Law eyed the little square of paper in the palm of his hand, watching it inch closer and closer to the tips of his fingers. With a glance upwards, the direction it was pointing was set in stone. This was the place, no doubt about it.
He’d walked around in a wide circle just to be sure, but the vivre card always took him back in the direction of the brick building that sported a faded old sign creaking above the doorway.
A blacksmith, if he had to go by the metallic smell and the chimney of smoke running out the top. A muffled sound of something metal hitting metal rang out every few seconds.
His interest had taken him this far, and now so close to his destination, he wondered if he’d really been a fool to have followed the vivre card’s directions all this time. What was he supposed to say, anyway? He had no real ‘reason’ to be here. Simply…unfettered curiosity.
Figuring that, if anything, he could simply say he was returning the paper to whoever it belonged to–someone by the name of Y/N, if the little handwritten note in the corner was anything to go by–Law steeled his nerves and closed his hand around the piece of paper, allowing his feet to carry him towards the blacksmith’s entrance.
The smell of smoke, fire, and metal assaults his nose as he enters. He’s unsurprised to see the place doubled as a shop–fine examples of the blacksmith’s wares took up the wall and were on display in glass cases–as many places were nowadays. A tall and thin young woman with brown hair stands behind the counter.
“Can I help you?” She asks, not at all shocked to see him approach. Either she had no idea of his identity, or she truly couldn’t give a damn. Either way worked for him.
“I’m here to see Y/N.” Law says, deciding to take a shot in the dark and request the person who’s name is on the card to begin with.
The woman raises a brow, but nods nonetheless. “Wait here.”
Law was left alone in the shop, eyes lazily trailing along the many swords and knives that were carefully set in neat rows beneath the glass cases. Had he spotted anything he liked, he could have simply switched something with whatever it was that caught his eye, but for the sake of this odd and chance meeting, he’d behave. For now.
He looked up as the sound of the back door opens, and a new figure comes out alongside the woman who’d greeted him earlier. You’re slightly dirtied from your work in the smith behind the shop, clothing soot-stained and ragged at the seams. Clearly you were used to working hard.
Still, you retained a beauty that surprised him. He hadn’t known what to expect, but you were more than he could have imagined. Perhaps he could make something of this strange visit after all.
You eye him with curiosity, no doubt wondering if you knew him from somewhere. “I’m told you asked for me by name, but I don’t recognize you…have we met before?”
“No.” He says, flashing you a small smile. He notices the glance you make with your female coworker. “In fact, I’m honestly not sure why I’m here in the first place. Call it curiosity, or a silly whim, perhaps, but I felt like this should be returned since it clearly belongs to you.”
So saying, he holds up his palm and opens his fingers, the small scrap of paper put on display.
Law watches your expression carefully, sees as comprehension widens your eyes, and notices the way you reach reverently for the paper. You bring it closer to your face, staring down at it with a mix of emotions in your eyes.
Your coworker looks between you and the paper, suddenly holding a hand in front of her mouth. “Isn’t that-?”
“Yeah.” You say, voice thick and hoarse. A tight fist closes around the paper, and you look up at him with suspicion. “I gave this to my father, when he set out to sea. I haven’t seen him in…months.”
Law inclines his head, a small part of the mystery having been resolved.
“Which leads me to ask…how the hell you have it?” You say, a steely anger rising in your tone.
“Was your father a pirate?” He asks cooly, not letting the bristle in your voice get to him. He’d expected as much coming in here.
You shake your head. “He was a merchant.”
“Then I played no part in his fate, whatever it might have been.” He says with conviction, happy that this meeting wouldn’t be more strained than it’s already turned out to be. “It was pilfered from a crew of pirates, just one treasure among many others.”
You go quiet, thumb smoothing over a small section of the paper, until you look up to meet his eyes again. “Where’s the locket? It should have been in a locket.”
Law reached into his pocket and produced the golden chain, having had a hunch that whoever he met might ask towards it. He had plenty of treasure onboard the Polar Tang. One little locket wasn’t going to dent their finances, and he felt no urge to keep it.
The small heart-shaped locked dangling from the chain is set gently into your hands, until he lets go and it pools in the center of your palm. Your coworker eyes the both of you curiously, no doubt glad to be watching this sudden and unexpected development occur.
You tuck the piece of paper back into the locket, just as Law had originally found it, snapping the hinge shut with a click. You’re quick to place it around your own neck, fixing your hair so that the locket sat against your chest with ease.
“I guess I should thank you, for bringing this back to me. Even if it was only on a whim.” You say, a solemn resolve settling into your expression. “I had a feeling he wouldn’t be coming back, when he stopped writing or calling for several months. And…there was that gut feeling, like I could just tell, he was gone. But…at least now I know for sure.”
Law nodded quietly, satisfied with the conclusion of this visit. Given the depressing nature of the result of returning it, he didn’t imagine he’d be able to further anything with you, and turned to leave. However, much to his surprise, you called out for him to wait.
“What was your name?”
“Trafalgar Law.”
“Law…” You say, testing out the name on your own lips. “If you aren’t setting sail yet, I get off of work at 7. I’ll take you to dinner? As a way to really thank you for bringing this back to me.”
Hmm, how intriguing.
He flashes you an impressed smile. “I’ll be sure to be there.”
He doesn’t miss your own pleased smile as he steps through the door of his shop, nor the exasperated question from your coworker as to what on earth you were thinking, flirting with a pirate.
ns 15.158.61.40da2
