arrest me anyways~" She teased her date a bit as she leaned back in her seat as their orders were taken by their server and Vittoria only ordered a soup. "At least not if you tried to arrest me here and now anyways~ You already admitted you aren't much of a fighter so you'd need a plan or allies to take me in~" She sounded a bit smug about that but the fact was still relatively true. Terra herself was a fighter by nature and someone who read books and did smart person work all day was by no means in any proper condition to take her down in a fight. Though it was all teasing jokes for the most part really. Mostly. Terra was not against actually fighting Vittoria if she actually had to though maybe not in a building full of people as it somewhat restricted her ability to let loose with her power and that would be boring. Well actually she would never use her powers against a normal human anyways, that would be an unfair advantage so in truth it would be a fist fight at most.
"But like if you ever wanna practice with me or something then I'm down for it~" Terra smiled as she offered to go a round or two with the girl sitting opposite herself. "I'm not like a karate expert or nothing but I get by with what my old man taught me." She spoke casually about her dad as their food arrived, Vittoria's soup and the first of what would be a good number of pizzas for Terra. Terra was already done with a full slice by the time she was asked about how she did the exploding finger thing just now as she paused on the first bite of her next slice, swallowing it as she smiled. "Oh that's easy, I'm a living explosive~" She said rather bluntly as she finished the second slice and moved to the next as she spoke. "It's a bit new for me really but it's from one of those rare Devil Fruits people talk about~ It's a pretty straightforwards ability but fighting with it is a total blast~" She giggled a bit as Vittoria was digging into her soup during the explanation. By the time the girl came up to confess to her own hunger, Terra was already half way done with the second large pizza to the shock of the waiter arriving with the third one while Terra had somehow eaten faster than Vittoria even while talking. "If you're still hungry then I don't mind sharing. Do you like pizza at all?" She smiled, offering a slice of that cheesy, melty, perfectly baked slice of delicious heaven to the other female politely. Though Vittoria likely never had pizza in her life given her background and if so, then Terra would likely have her try every variation of pizza that existed to help the girl try and find her own favorite combination of toppings before long.
The offer to practice fighting with her was interesting to say the least though probably not one she'd take her up on at this point in time. Her competitive nature in combination with an upbringing that promoted tenaciousness was unlikely to yield positive results when she was trying to maintain a dainty persona. In all likelihood Vittoria would end up breaking character and unleashing the full extent of her abilities thus exposing herself and creating a loose end. Such a thing would be most unfortunate since she had no desire to kill Terra at the present time. Which even if she didn't lose her composure there was a possibility that Terra would be able to recognize some experience behind her moves and become more curious than she wanted to deal with at the moment. "I appreciate the offer but Marine training was tough enough on my body I think, plus using a pistol is enough to scare most unsavory characters away." A simple enough answer, hopefully it would stop any further inquiries into spars or fights of any kind. Though her bookish disposition and apparent aversion to fighting was probably begging the question of why she would have joined the navy in the first place. Something that she'd probably need to work out an answer to at some point.
As for Terra's devil fruit that was an interesting topic. Never had she expected such a thing as an explosive human to exist. It begged the question of just how much of her was an explosive and what her maximum potential yield was. Without knowing either of those two things she'd be unable to really properly employ such a tool or be prepared to toss it aside without unexpected consequences. Simba had been a total idiot when it came to utilizing his powers, unable to even use them with a semblance of control but this woman seemed to have a much better grasp on them than he did. A far far better grasp than she imagined that man would ever be able to achieve. The pun made Vittoria internally groan but on the outside she smiled and laughed again. Judging by the earlier display Terra had a better grasp on her own powers than the little ice cream countess had of hers. Thinking of her poor leather gloves made her cry a little on the inside. They were so expensive and on this crappy marine salary it'd be hard to afford a new pair. Perhaps the real reason they were known as devil fruits is because when one couldn't control their powers they had a large potential to dangerously mess up one's life.
Pizza, also known as the peasant's hand food. Honestly if it can't be eaten with a silver spoon why even bother.... gah I am still hungry though. Curse that devil fruit and its tempting appearance. It's so much trouble I do hope it pays off later."I actually can't say that I've ever consumed pizza before, does it taste nice" she asked while swirling her spoon in the empty soup bowl. Suddenly that familiar tingling sensation returned and she felt the tip of the spoon her finger was on top of suddenly change textures to that of a wooden stick from a Popsicle's handle. Glancing down she noticed that the rest of the spoon had formed into a hard style ice cream shell presumably with soft vanilla underneath. Damn it. Why now. This could be a major problem if Terra noticed, how in the world would she explain such a phenomenon to the woman? Grr change back already! You stupid heinous utensil stop getting in the way of my plans! Suddenly as if by her very will the spoon changed back to normal. It was only transformed for a few seconds but the question now was whether or not Terra had noticed.
She would frown a bit but nod at the refusal for any sort of sparring or training. Though she could understand why at least as the girl wasn't exactly built for fighting a whole lot. She certainly didn't want to hurt the girl at all, unless of course she asked her to but that's a topic for another time. The girl wasn't really someone that struck her as a combatant type at all so whatever book work she did instead must have been really important. She wouldn't really pry much about the fight offer beyond that as they ate their food together, though Terra did get a little curious about what she did besides look cute, carry a gun and be super fashionable. "You did say 'research division' and all but what exactly do you research anyways...? Or is that all highly classified information~?" She smiled as she asked, mostly expecting that to be a 'yes' since it was Marine stuff and Terra by all accounts was a civilian that had no damn business knowing any of that stuff at all. But it didn't hurt to ask at least.
Terra did freeze up for a moment though at Vittoria's confessions to never having tried pizza before as she looked at her date with some shock and disbelief. "You've never even tried it before...?" She asked, sounding like she'd been told that someone had never seen the sky before (not counting blind people). "It's like a hot, gooey slice of cheesy perfection, filled with seasoned sauce and adorned with whatever toppings you love most all baked in fire to a perfect combination of crispy and crunchy crust with a softer, chewier center and well toasted pepperoni in top with all the variety of ways it can be made and prepared that it was like the gods themselves had chosen to bless our taste buds with the flavors of heaven itself~!" She seemed to get into the description for the way she saw pizza a little too much to the pint that Vitoria lucked out on her little spoon accident as Terra was too busy being a bit over the top by normal standards to even take much notice of the spoon transformation that had happened within the otherwise empty soup bowl. "You can use a fork and knife if that's your thing too instead of eating by hand but either way you have to try it, I promise you won't be disappointed~" She smiled with a look of certainty in her eyes as Terra offered her a fresh hot slice from pizza number four.
Despite her more academic role as a lowly chore girl Vittoria wasn't told of too much that could really be considered classified information. It was more along the likes of being told to verify random tidbits of information by trawling through old texts and corroborating certain findings. One day she would do far more than that but for now that was what she had to deal with. Well that and the pathetic men among her entry level rank that sought her body in the poorest of ways. Whether linguistically or via lack of courage. However that had little to do with her "date's" question. "It's not all that exciting really, I received a formal education in archaeology and now I mostly get told to dig out certain books, copy down a passage or two and pass it on to my bosses. Sometimes though I get to translate these dead languages and that's always really fun. It probably sounds dreadfully boring to you though since you seem so exciting ha ha."Well perhaps exciting isn't the best word, maybe more of uncultured and a brute. A very sexually appealing brute, but still a.... well okay it's not as if she doesn't have sooome redeeming qualities. It seemed that despite her venomous attitude some part of the spoiled princess did actually enjoy a slice of Terra. Terrible references aside she was actually taking somewhat of a liking to the other woman despite their differences in personalities and favorite activities. That or maybe Vittoria had been putting on a facade for far too long and it was starting to infect her normal patterns of thinking. That possibility was something which she might need to be cognizant of.
It was a bit odd, but Vittoria had to admit that the explanation she received on pizza was probably the most passionate one that she would probably ever get in her lifetime. That and who knew that there were so many different arrangements as to what could go on top of a pizza. Prior to this point she had only known of it as a greasy hand food eaten by poor people. She'd never considered that before as such food was never anywhere close to on her family's chef's menu. "That was... surprisingly poetic Ms. Black, or um Terra? It is okay if I call you Terra right?" In that statement there was actually a nugget of truth, while it did seem a tad silly to get excited over such low class food she did actually find the expressed sentiments to be rather like poetry. It was strangely endearing, though Vittoria did feel somewhat repulsed with herself for enjoying that sentiment. After all this was about power and there was no sense in enjoying what pawns created. Remember V, never get attached. A soft gurgling from her stomach indicated that the hunger she felt was only getting worse so perhaps it wouldn't kill her to take Terra up on her offer and eat a slice of pizza with a pair of utensils. "Well based on how you put it earlier I would think myself a fool to not try it at least once." With no plate to put it on, she was forced to grab a slice by hand. With a small bit of hesitation she raised it to her soft pink lips and took a tentative whiff before parting those petals to take a tiny exploratory bite. It was... interesting. The melted cheese was actually quite nice even if the sauce tasted low class compared to the pasta dishes of her youth, and the crunch of the bottom was actually also rather welcome. Would she choose this over say lobster, scallops, or duck? Absolutely not though in such far flung places of the world perhaps this dish could be a safe alternative. "It's actually rather tasty, no wonder you can eat so much of it!"
Terra sat back and nodded as Vittoria gave a rather brief explanation of her duties as a book nerd on base, or boat, or wherever she did the majority of her work for the Marines. It actually did sound relatively interesting as she kept eating her own pizzas as they arrived and the two ladies continued to speak at length about themselves the more time they spent together. "I don't think it's all that boring really. Hell I can only speak one language at all and I bet you know like three if you do that all the time. That's pretty cool in my book~" She smiled, making an only half intended pun on that as she continued to speak to the other, shorter woman. She really was getting more and more interested in her as they talked, especially since the girl seemed so different to herself and she was classy as ******** too. Probably had rich parents or something, but so far at least it didn't seem like she was a spoiled b***h for it which was pretty cool and a pleasant change of pace. usually people with rich parental units ended up getting everything they waned as kids and as a result they expected to get everything they wanted as adults and it just ended up with shitty people that were whiny assholes that couldn't do jack s**t for themselves. Terra made sure to beat some manners into those types of people.
After her rather detailed and emotionally invested speech about the greatness of pizza (which hadn't even talked about things like pizza rolls, pizza bagels, deep fried pizza, pizza pockets, or any of the other specific ways one could prepare a pizza and still have it count as pizza) Terra blinked as it was called poetic. She hadn't really put such forethought into it beforehand and just sort of spoke from the heart. Or stomach? Either way it was rather spontaneous on her part but maybe that's what made it seem so much more heartfelt and passionate. Smiling, she nodded about the name however as she was somehow starting the fifth pizza already. "Oh yea Terra is totally cool with me as long as I can cal you Vittoria~ Unless of course you prefer 'Officer Vance' or something~" She teased with a bit of a grin. She was mostly kidding but if asked to she would gladly humor such a request from her lovely date mate.
She did smile wider as Vittoria accepted the offer finally and took the offered slice from her as she watched her take the first bite and awaited her reaction. After she watched and Vittoria finally gave her a reply that smile only grew as she nodded happily content. "See~? And don't worry, I'll be sure to help you try out all the kinds of pizza there is too! Vegetarian pizza, meat lover pizza, spicy chicken pizza, fish pizza, pineapple pizza...not everyone likes that one for some reason. Oh and you can get pizza put on toasted bagels too! Or deep fried, pizza pockets, pizza bites...there's all kinds of ways to enjoy pizza and they all taste different too~!" She was still totally stoked and was basically on an 'I can show you the world' feel with this pizza thing, ready to introduce her new friend to the immense and flavorful world of pizza lovers all by herself. "Oh yea, do you have any favorite foods you like?"
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