Today as well Adam and Robin were in the market but there was something different, in a few days Robin had seen pretty much all of the stalls here and knew most of the things, and in her search for something new to learn she started to see another thing.
'It is the same here as well,' Robin thought looking at the children holding their parent's hands they walked around the Market laughing and playing along the way, a very normal thing indeed, but not for Robin, she never had that chance and always had to watch other kids do it, even the one who bullied her.
So, seeing it all again was bringing her head down since now she really didn't have parents who would do this with her, in the end, she started to look at her feet which started to slow down as well.
"What happened Robin?" Adam did notice the change so he asked but Robin shook her head.
"Don't feel like looking around today?" Adam asked and Robin didn't know what to say, she still had trouble expressing her opinion since she got used to suppressing it.
"I see,"
It was then that Robin who was looking down saw a hand appear in front of her eyes, this caused her to look up and see him smile.
"Let's go back and rest at the inn, alright?" Adam said with his hand still out in front of Robin who kept on looking between it and his face.
'Wait…is he…?' It wasn't hard to guess what Adam wanted, but the thing was Robin didn't know if she should do it or not.
"Don't think too much about it, just do it," Robin heard Adam and slowly lifted her hand and place it in his palm.
"Umu, now let's go back," Adam said holding Robin's hand as the two walked back to the inn.
On the way back many people did look at the two as they appeared to be a parent and child going home after shopping, but Robin was too busy looking up at Adam to notice that.
The big and warm hand that held her small one gave her a sense of security, it was something that she had always wanted, which is why she was so focused on Adam.
And from that day on they would daily go out shopping holding hands, coming back home and while Robin watched Adam, he cooked in the kitchen and then they ate together with Raul.
After that Adam would put her to sleep with very interesting bedtime stories that intrigued Robin a lot, sometimes she'd even look at the books he was reading, but all she could make out were drawings which also looked really interesting as well.
And today…
"Robin, what do you think? Do you like it?" Adam asked as Robin walked out of the room in a white sundress, it was the one he made in his free time here.
He did get Robin some clothes but he wanted to make some for her himself, Adam just felt that way so he made it. And as he thought the white colour did suit Robin a lot.
"I-Is this really for me?" Robin asked in shock as she had never seen a dress this pretty not even in the market they go to now or in Ohara.
So, it was tough for her to believe that this was for her, but…
"Yep," Adam nodded making Robin blink in confusion, she was even scared to put it on since it looked too good but thanks to Adam promising to make another cake for her, she was persuaded.
But now it turns out that she can wear this whenever she wanted. A dress as beautiful as this? This was like a total dream for Robin, No not this alone, pretty much everything felt like a dream to her since the day she lost her home, she was able to get what she always wanted.
And it was all done by Adam.
In Robin's eyes, It was almost like he was becoming her parent and giving her everything she ever wished for during her childhood.
"So, what do you think?" Adam asked again and Robin touched the dress, the fabric was so soft that she felt like this may be what clouds feel like, but that was beside the point.
"I …like it, Thank you," Robin said as without her knowing a bright smile appeared on her lips.
"Good, tell me if you need any changes made to it, alright?" Robin nodded at Adam's words as Raul was looking at the two with a smile of his own.
'It has been a while since this place has been so lively,' Raul thought as the past 10 days have been really good, and if possible he wouldn't want them to stop.
But here came the problem.
The Next Morning,
"That little kid," Adam muttered with a sigh looking at the letter on Robin's bed along with the dress he made for her neatly folded.
Robin had run away from the island.
Adam opened the letter and started to read it even though he already knew the content.
------
To Mr. Adam,
I am sorry for running away like this when you have been nothing but kind to me.
But I don't think that I am worthy of this kindness, you have already helped me enough and have gone beyond what was necessary for me.
I will never forget that as long as I live.
But I cannot stay there any longer, there are many things I want to do, There are many things I want to study, and there are many places that I want to visit. I want to know what my Mother and her comrades gave up their life for, I want to learn more.
So, please, do not look for me.
-Nico Robin
-----
Adam did want to stop Robin when he saw her writing the letter and persuade her otherwise, but…
'That damned Administrator threatened me with a permanent ban from entering the world,' Adam's mood was quite sour because of that, right now the best course of action was to let Robin go.
Before he was planning on leaving her in Raul's care before he left but things just took an unexpected turn, no Adam already had a feeling that this would happen.
Robin was a mature child and she had her dreams, not to mention she wanted to find out a lot of things about the world and her mother. So, it was natural that she would leave for the sea, and he was sure she would've done so after he went away anyway.
But even then…
'It is quite dangerous to do it at this age,' But Adam could only grumble about it now since there wasn't much he could do here.
"I should deal with the old man first," Adam sighed as he stood up and went to explain things to Raul.
In the Middle of the sea, inside a passenger boat, a small figure could be found hidden in the luggage room.
'I was able to board the ship safely somehow,' It was none other than Robin.
Currently, she was just sitting down thinking about what she would do after the ship reached its destination, and while she was trying to do that, her mind kept on going back.
'No stop, don't think about it,' It wasn't about what happened to Ohara but what she left behind in the previous town. It was constantly weighing on her mind as she already missed the protective feeling she had when she was near Adam.
It was very weird and that is why Robin pushed it all down and opened up the makeshift bag she made with a cloth she found in the garbage.
She was looking for the fruit that she took from the tree near the docks, the fruit wasn't ripe at all, but this was going to be her breakfast for today, she had to kiss all of the tasty food she was having till now goodbye.
'No, this is how it should've been,' Robin had always lived that way so she had no problem with it.
That was how she lived when her mother left her with her brother, so it wouldn't matter living that type of life again but her hands stopped moving when she felt something similar in the bag.
Her eyes widened and she pulled out the item to see the same white dress that she left behind with a lot of difficulty.
"Why is it ….here?" Robin muttered in shock, she had placed it back on the bed after she folded it with care, she really liked it since it was the first time someone had made a dress for her, which is why she left it back there so that it doesn't get damaged.
And while Robin was holding the dress a piece of paper slipped out of it and fell into her lap, she looked at the starting words and immediately understood what happened.
...
600 powerstones to go....