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The kids of the crew were asleep, finally, and Robin hoped that she'd get some time alone to read the old book that she had found - yellowing and covered with dust - in an abandoned second-hand bookstore during the rebellion in Alabasta. It was one of the few things she had managed to bring with her, and she had been trying to get a closer look at it.
Robin rarely had any trouble concentrating on a book, regardless of the circumstances, but this boy and his little crew had a peculiar ability to make her look up. They probably didn't bother her on purpose, but there was something about these people... The captain's enthusiasm when he spotted something unusual in the water, the long nose's triumph when he figured out a new trick with his slingshot, the doctor's nervous but eager little footsteps, the navigator's orders that could make the others jump, the swordsman's snores, and the cook who kept offering new treats. The crew of this little caravel was alive, in a way no other group she had worked for had seemed to be.
They're just children, she told herself. It will end, sooner or later. But it made her happy to watch them, despite her attempts to keep emotions away.
However, right now she was alone in the look-out, alone with the book and the night sky. Her gaze was drawn upwards almost against her will. It was a moonless, starry night, more beautiful than she remembered nights to be. The stars were clear and bright, and seemed so close... As if she would be able to touch them.
Hardly. She turned back to the book. Stars were unbelievably large balls of fire, burning unthinkable distances away. Nothing a human being could touch, even if she wanted to.
But yet. She looked up again, leaning her head back. Well aware that it was pointless, she reached out with her hand towards the sky. From the palm of her hand she reached out with another arm, and then another. From where she sat, it looked like the upmost hand was very close to the stars. She made a snatching motion as if trying to catch one.
And it fell.
For an instant, she could do nothing but stare, but a second later the entire sky was full of falling stars. A meteor storm, her rational brain told her, but the part of her that had just wanted to catch a star smiled. She didn't move from the spot, but a few arms reached down below deck to wake the crew. They wouldn't want to miss this.