Raya: *releases a long, drawn-out sigh, scrubbing both hands through her hair as she scales yet another fallen log* Ugh, the heat may not bother me, but this humidity is killer, dammit... I almost miss Alabasta... *looks back at Kiyomi, a curious look in her eyes* How're ya holding up?

Kiyomi: *easily following behind Raya, her scarf firmly back in place after getting up and curled around despite the heat, only sweating a bit* I'm fine~ I spend lots of time on Nikko Island growing up, and the heat there can get really bad. *happily* People collapse from heat exhaustion a lot.

Raya: Eh... *unsure what to do with this information beyond feeling slight pity for the people of Nikko Island, simply moves on from the topic* For food, I'm thinking you're not into going after small game, so... d'ya happen to know anything about edible plants?

Kiyomi: Mhm! *starts looking around, her eyes skimming over the plants they go past* Haruki-kun made me learn them after I got sick once. *as if this should make perfect sense to Raya, not just herself, dismissing the plants she's seeing at the moment as none of them look right*

Raya: *chuckles, just going along with it, seeing as Kiyomi seems content to keep it at that* Awesome, now I won't have to worry about accidentally killing Timor, 'cause, see, I was planning on having him try anything I found first in case it turned out to be poison-- *an undignified yelp escapes her as she trips over something half-buried in the ground, catapulting face-first into a mess of knotted tree roots* *groaning, lifts her head a bit, muttering a curse* Damn karma, can't just leave me alone for once...

Kiyomi: *bounds forward* Raya-chan! *looking to see what made her fall, her face lights up* Hey, you found something! *without an ounce of hesitation, seizes onto the little loop revealed because of Raya's fall and starts tugging, which while it doesn't pull it up completely, it does shift some of the sticks and leaves and such away from it* Look!

Raya: *shakes her head to clear away her muddled thoughts, then shifts her focus to Kiyomi, blinking when she sees the door as well* Uh... *scrambles to her feet, edging in beside Kiyomi and hooking her fingers under the partially-open door, lending her strength to heave it open completely* *peers down with interest* Well, looks like we aren't the first people to stick it out here after all...

Kiyomi: *grinning* Let's see what's down there! *once again without hesitation, impulsively just slips down, grabbing the edge with her hand and dropping in the cellar*

Raya: Hey, wait, Kiyomi don't just... *sighs again, seeing that there's no fighting Kiyomi in these matters, and simply follows after her* *blinking in the half light, lights up a hand, holding it at chest height to illuminate the small cellar, casting flickering shadows along the walls* *whistles appreciatively* Well, would ya looky here. *grins wickedly* Seems someone thought like me, huh? *skims her fingers over the neck of a bottle set into the wall, pulling it out partially to see what type of alcohol it is* *eyes light up* Rum! I haven't had this since my last drinking game with Yasopp and Benn!

Kiyomi: *eyes lighting up as well* I haven't had it in forever, either! *spins around, taking in the room once more* There's lots here! We should take some back!

Raya: *grins over her shoulder, a cheeky look in her eyes* I like your thinking, Kiyomi. Let's bring a ton, I wanna get those two idiots drunk for once. Timor doesn't drink all that much, or ever, really, so this'll be payback for all the times he's seen me act like a complete full after having one too many.

Kiyomi: *giggles, beginning to fill her arms with bottles* Aoi-kun drinks pretty often. *cheerfully* I haven't seen him get drunk in forever though! *giggles once more as a memory occurs to her* Usually happens when he's arguing with Dad~ *spins around, satisfied she has all she can carry* This is gonna be fun!

Raya: *swipes a few bottles down from the shelves she can reach, adding to the others she'd been cradling in her arms, then spins to face Kiyomi, that same devious smile tugging at her lips* Let's get a move on, time's a-wasting!

Kiyomi: *nods happily* Okay! *shifts the bottles about in her arms so she can grab one hand onto the latter so she can move up enough to push her bottles out of the cellar before climbing up all the way*

TIME SKIP 

Raya: *practically bursting with mirth, skids down into their little campsite, careful to keep any of her bottles from flying out of her grasp* *in a theatrical manner* We come bearing gifts!

Timor: *looks up from where he was sharpening Aoi's blade against a stone, his eyes narrowing at the abundance of alcohol in her arms*

Aoi: *glances at her, having been poking the fire with a stick as he was anticipating having to cook something* *blinks a few times* ... you did get food, right?

Kiyomi: *giggles, settling both the alcohol in her arms and whatever fruit and plants and stuff she managed to find on the way back* Of course!

Aoi: ... meat?

Kiyomi: *rebuking* You can't just hurt those cute animals!

Aoi: ... *sighs* *glances at the alcohol again* ... where'd you get this, anyways? *has decided that if he's going to be stuck in the same place as Kiyomi, perhaps this, whatever this is, is a good thing*

Raya: *laying out her collection of bottles away from the fire, grabs one and uncorks it (after a few trying moments where it stuck fast), offering it to Aoi by the neck* Stumbled across an old storage cellar someone dug into the island. *bites her tongue for a second, cursing the fact that she just made an unintentional pun, then moves on* It's pretty unlikely anyone'll come looking for 'em, so we thought we'd treat ourselves a little.

Aoi: ... *grudgingly* Good idea. *takes it, studying the bottle itself to see what it is before he simply takes a drink*

Kiyomi: *grins, grabbing one of her spoils and scrambling over to Timor* Here you go! *realizes herself a second later and proceeds to do her best to uncork it* Oops, wait a second! *pops the cork out, losing her grip on the cork and blinking as it somehow manages to hit Aoi* ... *giggles and offers the bottle to Timor*

Aoi: *looks anything but amused and just takes another drink of the bottle as a response*

Timor: *just stares at the bottle for a moment, flicking his eyes to Kiyomi afterwards* *bluntly* I don't drink.

Raya: *grumbling* I knew you'd say that, something about not wanting to dull your senses, right? Just take a load off for once, Timmy! I don't get drunk all that easy, so even if something happens we'll have someone here to take care of it!

Timor: *silent*

Aoi: *rolls his eyes, glancing at Timor* So, I'll take from that, that you can't hold your liquor, then? Maybe it's a good idea that you don't.

Kiyomi: *pouts* But... *still offering the bottle as she brightens once more* It's not just Raya-chan, Aoi-kun doesn't get drunk quick either! You'd be fine, promise! *yeah, not mentioning herself as she isn't gonna pretend she doesn't*

Timor: *while he takes the bottle, it's more to shut up Raya than because he actually wants it* *to Aoi, with dry sincerity* I don't. *referring to the fact that he is conscious that he doesn't hold his liquor well*

Raya: *eyes widen* Wait, seriously? You're a light-weight? But... that doesn't even make sense! Just 'cause of your height and build you should... *scratches the back of her head, frowning* Whatever, never mind that. But it's really... unexpected to hear you say that.

Timor: *shrugs*

Aoi: *looks rather pleased with himself as he takes another drink, as in his mind he has something up on Timor now* Huh. Well, I do.

Kiyomi: *grins happily when Timor takes the bottle and scrambles back to the food, seeing as she figures if she takes a bottle immediately she won't get to see much of the fun* Do you want some, Raya-chan? *referring to the alcohol, although she has seized one of her fruits and is cutting it with her knife, having gotten it back from Aoi before they'd gone looking for food* *absent thought that if people are going to be drinking, food is good as you don't want to drink on an empty stomach*

Raya: *grins amiably, settling back against the rock Timor'd sat on before, hands linked behind her head* I'm good for now, Kiyomi. I'll probably be taking first watch again, so I don't wanna pass out or anything. I'll have a drink later, though... maybe after I see just how bad Timor takes this.

Timor: *gives Aoi a placid look, in the manner of one saying "How great for you, then."* *looking back at his drink, absently tips the bottle, letting the rum inside swish around for a bit, before he raises it to his lips and takes a long swig* *thinking he might as well join in, feeling as though Raya would force the rum on him later if he didn't comply now*

Aoi: *frowns, not sure what reaction he wanted, but rather certain that one was not it* *apparently really is somone who likes his alcohol, cause he just settles himself a better distance from the fire and sips on his drink, watching Kiyomi deal with the fruit, while also studying Timor curiously in what he considers a subtle manner, as he's waiting to see how light exactly is light for Timor*

Kiyomi: Okay~ *cheerfully as she finishes up the first fruit, sticking a piece with her knife and offering it to Raya* How about this, instead, then? *cheerfully* It's sweet. *sorta like a mango*

Raya: *takes the fruit curiously, sniffing it once before taking a bite* *frowns a bit as she swallows* Whoa, really sweet. *may just be someone who isn't all that fond of sweet things* Not bad, but really, really sweet.

Timor: *halfway through his first bottle, already feeling tipsy, which is why he doesn't even hesitate to keep drinking*

Kiyomi: *studies her for a moment then grins, grabbing one of her plants instead and jumping to her feet to wash it off in the water nearby, cutting off the tip and roots, then heads to offer it to Raya* Here you go~ How about this, instead! *offering a somewhat bitter plant... which I'm not going to try to come up with a thing for because while she might be familiar, I am not*

Aoi: *finishes off his bottle, settling it beside him as he, perhaps not so subtly, studies Timor still* ... *just asks aloud* How lightweight is lightweight for you?

Timor: *looks up at Aoi's question, the near-empty bottle dangling from his fingers* *a slow, charmed grin spreads over his lightly flushed features* Oh, I'd have to say it's pretty bad - I'm pretty much drunk already.

Raya: *was in the process of looking over the plant Kiyomi offered her, but drops it the instant she hears Timor, shocked to the point where she literally thought a stranger had entered their camp without her noticing* The hell...?

Aoi: ... *smirks, as while he's perhaps a little off, but not close to drunk or anything* That is pretty bad. *pleased, glancing towards the bottles as he considers getting another for himself, the leisurely gets to his feet to do so* Well, if you're already drunk... *yeah, pretty happy with this situation*

Kiyomi: *just sort of staring at Timor, pretty shocked*

Timor: *drains the last of his drink, not even hesitating to reach for another bottle, which he uncorks quickly and starts drinking* Mm, that's the reason I'm not fond of drinking. Whenever I've had to partake during assignments, I actually faked it. *smiles* When the other person's lost all of their sobriety, it's surprisingly easy to play them.

Raya: *suddenly clutches at Kiyomi's arm, dragging her down* I... I think we did a bad thing...

Aoi: *intrigued, instead of returning to his spot that was a good distance from Timor, moves over to plop down next to him* I see. That makes sense. *proceeds to pull open his new bottle* In that case, I bet I can drink more than you can before reaching that state. *yeah, still rather smug over this situation as he takes a sip* Did you ever get caught? *honestly just tipsy enough that he's still him, just a little less inclined to hide his interest*

Kiyomi: *still staring at Timor* ... I... you're probably right... *glances at Raya with wide eyes* He smiled.

Timor: *unsurprised in this state that Aoi chose to sit beside him, simply grins in his direction while he ponders the answer to that question* Ah, no, I don't believe I was ever caught - not by a target, in any case. Ace once realized I wasn't drinking, though, and... well, that night was the last time I ever really drank, I think. *chuckles at the memory, as in this state of mind he actually finds Ace's antics to be quite amusing* Oh, and you probably can outdrink me. *amiably* We've already proven that, no? And you've likely drank with Shanks before, if I'm right. Anyone who can hold his own with Red-Hair would win against me, hands down. *isn't miffed at all about this revelation, rather he finds it funny*

Raya: *can't decide if this is hilarious or frightening, her face rapidly switching between the two emotions as she continues watching Aoi and Timor*

Aoi: *yeah, still extremely pleased with himself for this matter, so he sees no problem with sharing as he downs another drink of his alcohol* I have. We started having competitions when I was younger, as he refused to let me drink along with the crew unless I could handle my own with him. *frowns at the memory* It took awhile.

Kiyomi: *just watching in amazement*

Timor: *matching Aoi with another swig of his own, nudges Aoi's shoulder with his elbow* That's some lovely determination, Aoi. *this may be the first time he's actually called him by his name, though I could be wrong* You should be proud. Raya can drink with him, I know, but she seems to have inherited his natural tolerance for alcohol, so starting from scratch and working your way up is admirable - even if it's about drinking.

Raya: *taps Kiyomi's shoulder, tearing her eyes away from the boys to look at her* Hey, maybe... this might actually be a good thing. If we leave 'em alone, maybe they'll... work some things out, ya know? *smiles sheepishly* Can't hurt, at least.

Aoi: *his usual embarrassed flush at the fact of being complimented as he purses his lips, rubbing his shoulder where it was bumped, using the hand that isn't gripping his bottle* *grumbles* I wasn't about to let him beat me- if my father can stand his own, I can. *yeah, he really does base a lot of his opinions on some things after his dad, as he does really admire him even if that's another one of those things he'd never admit* ... how come you don't just build a tolerance? *yeah, attempting to shift attention from himself, taking another swig without hesitation*

Timor: *a thoughtful frown pulls at his lips as he swirls around the contents of his bottle again* Hm, right now I don't see any problem with simply building a tolerance. But to do that, wouldn't I have to subject myself to acting like this multiple times? *smiles, though with a slightly bitter tinge to the look* I generally don't care about appearances, but being this carefree could put my commander in danger. *kinda like how Aoi bases everything off his dad, Timor's grown to thinking about things in reference to Ace and Whitebeard*

Aoi: *considers this thoughtfully* I suppose that makes sense... still, why not drink when they do? Surely they have things in place to keep them safe during such times. *yeah, rather loose tongued with his curiosity now, as he honestly is a very curious person*

Kiyomi: *considers this, then nods happily* Okay! Just promise not to tease Aoi-kun afterwards, he gets really upset when he hears about how he acts when drunk~

Raya: Meh, I make no promises, but I'll try being merciful later. C'mon, follow my lead. *waves a hand to get Aoi and Timor's attention as she's standing* We're gonna go look for some more kindling - you two watch the camp while we're out, got it?

Timor: *nods with a loose smile, then turns back to Aoi, his expression momentarily hardening before it falls away again* About that... I feel uncomfortable lowering my guard, under any circumstances. For me, that just invites danger, and for three years of my life the slightest slip up could have gotten me killed in an instant. *taking another swig, points the neck at Aoi, something of a teasing smile on his lips* That's why you bother me sometimes, Dracule Aoi. Aside from Ace and Whitebeard, there hasn't been anyone who's made me lose my composure - until you.

Kiyomi: *just giggles and moves to her feet to follow Raya* Bye~ *waves as she trails after her*

Aoi: *scowls, dropping his eyes as both his hands clasp his bottle* *his face lighting up with that usual red of his* *grumbles* Not like I was trying for that, you know. *actually isn't certain what to think about the information that he can make Timor lose his composure, but has enough of his own left at the moment that he manages to keep this fact to himself, at least for now*

Timor: *laughs lightly, ruffling up Aoi's hair with one hand, the other clinking his bottle with Aoi's* I know, I didn't intend for it to happen either. Ace would tell me it's nothing to worry about, that it's natural for people to slip under your guard without you realizing it, but... *breathes out slowly, his expression still thoughtful* I'm still not used to it. I react without thinking when you're in danger, I'm rather pleased whenever I see you've grown - I'm really not sure what to make of it.

Aoi: *flushes an even deeper red at the ruffling of his hair* *indignantly raises one hand to bat at the hand ruffling his hair* *doesn't know how to respond right away, but glowers at the top of his bottle as his honest, natural reaction to being flustered is to get irritated* *mumbles* Well... it's not like... I asked you to do that. I don't know what to think, either. *covers up this comment by draining the last of the bottle in his hand*

Aoi: *tilts his head up, eyes flickering from where they were on the ground to Timor, a slightly accusatory expression on his face* Is that why I had to hear your reasons from someone else? *demands*

Timor: *a tense frown appears at his lips, but he doesn't open his eyes or alter his posture* So Raya told you. Well, you're not wrong - I didn't see any reason to explain myself, especially because I failed. What I did or didn't do... it ceased to matter when I broke my agreement with the Sues. 

Timor: *surprised, blinks open his eyes, glancing down at Aoi* Let me ask you something, Aoi: Would learning the reason behind my betrayal have made it as though I never betrayed you in the first place? Would it have fixed things between us? *throws back another mouthful of rum* Because from what I know of you - and at this point in our relationship, I'd say I know you quite well - you would still be hurt. You would still be angry. What really would have changed if I'd said something?

Aoi: *rather ticked off, although perhaps the alcohol is helping with that even with his usually easily set off temper* I'd have known the reason- that's what would have changed. I wouldn't have heard it from someone who wasn't even there at the time you were betraying me. Yeah, hell right I'd still be pissed. *pointedly ignoring the hurt comment even if he already used the word betrayed, showing that he was indeed hurt by the matter* Can't change that. What it might have done is not make it so damn difficult to get around, idiot. *yeah, definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol as* he shoves away from the ground to grab another bottle*

Timor: ... *closes his eyes again, dropping his chin into his hand, propping his elbow up on his knee* An idiot, hm? I haven't been called that... in a long while. Though you're probably right. *smiles somberly* I'd apologize for that, but I'm not sure you'd care to accept it, seeing as I am drunk right now. In any case... If I was capable of it, I'd regret my decisions. Not just this, with you - a lot has happened that I'd like to regret. But with how I am now, all I can say is I'll try to learn from this.

Aoi: *grumbles as he picks out a bottle* Yeah, well... maybe it should happen more often. *referring to the idiot comment* *pauses, then adds with his back to Timor, his voice a bit louder* You're damn right I wouldn't accept. But... that's better than nothing, I guess. *plucks one up, still pointedly having his back to him as he's not quite sure what expression to be making at this moment*

Timor: *nods slowly at this, opening his eyes slightly to stare down the neck of his empty bottle* ...Ace once told me I wouldn't be like this forever. What's broken can be fixed. He firmly believes that, and though I've never contradicted him, I wish he wouldn't get his hopes up. Returning one's humanity once they've lost it... is no easy feat.

Aoi: ... *grabs another bottle for good measure before turning back to rejoin Timor, his expression somewhere between a scowl and what might actually be something somewhere around pity or compassion or something... not just irritated* Yeah, well, hard doesn't mean impossible. *grumbles, shoving a bottle towards him when he returns, before dropping down on the ground once more and pulling his open*

Timor: *furrows his brow at the bottle, at this point starting to really lose his composure* Aoi... you really are cute, you know. My author would probably describe you as a... tsundere, I think she said. *grins, with less elegance and more... sloppiness, you could say*

Aoi: *flushes an even deeper red than he has done so far* I'm... not cute! *insistent, an indignant expression on his face* It sounds so damn weird to hear you say that, so... just... don't!*flustered, actually... * *just takes a drink from his new bottle*

Timor: *raises a brow, the other quickly joining it* Oh? *leans closer to Aoi, frowning quizzically* Would you rather I call you handsome?

Aoi: *if possible, turns an even deeper shade of red all over his face* No! That's even stranger! *insistent* *stubbornly doesn't do as he initially wants to and scoot back at the leaning forward, as it's not in his nature to back down*

Timor: *more out of curiosity than anything else, leans closer still* Why? It's not as though I'm lying. I may not have any preference in terms of appearance, but I can still recognize when someone is attractive. And if being called cute somehow insults you, wouldn't handsome be the best alternative?

Aoi: *does scoot back this time, the heat in his face not fading* No- I mean, it is, but it's weird from you. *insistently, although he honestly has no logical reason for this opinion, it's just what pops into his head as the answer to the question* So... don't. *yeah, finishes lamely, his usual, rather ineffective- considering the state of his face- glower aimed in Timor's direction, sort of a defensive reaction considering that he gave in and scooted back and is so flustered as well*

Timor: *still somewhat baffled, edges back in his seat, not sure why hearing him say this is so bothersome for Aoi, as right now he can't really see that this is completely out of character for him* I see... I won't say it, then. *shrugs, sipping from the bottle Aoi got for him* I'll think it, but I won't say it.

Aoi: *still glowering despite the little distance between them from him scooting back and Timor moving back* *grumbles* I guess I can't stop that. *takes a large drink of his new bottle* *really not exactly irritated, just flustered* *not really certain how else to respond, so just settles with studying Timor from his position, getting to to the drunk point himself, if not already past it*

Timor: *rubs at his eye, feeling the onset of drunken tiredness washing over him, but not to the point where he'll pass out yet* ...The girls are taking a while. *not something he's overly concerned about, just making an observation that suddenly seems relevant to him*

Aoi: *that comment takes a moment to fully sink in, but then lurches unsteadily to his feet* I'll find them. *as much to get over the red still slightly invading his cheeks, as well as because even like this, he's rather easily reminded of how much of a trouble magnet Kiyomi is*

Timor: *unconsciously latches onto Aoi's pant leg as he blinks, a thought hitting him* Wait... ah, if you're going, I should... Ace wouldn't be happy if... something happened to Raya, and... *shakes his head, the full effects of his drunken stupor finally materializing*

Aoi: *almost falls back to his bottom when his pant-leg is latched onto, someone steadying himself within a few moments* *retorts, still aware of himself to be aware that Timor's rather drunk, even if he's not including himself in that statement* You're coming? Really? *almost sarcastically*

Timor: *blinks, trying to focus on one of the three Aoi's he's seeing* *mimicking his tone* You're going? Really?

Aoi: *primly, although his stance on his feet is as shaky as his current grip on the bottle still in his hand* I'm not drunk. *yeah... keep telling yourself that*

Timor: *about to say something, probably bordering on sarcastic, seeing as he's really out of it at this point, drops off mid-sentence, collapsing onto the leaves they'd set out the day before, lightly snoring within seconds*

Aoi: ... *stares down at him, the matter of the girls forgotten at the fact that not only is Timor drunk, but now he's passed out drunk, and the idea *just somehow strikes him as funny* *starts laughing, which unsettles his shaky stance and ends up with him toppling over, straightening himself within a second as he just stares at the passed out Timor, a somewhat triumphant feeling flooding through him*