Anton gave a small, relaxed sigh as he leaned back against the tree, sitting on the grass as a cool breeze blew past him. Ohara, the island of scholars. After all that had been happening recently, Anton had decided he needed a little break from it all, away from the hustle and bustle of the towns, away from marine work, away from pirates and revolutionaries. And so he came here, an island not filled with conflict. He didn't really have anything planned for his trip here, but just the chance to relax would be worth it.

He brought up his violin. It had been a long time since he had had the chance to play, and now, he could relax in the ideal fashion. He tilted his new hat down to cover his eyes as he brought the violin to his chin. Slowly, a soft, sweet melody began to fill the air as he played. His eyes were closed, allowing himself to focus only on his music.

Elizabeth had lately been traveling with a little band of misfits as she looked for a crew. Until she could find one, they only found logical and more productive to work together. However with them all just being a bunch of misfits, they didn't necessarily have anyone calling the shots meaning they all decided on things together. So, of course, Elizabeth found it necessary to wander off all on her lonesome every chance she got because working with others was quite difficult for her. Taking orders seemed to be the best for this pirate beauty. Well, on this day she would be following her own orders.

The misfits had managed to get into the West Blue. Elizabeth had managed to get to the island of Ohara. There she would walk around taking in the peaceful atmosphere. Although her rifle may have put her off as somewhat skeptical, her appearance and actions did not. Eventually, something would catch her ear. Purple eyes would scan the area around her, yet she didn't see anything. Elizabeth would continue in the direction of the beautiful sound, until she saw a man sitting under a tree with a violin. He seemed to be relaxing for he had his face covered. This emerald beauty wouldn't want to interrupt him, so she'd quietly walk up closer to him leaving about 2 feet of space between them. If she hadn't disturbed him, she would sit on her knees and listen to him play some more.

Anton was completely lost in his music. This was one of the few times he could truly relax, and he was going to milk it for all it was worth. A warm smile spread across his face as all the tension and stress seemed to leave him, floating into the air along with his music. He didn't even notice the woman approaching him and sitting beside him, listening. Eventually, the song came to a peaceful conclusion. As the violin went silent, Anton let out a small, satisfied sigh as he set the instrument down.

It was only then did he notice the woman beside him, and suddenly all that anxiety came back with a loud yelp. The commodore practically jumped when he noticed her there. He really needed to be more careful when he was playing. Someone could sneak up on him with a knife someday.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he blushed brightly. The woman also happened to be particularly beautiful, and when a beautiful woman got this close to him and didn't appear to be hostile (despite the rifle she was carrying), the commodore's budding confidence seemed to go into hiding. "I didn't see you there. I hope I wasn't disturbing you."

Elizabeth would smile as she listen to the music being played. From this close up, Elizabeth could obviously tell this person was a male. He seemed to be so carefree and happy. She enjoyed watching others, especially when they were so filled with peace and joy. Eventually, the song would end and the man would sigh. It didn't seem to be a heavy sigh more of a light one. She couldn't quite make out the emotion behind it but it sounded happy.

After a quick second, the man would yelp out of what seemed like fear of some sort. Elizabeth would lean back a little not understanding what was happening. Did she scare him? Well, she must have. Elizabeth always forgot the number one rule: "People need space Elizabeth! That's how you get yourself killed!" At least, that's what her belated Captain taught her or warned her about. She hadn't quite got it down.

"Oh no, darlin'. I'm the one that should be sorry. I didn't mean to frighten ya. You weren't disturbing me one bit. I couldn't help but hear your beautiful music and I had to come over here. I guess I should also be apologizing for botherin' ya too." When Elizabeth spoke, it was quite obvious where she originated from, if you hadn't already figured it out by her clothing style. Her voice was soft and sweet. Her accent was noticeable but not too heavy. "Oh and where are my manners? Hi there. My name's Elizabeth," she would speak once more as she reached her hand out towards the man.

A small, shy smile appeared on the commodore's face as he gave a small chuckle. "I tend to get a bit lost in my music at times. I really should watch my surroundings a bit more. I'm glad you like it though. I don't get to play it nearly as often as I would like to." His duties as a marine drained more time from his life that he appreciated. That's why moments like this were precious to him.

As the woman introduced himself, he nodded. "Anton La'croix. A pleasure to meet you." His hand was trembling lightly as he reached out to shake her hand. Not out of fear, but rather nervousness. After all, here he was, alone, with a beautiful woman who was sitting rather close to him. Even her accent seemed to add to her, though judging by her attire it was entirely expected.

Releasing her hand gently, his mind quickly raced for something to say. "I'm guessing you're not from around here?" he spoke up. Well, that was the most obvious thing in the world. She didn't dress like, or sounded like any of the other people he had seen on the island. Unless she was really a scholar who liked to dress as a cowgirl, in which care he just crammed his foot so far down his throat he couldn't recover. Nobody ever said that Anton La'croix was a smooth operator.

Elizabeth would smile as this man spoke about his music but she was also a by curious. What did he have to watch out for? Was he simply a paranoid person or was there something hidden under his appearance? Of course, Elizabeth tried to trust people to the best of her abilities. So far, this man hadn't given her a reason to feel skeptical. Then again, she WAS the one that engaged interaction with him. Elizabeth would think about it for a moment but brush it off, as Anton shook her hand. She took note of his shaking. Was he ok? Was he afraid of her? Maybe he was still shook up from her frightening him.

As he released her hand, Elizabeth would place them both in her lap with her fingers laced. Then, he would ask her a question she had heard so many times before. Every time, she would answer the same way, "I sure ain't. I sail around a lot though. What about you?" She wasn't quite sure if he was in all honesty. He seemed to dress different but everyone had their fashion.

"I'm not from around here either." Anton replied, shaking his head, "My job tends to take me all over the place really. I haven't seen my home town in years." He managed to pull his eyes away from her lovely form and leaned back against the tree, looking skyward. He could still remember his home on Loguetown. He wondered how everyone was doing over there. Were they ok? He figured his parents would have heard about his exploits already. After all, he remembered how they had kept track of his brother's rise in the marines.

"But you know," he murmured, looking around at the peaceful scenery around him, "I wouldn't mind being able to settle down in a place like this some day. Nice, peaceful, and beautiful." He blushed when he realized he had gone off on a bit of a tangent, looking back at the woman next to him. "Sorry about that. Got a bit lost in thought for a moment."

Purple eyes would slowly fall upon the ground as Anton spoke of not seeing his home town in so long. Elizabeth never had a home town but she did have a home. It didn't seem to last very long though. It was loving, yes, but it all slipped away quicker than it should have. The cowgirl could remember riding horses with her father and learning to care for others from her mother. Those were fun times. She could remember them as if it were just yesterday but it had been so long ago. It had been 15 years since she began the life of a pirate. She wondered if her parents still remembered her. She wondered if anyone thought about her. Did anyone ever wonder about her? The woman would shake her head and look back to Anton. None of it mattered anymore.

Elizabeth would perk back up listening to Anton. A sweet smile would form upon her face, "Don't worry, darlin'. I won't judge. I think that's a beautiful thought. I just wonder if my future holds anything grand for me in store. I doubt I'll live very long in this world though but who's to say?" Elizabeth would hold her pointer finger to her chin as she spoke. Purple eyes would find themselves looking upon the clouds. Although her words seemed sad, her appearance seemed carefree.

Anton's expression fell slightly as she seemed to doubt her chances of survival. Even though her tone was carefree, hearing those words come out of her mouth bothered him. "Please don't say stuff like that," he said, before trying to perk himself up. "I mean, you're skilled with that gun right?" he gestured to the rife by her side, "I'm sure you'll be fine. I mean, if a buffoon like me can get this far in this world and be fine, I'm sure you can as well." He gave a self deprecating laugh. Even after all he had been through, all he had accomplished, he still didn't see himself as anything great.

But then another thought popped into his head. "Why do you think you wont survive long? Are you in some sort of trouble? If you are, I can help you as best as I can. I mean, it IS my job afterall."

Purple eyes would blink and flicker back to Anton. What was up with him? He didn't actually care about her did he? They had only just met and there was no guarantee that they would ever meet again. Elizabeth would notice him trying to bring her some confidence as he spoke about Flynn. Flynn! She had forgotten all about it. The woman would reach over pulling her Flynn closer to her before placing hands in her lap again. She would smile at it for a moment before looking back to Anton. "A buffoon? Well, you don't seem like a buffoon to me. You seem very far from it," The cowgirl would say with a smile. "Anyway, yes, I'm very skilled with guns but I don't think I can get very far like that. It's all I have going for me. That's not exactly something that calms your nerves when you hear stories of stronger people out there doing crazy things," the girl would smile an unsettling smile. Not only had she heard stories but she had seen some crazy things when traveling with her old crew.

"That's about the only reason I have for thinking I won't survive long. I'm pretty much useless without a weapon unless you need someone to fix ya up, especially when you do what I do. There's really no help for me. It's a life I was put into. I just embrace it," the pirate would shrug as she spoke. Then, she would think a moment. How could he possibly help her? Elizabeth couldn't help but feel there was more to him, "You say it's your job to help people? What exactly is your job?"

Judging by the woman's words, Anton could guess she was a doctor of somekind. It saddened him that such a beautiful and kind woman would be forced in a dangerous life. "I've heard those stories too. But It's surprising how much one can survive, especially when they really don't want to die." When she asked him for his job, Anton blinked before speaking. "Well, I'm a marine. I go around protecting people from criminals who wish to harm them." he couldn't help but feel a little bit of pride in that. He remembered when he first started out. He thought he wouldn't last five minutes. And yet, he had pulled off some incredible stuff in his career so far.

"You said you were forced into your life, right? What sort of life do you lead?"

This conversation seemed to delve Elizabeth deeper into thought. For once, the girl seemed to be having an adult conversation. She really had to think for herself and she couldn't just ignore what she wanted to. As of now, her question to herself was if she really wished to live of not. Elizabeth had never really thought about it after she had been sold. The woman simply lived life as if everyday was her last. She supposed that if her time came then she wouldn't fight it. However, it couldn't be the death of a coward or a loser. This cowgirl wouldn't go down without her last spectacular showdown. Her death would be one worth telling stories over.

Elizabeth would think about this until she heard Anton speak again. Three simple words would cause her to freeze everything she was doing. He's a marine? What am I supposed to do? I wasn't ever taught what to do when face to face with one. How would he react to her being what she was? Perhaps, it was a bad idea to continue on a conversation any longer. Then again, what better way to find a good crew? If this marine were to lead into an altercation with her, fighting him could help her in the long run. Then again, she could also die. However, Elizabeth wasn't sure if she wanted to fight him. He seemed so kind. Maybe if he knew, he wouldn't mind her being a pirate.

The green haired woman would stand with rifle in hand. Purple eyes would look towards the ground as she would take one step back. Then with a simple smile, the woman would speak, "Well ya see. I may not look like much of one... but I'm a pirate." After speaking those words, Elizabeth wouldn't move another inch. She would watch and wait.

Anton sat there, silent for a moment as those three words hit him. "I'm a pirate'. He didn't move from his seating position, only looking up ate the beautiful pirate next to him, not moving, and not showing any sign of hostility.

Then, Anton let out a pitiful groan, sitting back against the tree and gripping his hat tightly, pulling it over his face. "Why? Why? Why do you have to be a pirate? Why do all the nice girls I meet have to be pirates?" he groaned sadly. "Can't I meet one nice girl who isn't a criminal? Please?" He sat there for a moment before an idea struck him. Suddenly, Anton sprung to his feet. [color=red]"Wait a minute! You said this life was forced onto you, right? Meaning you didn't choose to become a pirate, but we're forced to be one, correct?"[color] A bright smile was stretching across Anton's face as the pieces fell into place. "They way I see it, you're an unfortunate victim of circumstance! No, an see no reason why I must arrest you!" He had a proud smile on his face now, glad for his logic. "Besides, you said you were a doctor, right? Someone who saves lives surely cannot be a bad person." Sure. There were other factors as to why Anton didn't see her as bad, but this was more for confirmation than anything else.

Elizabeth looked at the red head, as she slowly lost her smile. He was quiet and she couldn't figure out why. Was he contemplating how to arrest her? Just then, the marine pulled his hat over his face and started speaking. Purple eyes would lower to the ground in saddness as he spoke. It hurt her to experience other people's saddness. Then again, it also made her wish she had never bothered the poor guy in the first place. It would have spared him some grief. After a moment, Anton would quickly jump to his feet causing Elizabeth to step back and grip her rifle tightly. However, her grip would loosen and her body would relax at the sound of his many questions. "Yeah," Elizabeth would answer his first question a little skeptically. Purple eyes would blink and stare at the marine a but confused. Her mind swirled in thought as she sounded off the many reasons he didn't need to arrest her but his last bit would capture her attention most. "Besides, you said you were a doctor, right? Someone who saves lives surely cannot be a bad person," the words rung through her head. It was true Elizabeth had never taken any lives before but she hadn't intervened when she watched the lives of others being taken. Elizabeth hadn't stolen anything now that she thought about it. However, she had been in multiple alterations. She supposed that made her a better person than most. "You're very sweet. Why are you trying to help ME, though?"