Eh... Concussion-consmushun. Though, I Wouldn't Know The Square Root Of 64 Under Normal Circumstances,

　　❝ eh... concussion-consmushun. though, i wouldn't know the square root of 64 under normal circumstances, sorry to say. ❞

rosinante waved off the concern as he always did, but one could never be sure if the dismissiveness was him not wanting to worry others, or the hallmark of a man so desensitized to the traumatic day-to-day happenings that it genuinely didn't register as an issue anymore.

　❝ whichever you want to use is fine. both is fine, honestlyーjust don't use rosinante around law. i guess for thirteen years, he thought of me as nothing but cora, so it throws him off whenever i use my real name around him. ❞

not that rosinante was complaining; there was a brief unease in the beginning simply because the name itself was rooted to his codename within the donquixote pirates. hearing it spoken aloud again upon his reunion with law was like he had gone back to a time & place that he'd rather not remember.

but there was also sweetness tied to it. particularly, the memory of the first time law had ever called him coraーover breakfast one morning, and rosinante felt like he was dreaming. the night before it had felt like the sky was crashing down on him, but just hearing that one little name filled his chest with a new determination.

　so, yeah. rosinante was nice. but cora was something he didn't think he'd ever be able to let go of.

@code01746

Ikkaku smiled at the tall blonde's response and shook her head. "If you had brain damage, I'm pretty sure Law would have scanned you for it long before now," she stated. "I'm more concerned about a concussion you might have gotten from that fall."

His clumsiness had certainly been cause for concern, the first time she'd seen it. Really, she had been worried about possible brain damage at the time, but Law had assured her that the man was "just like that." Of course, Ikkaku had still installed extra fire extinguishers throughout the submarine, though she'd demanded that the smoking inside be kept to a minimum, if not outright banned. The oil, gas, and other flammable things that her job involved had made her very conscious of fire safety and with how clumsy this man was, she feared a lit cigarette going flying and setting something ablaze. Her hair included.

She studied him carefully. Partially checking for injuries, but partially just observing this man who was apparently important to Law's past. Another piece to the puzzle that was Trafalgar Law. She adored her captain, but he could be a frustrating enigma.

However, this blonde, sunny idiot was helping her see things a little clearer. At least, she could better understand why Law put up with his Hearts' idiocy and shenanigans when he held such strong affection for this one. Perhaps they reminded Law of him these past thirteen years.

The thought stirred mixed feelings within her, but then again, she had a lot of conflicting feelings since Law returned from Dressrosa.

"Well, you don't look injured. Still, better to check." She held up two fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up? What's the square root of 64? And...what's your name?" Ikkaku asked, slightly sheepish. "I know Law calls you 'Cora-san,' but I feel like that name's got some history. What would you rather I call you?" It was something she'd been wanting to know, but unsure how to ask. Sure, Law had introduced his savior to his crew, but it felt odd, calling him the title that Law did without permission. But the name Donquixote Rosinante had its own history attached to it. So she'd rather hear from him what he'd like to be called.

　❝ i see! ❞

　rosinante hung to her words, reddish-brown eyes receptive & alert, a smile that shifted from warm joy, to something a bit more pensive and perhaps.... embarrassed as the conversation turned to the marines.

　❝ we haven't really talked about it muchーmy connection to the marines, i mean. i lied to him about not being involved for months, and the night i finally admitted it was the night we got... separated. ❞

　separated. that was certainly a more docile way of phrasing what had happened than 'i was hospitalized on a marine base after almost being murdered by my brother & law ran for his life in the opposite direction', though rosinante imagined nami had already heard an abridged version of from law. plus, there was a time & place to delve into deeper topics with people, but a first time meeting between you & your son's partner didn't seem like it fit the bill.

　❝ i'm sure he's told you everything, about how much he hates them. for what the world government did to his home country. part of my lying was i couldn't risk him not trusting me & running off while we were on the road, so i just kept lying. but that brat is too smart for his own good sometimes, so of course he figured out i was a marine before i told him, but i... doubt he's that happy about it, y'know? i don't really bring it up. ❞

Oh. Not a question after all, but a statement that had her cheeks burning brighter than they had been moments before. Of course she was special- Law realized that or he wouldn't have been so open with his attention and affections towards her. Of course she knew he didn't give that to everyone, considering he was still insistent he didn't like her captain half the time.

"I guess you can say we're a lot more alike than you'd think," she muses out loud, twining a ringlet around her finger in thought. Law was special too, or she wouldn't have been so open to accepting that their feelings for one another went further than mutual attraction. To find that they had much more in common than stubborn natures and quick tempers wasn't really much of a surprise. "We both wear our hearts on our sleeves, after all."

A hand reached across her own chest to touch the swirl of ink that sat over her visible healed scar, not sure if Rosinante would pick up on the meaning otherwise. "Mine's a reminder of my ex-marine savior too."

Talking about Bellemere was never easy, but with Law it had felt just as every part of other step of their relationship- completely natural. She had cried a little just at the mention of her, just like now her eyes misted over at the thought of her now.

　faced with such genuine protesting, rosinante started to backtrack so quickly, he surprised even himself. giolla, in particular, had been furious with him in the past for shot putting children off the deck of the numancia and into the ocean (with the knowledge they were decent swimmers, of course) yet all she got in return with an indifference stare & shrug.

rosinante didn't blame giolla for yelling; he recognized his behavior was awful and was prepared he'd have to reckon with whatever deity was out there for it someday. but, the way rosinante saw it, it was either force them out of the gang now, or they'd meet an even more gruesome fate in the future once doflamingo had fully molded their minds to his liking.

(though, there was something ironic about a criminal like her caring about the safety of young lives when she has certainly taken more than a handful herself, but that was beside the point.)

but this was someone who was in no position to be concerned, being concerned. the gesture twisted his stomach & amplified his feelings of guilt that he often tried to tamper down by thinking of 'the greater good'.

　【 okay. okay. i understand. i'll season their favorite candies with pepper. how's that sound? they need to be reprimanded somehow, it's unacceptable to do this. 】

Watching the male write that he would take care of the kids, her heart skipped a beat in fear of what he could have meant by that. Finally the other cracked his knuckles to indicate what he meant by that statement panic and fear kicked in. Even though the kids were brats, Stella held no ill will towards them nor wished for them to be beaten. Her mind did not even register what he wrote down next as she was in a full panic attack.

The female's whole body was trembling badly as tears streamed down her cheeks as memories from her time with a Celestial Dragon came rushing back. She remembered how the children slaves were treated and it broke her heart as no child deserved to be beaten. Her body moved forward on its own closer to the other. Her feet knocked over the tray of food and the collar around her neck pulled her backwards from the sudden movement.

Falling to her knees, she quickly bowed on the ground to beg and plead with the male to take everything out on her instead. "P-please do-don't hurt the children!" Her whole body sobbed as she continued to beg him. "P-please no child deserves to be hurt. If you have to hit someone please just take it out on me instead. Just don't ha-harm them!" Whimpers left her throat as her vision was cloudy from her tears as the memories were engraved in her mind.

　❝ for a while, it was a lot of moving around. first protective custody with the marines, then sailing around just trying to find a place to... go, y'know? ❞

　rosinante latched onto the topic, something he felt the younger man would relate to. although information was scarce (even when he was still with the marines) he knew enough about the revolutionary army to know they were also somewhat nomadic. also being chased. perhaps that's why he felt comfortable enough to drop his guard and speak about his woes in the first place.

　❝ it's gotten a lot easier since he took over dressrosa. unfortunately. ❞ the ex-marine was deliberate with his wording, a glumness in his voice betraying, although things were 'easier' for him, he wasn't exactly happy about the tradeoff. ❝ as long as i stay far away from that place, i'll be okay. a bit miserable, but... hey, i'm alive. that's something, right? ❞

" I didn't exactly have the intention of dragging you somewhere. Or doing anything like that. " While he has taken more extreme methods for information in pressing matters but, he wouldn't for this. Sabo was WARY, yet still doesn't get the sense of hostility towards the other through the colors of observation. Hopefully, his presence would be the same. Not to mistake his trust as a WEAKNESS.

He doesn't have any current reports regarding the Warlord and underground crime boss, so his knowledge of the individual falls through the cracks of his memory. His focus returns to the Donquixote before him. Hiding from his own family ? Very few reasons for that, likely to stand opposed to something that Doflamingo was doing… or perhaps something else ? Only information could sort out the truth from the speculation && theories.

” That's a long time to be hiding from him. Never found a place you could settle ? “ Away from his reach ? Unlikely if his connections are as vast as he fears. " Sounds pretty tiring. "

@waxgentleman ❤️'d for a thing.

❝ wow! this is... sturdier than i thought it would be. the wax solidfied so fast, too. ❞

　rosinante marveled at his foot, now encased in a thick coating of wax in the shape of a boot. he rapped his knuckles against it once, twice, three times, hearing a hollow but satisfying knock. hollow, yet sturdy, supporting his injured foot perfectly enough for him to hobble on, and without much pain.

he wasn't exactly sure if wax was meant to be used in this way, at least not on its own. he thinks he remembers his casts in the past being made with fiberglass or plaster. but, eh... plaster was similar enough to wax, right?

　❝ i do have a question, though. this wax is obviously... flammabl,e right? ❞ knowing this poor man's track record with fire, this was an absolutely necessary detail to keep in mind.