First Steps! A Forest Spirit Meets A Dragon!

With a flag in hand and a leaky ship engulfed in flames Colton drifted down towards the Naval ship that would become his new home. He drifted down like a lose leaf folding the jolly roger into a perfect triangle. As he arrived aboard the ship and looked towards the pirate prisoners he tucked the flag under his arm.

Captain Hayes was busy talking to the prisoner about the Navy so Colton figured if anything a bit of light music would be appropriate. Heading towards the side of the ship where he'd left his guitar resting Colton's fingers wrapped around the neck and lifted it for a nice little tune. He had just the one in mind to belt out to the sea, the sky and heavens above but most importantly the pirate scum who were busy spitting, swearing and shitting themselves with every passing second.

"Colton, would you be so kind as to bring our guest here some food?!"

Sighing as he was halted before he even begun Colton slipped the acoustic guitar back off of his torso ad leaned it against the side once more. A little annoyed he agreed to help out.

"Sure thing Captain."

Heading into the kitchen Colton picked up a bowl and searched the cupboards for whatever they had. Finding a bowl of oats and milk he shrugged and threw them together.

This would do right? Or was this just being strotypical?! shrugging Colton returned on deck and approached Akiko as he picked up his acoustic guitar on the way.

This time he'd get to play, captain was bound to enjoy his music.

Arriving at the wheel after raising the anchor and unfurling the sails Heartly felt the breeze pick up almost instantly and begun leading the way back to base. Black Ball was a nice place to be stationed. But most places in the south blue were.

As Akiko inquired about being peace keepers, Heartly grinned.

"Yea sorta like that, sounds better than Marines."

As she continued to mutter how they were brave Heartly continued.

"That's the thing about bravery, it's all in the mind. Kinda like confidence. If you feel confident in your actions you'll be fine, if you feel brave in the face of impending fear and danger you'll most likely be fine because your body will know how to handle itself and the survival instinct will take over. As for Colton, he's a logia devil fruit user so he has less to worry about."

With a strong breeze picking up and leading the ship in the correct direction thanks to Heartly's steering he looked towards Colton who'd sat behind him and started strumming his guitar.

"Colton, no offence but would you mind doing that in the crow's nest. I need someone on look out."

Sighing once more Colton pulled the guitar on to his back and shot up quickly thanks to his weightlessness. Pulling off the guitar once last time he started strumming it as he looked around for anything that might pose a threat or good fortune.

Akiko took the bowl and started eating it as soon as she was given it with barely a thank you to Colton as she ate the strange food,she found it easy on the stomach but had a sweetness that she deeply enjoyed. As she ate she heard his explanation of bravery. She at this time had finished her meal,her next question was to ask what exactly what a devil fruit was and if it was what had gave him the ability to turn into ash and back.

 But that question quickly died on her lips as her ears turned almost a full 180 degrees as she heard the first strum and pluck of the guitar,of course she had no way of knowing the instrument but still the sound was beautiful all the same "Wow.." She says breathlessly.

Plucking at the strings of his guitar as a small breeze brushed past over his shoulders and carried his hair slightly into the air Colton looked out keeping a keen eye on his surroundings. With a memory like his it would be easy to remember what was originally there and which direction they were headed. 

As far as his eyes could see so far there was nothing but sea, flames and floating debris from the ship he'd set alight. Soon it'd be much much less. 

With a gentle song in his heart and echoing from the guitar outwards the sounds settled down below smoothly sliding in and out of the ears of pirates locked up in the cage below along with the ears of Captain Heartly Hayes who stood twisting the wheel turning the ship to head in the direction of Black Ball Proving Grounds.

Hearing the tones from Colton's strumming Heartly smirked. He heard Akiko's amazement at the sound of his lazy plucking and open up.

"You don't have to fake amazement Akiko. He's just lazily plucking those strings out of boredom to try and relieve himself of the terrible things he's done in the line of fire."

Colton heard these words come from Heartly's lips and as much as he wanted to protest and say something back he continued strumming allowing his fingers to work over the tightened strings at such a quick pace. Because despite how much he wanted to deny it he couldn't, the fact was that what Heartly had passed on was truth. 

He was playing the guitar to relieve himself of the stress and horrible things he'd seen and done. He was using it as escapism, but  he didn't want others to know that. It was the one thing he maybe felt a little ashamed about. The one thing he didn't like admitting to others, even if it was obvious. 

"So Akiko, what about you? How did you come to be? I mean, you weren't born like that where you?" Heartly curiously questioned as many many thoughts stormed his head wondering what her answer would be.

Akiko looks back at Heartly and shook her head. "Actually I find it very beautiful sounding..its alot better then I bet I could do." She says sitting on her hind legs much like a dog.Her mind drifted with the music before being made to come back to the real world by his question "Huh?...Well I mean...I don't remember much before a few years ago..I just kinda...woke up like this,there were others who had the same happen to them,but I'm sorta different."

Nodding as Akiko spoke Heartly couldn't much ask for any more information as he found her answer draw a dead line in the sand. 

"That is quite peculiar. I guess it wasn't your first choice either then." Heartly replied jokingly as he looked up to see the lazily drifting Colton whose head was drifting downwards still reaching up to his body at the crow's nest via the ash he was made of. 

"Black Ball is coming up on our right shortly, only signs of clear water ahead. We should be back within the hour. What's our next course of action?"

"Next course of action will be returning this young lady back home any way we can. We just need to hand in our papers for this little expedition and restock."

Nodding Colton returned to his nest and continued strumming the guitar whilst Heartly grinned looking at Akiko.

Akiko couldn't help but watch with wide eyes as she watched this man talk to his companion's now disembodied head before she watches it float but up the the crow's nest before she turns to look back at Heartly and gives a somewhat nervous sounding chuckle "You humans really are strange...in good ways but strange all the same.." She says before she starts looking over her flute looking for any damage the damp salt water might of caused.