"I believe you told me you'd do anything to get that bomb collar off your damn neck, which I did, so what makes you think you could just run away like that?" Kid yelled, shoving his face closer and closer to Beth's. She leaned back out of the way, eyes cast to the wood panels of the deck as she took the lecture. He picked her up by the front of her shirt, lifting her off of her feet.
"Hey!" She managed to get out, hands trying to pry his off of her.
"I'm the captain, which means you do what I say! Understand?" He yelled, face inches from her own. She swallowed dryly.
"Yes sir."
He released her shirt, none too gently at that. He wasn't done, however. His hand gripped her chin, forcing her eyes to look into his. Her eyes grew wide with fear, which only seemed to fuel his rage.
"I don't tolerate insubordination." He growled, gripping her jaw a little tighter. He had his teeth bared, and Beth was struck with the image of an angry tiger toying with its prey. "The consequences in the future will be very painful." She nodded, and in turn he released her face. "We're starving. Make dinner."
He slammed the door behind him, leaving the rest of the silent crew out on the deck. Beth glanced around, not surprised that none of the others would look at her. Besides Killer, who she could never tell where exactly he was looking. That mask of his really hid a lot about him.
"Umm…" She started, clearing her throat awkwardly. She wasn't in a cheerful mood, and doubted her good feeling would return until after a night's rest. "What do you guys want me to make? We have ingredients for most recipes." In all honesty, she just wanted to make the food and go to bed. Her appetite was thoroughly quenched.
"Ramen." Killer answered a moment later. Heat shrugged, going over to sit on the railing.
"I'm fine with anything." Wire grunted in agreement, and Beth crossed her arms. This bunch was really starting to annoy her, what with their wishy-washy attitude about everything.
'No more nice Beth.'
"Ok, now you guys are just being ridiculous. Just tell me what you want me to make or I'm not making anything." She arched an eyebrow when they seemed to all sigh in unison.
"What does it matter anyway?" Heat asked, and she shook her head.
"I want to cook something that you would like to eat. So what is your favorite food? I'm not leaving until I get an answer." Answering personal questions was like pulling teeth with these guys. Beth couldn't believe they were so stubborn. "I'm waiting." She emphasized after no one had spoken.
"Hmph. I like spicy yakitori." Heat finally said, shrugging and looking out towards the sea. Beth shook her head, but decided that that was the best she was going to get at the moment. She turned her attention to Wire. Like always, his face held no expression.
"Miso soup."
"Dinner should be ready in an hour or so." Turning, she trudged towards the stairs to go below deck. There was silence behind her. Her mood hadn't improved at all really, though she couldn't help but think that she was at least making progress in her relationship with the pirates, but that deep-seated suspicion from before just wouldn't go away.
She was thankful that she had one place all to herself: the kitchen. That was probably due to the fact that none of them knew their way around a kitchen to save their life. She threw herself into her work, deciding that anything was better than thinking about her current mood.
She chopped the chicken for the yakitori with practiced fury, taking out her anger and emotion on the food rather than crying or something similar. Unwittingly, she found herself muttering things under her breath, cursing the Kid Pirates for being so aloof and unbearable. Why couldn't they just treat her like she carried some worth? Sure, she had no skill with weapons or fighting, but she fed them, cleaned the ship for them…surely that meant something?
The lovely smells of the spiced chicken filled the kitchen, as well as the noodles for Killer's ramen. In another pot, she had the tofu and vegetables boiling in a broth for Wire's miso soup. She switched between each dish, slowly putting together dinner for the three separate people.
Once they'd all been cooked, she dished them out into the appropriate dishes.
And then she realized she forgot the captain.
Stopping suddenly, she rushed to the food storage to see what she could make quickly for the angry redhead. There wasn't much, but she found some salmon in the fridge.
Shioyaki was the quickest dish she knew how to make, and so she rubbed salt onto the salmon before cooking it. She only hoped the captain would be satisfied with it, if only to spare her another lecture.
As usual, they were already waiting for her when she emerged from the kitchen. She placed each dish in front of the respective person, taking their nods of approval with a grain of salt. No one said anything, or even looked at her really, and so she went back inside.
They started taking after she left the room, and what she heard made her stop.
"I doubt she drinks." Kid mentioned, probably taking a swig of his own sake bottle. He seemed to always have sake with his meals. "After living with an alcoholic, it wouldn't surprise me that she'd be against it for the rest of her life."
"I bet she's a lightweight anyway."
Her body froze, though it really wasn't all that surprising that Killer ended up saying something to the rest of the crew. He was their nakama after all, and she was still an outsider. Even so, it still hurt to know that they so blatantly talked about it.
"She has a Dragon's Hoof mark right? I mean, she was a slave." The voice she recognized as Heat asked, and she winced. "I haven't seen it."
"Most marks are put on the back of the slave. It's probably there." Wire responded. Beth hugged herself, not wanting to be reminded of her brand.
'Just clean the kitchen…' She told herself. Standing quietly, she went to wash up the used dishes.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
