Welcome to Gaia! ::

Minami placed several plates on the table of several customers and gave a graceous smile. She had started working at the Baratie for about three months now and was beginning to get a feel for the work."I hope you all enjoy your meals." After walking back to the kitchen she non-chalantely moved her head back to dodge a knife thrown at her. "What is it now patty?" Turning her head toward a man with a pair of over-sized forearms.

"You forgot to greet the customer the way I showed you again and you devilered it to the wrong table!" Branishing another knife as if he was going for another go.

"Oh yeah, i guess i did forget, but what do you plan to do about it crap-chef?" Minami said with the highest amount of poison intent she could muster.

"Why you! Your crappy attitude reminds me of some other chef that used to live here, but the only difference was that that little brat could cook, you could barely peal a potato without causing someone else harm!" The other chefs were gathered around them as if to agitate them into a fight.

"I don't need to know how to cook to know that i can kick your a**." Taking her fighting stance and stared dangers at patty.

"That's it you little brat, i'm gonna beat some manners into you." Patty taking a boxing stance.

"All right that's enough!!" Everybody stopped and looked as the Head chef and the owner of the floating restaurant Chef Zeff came walking down the stairs withing the kitchen. "How come i don't see anyone cooking? Our customers are getting hungery." Walking up to the gathered crowd and staring at the two who were in the middle. "You again." Focusing on Minami.

"Ay Sir." Said Patty. "This girl delivered the wrong order again-" Patty was interupted by a kick to the face which sent him to the ground.

Minami cringed everytime she saw that and found herself at the receiving end of a kick that sent her to the ground as well. "Ow, what the hell did you kick me for?!" Clutching her head which was throbbing with pain.

"Quiet you useless daikon radish!" Chef Zeff bringing his peg legged foot to the ground.

"D-daikon...radish?" The word itself sent a crushing blow as she felt a murderous rage filling her.

"Yes, a daikon radish, your the only waiter here so get to work." Turning around to go back upstairs to his room.

The room was silent for a few minutes until patty got back up and put his knife away. "You heard 'im, back to work!" Still taking sass to Minami after getting kicked.

Minami grudgingly got back to her feet and grabbed a few plates and walked outside to the table where she was told to go. Setting those plates on the table she again replied to a group of shaddy looking men. "I hope you all enjoy you meals. If there's anything else you'd like just say so." Flashing a smile and walking back to the kitchen. Before she could get a few feet a arm grabbed her shoulder.

"There is one thing you could do." Minami felt something cold against her face and realized that it was the barrel of a gun. "NOW EVERYONE, IF YOU DON'T WANT THIS GIRL TO DIE YOU'LL HAND OVER THIS SHIP!!" The man's sudden threat made everyone panic in their seats as people close to the door were taking their chance to escape.

"Not again." Minami thought. "Guess it can't be helped. Manman Terotero." She began chanting some spell in her head.

Several of the cooks came bursting out of the kitchen pissed rather than worried when they saw that Minami was in the pirates grasp. Patty started laughing and pointed at Minami. "Ha ha ha, got to play hostage again did yeh. Do you need us to bail you out." Clutching in his hand a pitch fork or a comically large fork. The pirates outnumbered the cooks by at least ten or 14 people

Minami couldn't help but laugh too. "No, i got this." Minami closed her eyes and exhaled a pale blue mist from her mouth which surrounded the pirate and his crew.

"I'm not kidding around, I will shot the...girl.....if....you." The man suddenly dropped to the ground as did his other crew mates.

Minami pushed his sleeping body off and dusted herself off.

The other customers started cheering and celebrating the cooks, or Minami's, victory over the pirates.

"All right boys, Scrap their ship and send them off for the fish to eat." Patty commanded the other cooks to do which they imediately obeyed. "You used that hocus pocus magic again, didnit ya?" Patting Minami on the back rather hard.

"It was nothing, they were just a bunch of punks. I didn't want to get my hands dirty." Said Minami it a modest voice. Minami started walking back to the kitchen. Suddenly she was grabbed on the shoulders again. "What?" Minami turning to Patty.

"You got the wrong table again."

Minani and the other cooks watched quietly from the kitchen doors as this man walked in. His presense alone seemed to dim the room. After a long silence Minami said the first words in a while. "Wow that guy looks like he's just bones." Saying it in a low whisper. She felt something hard come down on her head.

"He's is bones you git." Patty with his fist dug into Minami's head.

"Ow." throwing his hand away and rubbing her head.

"What do you suppose we should do Patty?" Carne looking concerned standing right beside Patty."

"What else." Said patty in a loud voice. "Hey witch, go take the man's order." Pushing Minami right out the door.

"Hey!" Minami trying to get back in but was pushed out again. She sighed and walked to the man. She could shake the feeling that the air seemed to get thicker every step she took to get to him. Standing right in front of his table she made a nervous smile and closed her eyes. "Welcome to the Baratie what can we get you?"

In all the three months that she had started working at the Baratie she had never seen this man walk in, but by the cooks reaction and his familiarity with patty must of meant that he was a regular. "Well the reason is that I don't mind it. You get use to it." Within close vicinity she could make out every subtle scratch on hisi skull and the empty indents where his eyes would have been. "Oh i almost forgot, do you have any money to pay?" She had been told to ask that to every customer that came in.

"Oho!" Minami layed agasp and the two gold pieces that were put into her hands. "I'll get you those leftovers sir." Shoving the two gold pieces ]into her pocket and walked over to the kitchen. Once she was in the kitchen went back to its usual routine of making food.

"So what did the Baron want?" One cook asked in a gruff tone.

"He said that he was fine with the leftovers and paid with these." Taking the gold out of her pocket and showing it to the cooks.

"A little much for jus' the leftovers." Patty said collecting what leftovers that they didn't themselves eat or throw away. "Well, here's what he asked for." Handing a plate of randomly thrown together food and told her to deliver it.

The reason that she delivered the wrong order to the wrong table was that images of the customers tend to blend together in her mind and look the same. The Baron however looked like no one she had ever seen. She had seen skeletons before, but none of them ever moved....unless you use the right spell of course. Setting the plate at the Barons table Minami back up a step and made another nervous smile. "Here's your meal sir. If you need anything else just call."

"What am interesting man." Minami thought to herself as she picked up his plate and walked back into the kitchen. Business went back to its usual rotation as Minami continued on her job for the time being. The days that followed seemed to fly right by as Minami was about ready to pack up and head out. The restaurant had shut down for that day to wish Minami a safe voyage. "See you everyone!" She said waving from the edge of her ship.

"Guess that goes our last waiter." Chef Zeff said standing in the front of all the cooks who came to see her off. "She was more trouble than she was worth, but good help is hard to find."

"Make sure to drop by again you hear!" Patty said waving with tears in his eyes.

"When that happens i'll be here as a customer, you just have a table ready!" Her ship was now flowing though the ocean currents. Minami took a look at her log pose and determined her next destination. The Baratie was now a distant speck from her field of vision. Wiping some tears that have gathered around her eyes reached into the pockets of her cloak and pulled out several pieces of paper. "Summon: Minami swarm." Throwing the papers on the ground as they exploded in a mist of smoke. The clearing of the smoke revealed several clones of Minami and japanese oni's standing in front of her. "Now! I need all of my clones to take postions around the ship and perform any maintenance that it needs! Oni's, take to the sides and begin rowing this ship! If any of you see a problem or spot our next destination, report it!. Now break!" The clones and oni's all moved at once to parts of the ship and began working.

Checking the map she saw that the next area on the map and where the log pose was pointing was reverse mountain. Rolling up the map the turned the wheel and with the paddles at the side moving in unison motion set course to reverse mountain.