slightoverkill | 3rd Form

Uh... [Wow, that's...wow. Seriously. Norma may be staring a little bit, and not being all that subtle about it, either.] I-I mean, um. I think...I think all the holiday mumbo-jumbo doesn't end until after the first of the next month. Don't quote me on that, though.

[He is more or less used to the staring. It doesn't really faze him much anymore.]

I see.

[There's a small pause. He looks down at his book, then up again and actually narrows his eyes a little. Bet you didn't know he could do that?]

Is something the matter?

[Oh my god, that's perhaps the most frightening thing Norma's seen all day. Sure she's almost definitely served this guy a drink or two at the bar on occasion, but she never stopped to really...look at him. And now she can Norma why - she's almost sure this guy would be capable of eating her if pushed far enough.]

No. [Said a bit too fast, and she doesn't meet those crazy eyes of his - Norma's already making absurd hypotheses that they have some kind of hypnotic power or something - and casually points at the bar.] ...You going in? I'm on duty right now and on top of my toes about to freeze off, I'm...preeeetty sure I remember what you like. On the house.

[JUST DON'T EAT ME.]

[Mihawk gives her a slightly blank look for a moment there, taking the time to bask in that familiar terror. It was oddly comforting to see there were still corners of the world that still worked like he remembered they should, particularly considering how much a certain someone delighted in trampling all over his person, metaphorically and otherwise.]

Hn.

[He offered Norma a small shrug of his shoulders, expression somewhat unpleasant. Then again, this being Mihawk, that was an understatement.]

Alright.

[Give it twenty minutes, a half hour tops. Norma's easy to scare, but she bounces back with just as much ease and she can put on one hell of a facade. Thankfully, Mihawk may be spared her rather, uh...clingy side. There are certain people Norma just won't latch onto out of sheer "nopenopenope"-ness.

But she gives a bright smile at the prospect of going inside and bounces right on into the bar like it were made of candy and gumdrops, shedding her many layers of clothing and fixing her hair. Hat-head in the worst okayokay. At least she looks nice under that shell of coats and sweaters. Work wear is "refined", yupyup.]

So, that's one glass of...uhh--[Snap!] San Guido Sassicaia~!

[She's right, right? Tell her she's right. Because that's what she's going to fetch whether it's right or not.]

[She's right and he sees no reason to comment on it, though he does watch her bouncy display with some inwardly amused impassiveness. He supposed someone who works in a bar ought to be able to be that cheerful, but he personally keeps himself away from the trap of bartender ears.

He follows after her at a sedate pace, though he heaves a soft sigh at being inside. Familiarity, after all, is not something to be scoffed at. He takes a seat by the bar, taking time to put Yoru by his side, and leans on his arms a little to watch her busy herself around.]

Good.

[Norma, while actually just a server and not really a bartender, can still pour a glass of wine for someone. She's even been toying around on her own with mixing drinks together from recipes she found in books at the library. She's curious, and these things sound really good, and really fun to make, too!

But a job comes first, and after locating the bottle of wine she specified and giving it a once over, Norma place the glass before Mihawk and pours the drink into it delicately. She's not about to waste this guy's prefered drink by being sloppy or clumsy. That sword of his is practically as big as she is, mother of god.]

There y'go, Bright Eyes.

[O-Oops, old habits die hard. Congratulations, Mihawk, you've been given an infamous Norma Beatty Nickname™.]

[A single eyebrow arches pointedly at the nickname, before he slowly shrugs his shoulders.]

Close enough.

[Norma will just pause as she's putting the cork back into the bottle, raising her own eyebrows in confusion.]

Huh? Close enough to what?

What I am often called.

[He takes a sip from his drink, entire demeanor somewhere between lazy and relaxed.]

Whoa, seriously? [Man, that never happens. Norma's not sure if she should feel pleased or not. She ca't helpi but think, in the back of her mind, that means her nicknames are lacking creativity... Still, that one was the only good one she could think of - and it did fit pretty darn well.

As she puts the wine back, Norma begins mixing something for herself - nonalcoholic. She just wants something hot to warm her up. Peppermint cocoa, to start the evening off.]

Sooo...what were you "often called" then, huh?

[Mihawk slowly twists his wrist, watching the liquid turn inside the glass almost thoughtfully. Then he took another sip, seemingly savoring the drink.]

Hawk Eyes.

[Watch his lips twitch just a tad.]

Hawk Eyes Mihawk. How terribly creative.

[Norma mouths the words quietly, testing the name in a breathy whisper to herself. After a thoughtful hum, she gives Mihawk a assessing look, then takes a swig of her own drink after stirring it some more.]

...You guys must have some really weird looking hawks. [Siiiip.]

[Mihawk pauses for a second, holding the glass of wine to his lips as he blinks.]

Heh.

[You probably imagined the almost smile at that. Probably. He just takes another sip and goes on looking as meanspirited as usual.]

That is a very likely possibility.

[Sorry, but no. Norma blinks herself over the rim of her mug, raising a brow. Did she just...really almost make this stone wall of a man almost smile? Oho, she did, didn't she?! ha! Leader of the Laugh Brigade's still got it in her after all. She'll count it as her achievement of the day.

So, with a triumphant smirk, Norma just shrugs her shoulders and leans back to brace herself against the bar counter. She's not-so-subtly looking at Mihawk's sword now, admiring just how...expensive it looks. She was much too busy cowering before to appreciate such a thing before. But now that she can get a proper look at it...hm. *__*]

So where's you get that thing anyway, Bright Eyes? It's almost as big as I am, jeeez... Must be worth a fortune, too. ♥ Bet you could hack apart a whole cargo ship or something with that thing!

[lololololol because that's totally not possible at all, r-right? >__>]

[Mihawk arches an eyebrow at the question.]

For a single ship? That would be overkill.

[Now if we were talking about a fleet, that's more what it was made for. He nurses his drink slowly, vaguely entertained by Norma's curiosity. Hey, at least she's asking, instead of speculating outright. And he's in a placid enough mood as it is, so no explosions or violence for now.]

As for where she came from, that is a long story.

[A long, long story. Are you sure you wanna hear that?]

[For a second, Norma actually has to think on what Mihawk said firstly - overkill? Well, yeah, it'd be overkill! I mean, who the hell can really cut a ship in half? Ha...hahaa...She regards him, and that sword, with muted and expertly masked hesitation, then slides up to sit on the counter behind her.]

Everyone's out doing this holiday stuff, so...I've got time to spare. I mean, stories are meant to be told, right?

[She grins and reaches broadly. Maybe she can even crack open some of the alcohol for herself if the story gets really good. Something not too intense, and also easy to masquerade as a non-alcoholic drink. In case someone sees her. She's still underage, so...h e h.]

I do suppose you're right.

[Mihawk shrugs a little, taking another sip of his drink. It's an old story, really. But that's what you do to bartenders, he supposes, you tell them stories. He hasn't told this particular one in a very long time, not so much because he cares not to tell it, but because no one asks. Everyone just assumes Yoru belongs to him - and it does! - but they don't stop and wonder where it came from. Mihawk wonders if they think he crawled out of his mother's womb swinging Yoru about.]

I got it from the greatest swordsman in the world.

[With a tilt of her head, Norma waits for the weird-eyed man to speak, kicking her legs rather impatiently. Come on, get on wit--...man, that better be it, otherwise she's gonna be really, really disappointed. Her legs stop swinging and she casts Mihawk with a bit of a look, raising her eyebrow.]

Jeez, there better be more to it than that, otherwise that's the shortest "long story" I've ever heard. [But she waits. This guy just doesn't seem the type to just come across something like that. It looks too fancy and expensive to just randomly find or buy or something.] Sooo...you obviously beat this super-duper swordsm--

[Waaaait a minute.]

...Wouldn't that make you the greatest then? I mean, if you beat him and stuff.

[Norma, shut up and let the man tell his goddamn story, good lord.]

On a technicality, only.

[He sounds oddly amused by that.]

I would not be the greatest for a few years after that.

[Which is his roundabout way of saying: yes, yes he is. Except it wasn't getting Yoru from its previous owner that made him the greatest. It was taming her that made him the greatest. Subtle, but potent difference, there.]

Her previous owner was a rather irritating man, truth to be told. Lazy.

[Mihawk made laziness sound like the sin among sins, the way he said it.]

Unspeakably lazy. He made her do all the work for him, though admittedly she's good at what she does.

[He gives the blade a lopsided smile.]

He lived in an island all alone, with a so-called graveyard of swords outside his door. A terribly melodramatic man, you understand, the kind that has no finesse whatsoever, no understanding of subtlety.

[Said he, most melodramatic man on earth.]

[Norma knows how roundabout comments and vague wordplay goes, she's pretty good at that herself, so when it clicks that holy cow, she's talking to some like, super awesome greatest swordsman ever her eyes actually widen and take on a glaze of awesome. Now, she's usually a skeptic when it comes to these kinds of things, but there's just something about this guy that tells Norma he's being entirely truthful. Maybe it's the way he's speaking about his sword - which Norma gives another long look when he does - or the aforementioned look he gives the blade. Obviously it's got some value of a different sort to this old guy, so...yeah. This is kinda awesome right now. She's making friends with a total weirdo, but a strong one! And a really, really cool one!]

Well, I'm not one to talk about laziness - I got plenty of it - but I know how it goes when you really wanna do something for yourself. Something important. Something you could get help on...because it's available at the time, but you don't. You do it yourself, even if it's stupid and hard and takes a really, really freaking long time...

[Er--ahem. Whooo...spoke a little too much there, oops. Perking up again, Norma leans forward with a smile.] But that's so awesome! I mean, finding and winning something like that - that's definitely what I'd call a piece of treasure for sure! Can I touch your sword? Pleeeease~?

[Yep, she did so just ask that. WHAT, IT'S SHINY AND GOT GEMS AND SHIT ALL OVER IT. ~~Maybe she can pick one off when he's not looking...~~]

[The look Norma gets is the closest thing to a WTF look Mihawk has. It's priceless. It's also very short-lived. Soon enough, he's tilting his head to the side, squinting a little at her.]

I beg your pardon?

[You want to what.]

Edited 2013-01-15 20:54 (UTC)

[HAHA, wow, what a face. Norma barks out a quick laugh, grinning broadly. Was what she said really that surprising? Jeez, it's not like she's really gonna steal it! She'd never get away with such a bulky thing fast enough.]

Aw, c'mon! Please? From what you told me, that thing's a real treasure, right? And as the world's greatest Treasure Hunter [Yes, yes she did.] it's my job to inspect all sorts of rare and valuable treasures!

But seriously, I just wanna look at it. I've never seen a black sword before. [What kind of metal is that anyway, she wonders.]

There aren't many black swords left, these days.

[The comment is almost absent-minded as he's still trying to figure out what's going on inside her head.]

You might lose a hand in the attempt, she is a fussy sword.

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