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“You ready?” Nami asked, squeezing her hand gently.
“As I’ll ever be.” she replied, returning the pressure for a second before reaching for the door to the cafe. It opened easily, and she let Nami reply to the cashier’s greeting while her eyes scanned the crowd. Even with most of the tables occupied, it didn’t take more than a few seconds to spot the people they’d come to meet. The twins looked just like they had in the pictures, right down to the near-identical outfits. The man sitting across the table from them must’ve been their foster guardian. He looked, well, exhausted was one word for it. Vivi found herself hoping that he wasn’t going to be driving home after this.
“Hello!” Nami called over the low din of the cafe, and all three heads turned to look at them. The man, who was definitely Mr. Roderick Prinsen now that she got a good look at him, smiled and waved them over.
“Girls, these are the ladies I told you about.” he said to the children as they approached. The girls moved with a synchronisation that would’ve been eerie if she hadn’t known Luffy for as long as she had, looking at her and Nami, then each other, then back to their book. The paler one was reading it to her twin, and Vivi surmised that the tanned preteen was Fiera.
“Thank you for meeting us here today.” Nami said, taking the seat next to Mr. Prinsen as Vivi pulled out the chair on the end of the table, her wife on her right and Arlene on her left.
“It’s nothing.” he waved his hand with a tired smile. “I’m just glad you were able to meet us on such short notice.”
“Can we get lunch now?” Fiera asked, and Mr. Prinsen’s smile brightened.
“Of course, sweetie. You know what you want?”
“Mmhmm.” she nodded. “The ham & cheese panini.”
“Your sister too?”
Fiera nodded.
“Alright, then. Behave yourselves, alright?”
“Yes, dad.” the girls chorused, though Arlene spoke so softly Vivi only barely caught it.
“What do you want, Vivi?” Nami asked, sliding gracefully from her seat.
“A salad, I think. You know what I like.” Vivi shrugged, and Nami gave her a quick peck on the cheek before following Mr. Prinsen towards the counter. After a second of indulgently watching her wife, Vivi turned her attention back to the twins at the table with her. “So, are you excited to be moving?” she asked, and Fiera gave her a flat look.
“No.”
“Oh, well-”
“We don’t like you.” Arlene said, not as soft as before but audibly hoarse. “We won’t like you.”
Vivi sighed, but felt her lips pulling into a smile. “Y’know, when my wife and I met each other, we thought the same things.”
Fiera frowned at her, but her glare was tempered by a spark of curiosity so Vivi continued. “I didn’t like her friends, and she didn’t like me trying to get them in trouble. Big trouble. But then, we found something in common, and now those friends of hers are like family to me.”
Fiera looked back at the book her twin was holding opened, and Arlene began to read from it again, soft enough Vivi could barely hear her. It was a strange sight, two middle schoolers being so quiet and cooperative. The ones she saw when she and Nami were at the mall tended to be loud and obnoxious.
“Whatcha reading?” Nami asked, sliding back into her seat with a large iced tea in hand, setting a smaller one in front of Vivi.
“Poetry.” Fiera replied after a moment, not looking up as her sister turned the page.
“Who’s it by?” Nami tilted her head slightly, some loose hair spilling over her shoulder.
“Hopkins.”
“Hopkins, huh? Isn’t that a bit... mature?” Nami frowned. The girls shrugged in unison.
“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Mr. Prinsen said, sitting down with a few soft drinks. “Arlene’s been reading Meginfrid’s works since fifth grade. I got you sodas.” he pushed two of the cans across the table, and Fiera pulled them both over to open up with a slight nod.
“So, Mr. Prinsen-”
“Roderick, please.”
“Roderick.” Nami corrected easily. “Is there anything we should know that wasn’t in the listing?”
“Well...” he looked away, grinning sheepishly. “Those scientific extracurriculars may have been more along the lines of figuring out how a homemade flamethrower does against various objects.”
Nami propped one elbow on the table, and dropped her head into her hand. Vivi reached out and patted her wife on the back of the shoulder. “Well, we’ll have to make sure you two meet our friend Sabo.” she said, addressing the girls.
“Vivi!” Nami hissed, and she chuckled.
“With at least two other responsible adults present, of course.” she amended. The twins looked up, moving in synch once again, and okay blinking in unison was a little creepy. After a few seconds of silent, blank stares, the girls went back to their book.
“Girls, c’mon.” Roderick wheedled. “We’ve talked about this.”
“You talked.” Fiera muttered under her breath, and Vivi saw Arlene’s hand close around her sister’s forearm.
“Look, I understand that you don’t want to leave your dad.” Nami said, her voice softening as she lifted her head. “But Vivi and I will do everything in our power to make this move good for you.”
“You can’t.” Arlene muttered hoarsely.
“We don’t wanna go.” Fiera protested, arm shifting so she could grasp her sister’s hand.
“Girls.” Roderick said sharply. “You know the state won’t let me keep you now that Daichi’s moving in. I’m not happy about this either, but Nami and Vivi are wonderful ladies who will give you the kind of childhood you deserve.”
The girls glared in silent unison, then went back to their book. Vivi gave Nami a despairing look, and Nami shook her head. There was nothing they could do about this right now. The real work would all have to be done later, once they’d gotten the girls home.