ficlet post: "If Only"

[printfogey.livejournal.com]

I so wanted to get an idea for someone I've never written before, but no idea arrived, alas. So instead I thought of something that's been niggling at me since I read volume 37 and 38, and that recent canon events have reminded me of. (Though that doesn't mean I'm sure Kokoro is right in this ficlet.)

As always, nitpicks and other concrit are very welcome.

Title: If Only
Media: Fic
Rating: G
Prompt: Minor Character Inclusion
Setting/spoilers: Set post-Enies Lobby
Summary: Kokoro talks to Paulie about Iceburg and Tom.



"Hey, calm down, kid," Kokoro told the vice president of Galley-La, leaning her chin on the bar. "I never said I think your boss is doing a bad job. Just don't want the old boy to get a swelled head."

Paulie humphed. "Swelled head, nothing," he said. "You could stand to show Mr Iceburg some respect sometime. He's pretty much the best shipwright around, he knows how to lead a wharf, he cares and plans ahead for the city like no-one else; he's changed the whole damn town so much for the better…"

"Sure, sure," said Kokoro, emptying out the last in her bottle of whisky. "And he's human, too."

"Huh?" Paulie blinked, puzzled at this. "What's that got to do with it?"

Kokoro shrugged bleakly. "Nothin', I guess. 'Cept… I can't help thinking about old Tom, sometimes. He's the one that built Puffing Tom, made this whole city hope again... yet when the government framed him, people sure turned against him real fast, didn't they? Saying he'd always been too violent and unpredictable. Idiots." She turned her head to spit on the floor. "If he'd been human… Bet at least some of'em would've stood by 'im despite what it looked like, back then."

"Well," said Paulie more cautiously, "I don't know… he'd built Gol D. Roger's ship for him, too, right? Seemed like that was a big deal, too. Anyway, now that people here know what swine the C.Pol guys can be, I've heard plenty who've been changing their minds on Tom, too."

Kokoro didn't look impressed. "Too little, far too late. Me, I figure the day the people here will rally 'round a fishman the way they would have for a human – that's the day I'll agree this city has truly changed.

Comments

[night-mare-chan.livejournal.com]

Oooh verry nice. It's interesting to see something from Kokoro's perspective. I like the way you characterized her but she seems a touch more serious-- however I can imagine this is what she might be like if she's sober. I do like the idea at the end... of rallying around a fishman the same way they do for a human. Nice little touch that, especially given who she is and things like that.

Anyway, it's great to see a little Kokoro lovin'. :D

[printfogey.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I should probably have worked on at least making her speech more slurred, but I wasn't sure how to without losing the tone. Tough stuff... Thank you for the kind words!

[night-mare-chan.livejournal.com]

It's not more slurred but...I guess more kind of... I dunno-- Well it's just you know in the anime, even when she's saying we're all gonna die, she's drinking and laughing about it. Though, again, that would be kind of hard to do and keep the tone. But I do think that what you have is pretty good.

[thewordweaves.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I like this a lot. The side characters of Water 7 were ones that always stayed in my mind, particularly during the flashbacks. We never got to see much seriousness from the current-day Kokoro, which makes this a treat.