One Step Behind

A state of unpredictability

She'd gone back on her word. Yes. She had undoubtedly gone back on that promise they made. Law pivoted, marching back once again onto the same trail he'd paced for what felt like the past eternity. That could be the only option couldn't it? Why else wouldn't she have shown up already? Part of him just wanted to say fuck it and leave Sabaody already before he lost even more of his crew. The place was becoming a damn warzone. Like hell he wanted to stay for too long.

Hang on, what if she was dead? That might be another possibility he had to consider...

"I... Wait..."

His ears pricked up. So. Turns out she wasn't dying in a ditch somewhere. He couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or not. Or whether he was at all happy about it.

"I... I..." The sweat pouring down Strauss's face was intense, far more intense than he had ever seen on her before. "I'm... Don't leave yet..."

She must have ran, no, flat out sprinted to create a flush that powerful. Surprising, given the hour long radio silence she'd given him. That thought was enough to snap him out of whatever strange sort of sentimentality that was beginning to sweep over him and return his rage in full force.

"Where were you? And why the hell didn't you contact me sooner!"

The girl before him huffed, holding a hand in surrender as she doubled over to regain her breath. "I'm... I'm sorry okay..."

"Do you think a 'sorry' is going to cut it?" Law crossed his arms over his chest. "I gave you a transponder snail for a reason, Strauss-ya. So use it for crying out loud! I'm your Captain!"

God... Maybe his judgment had been wrong about this one. She had seemed to be so calm and competent in the bar, a perfect fit for his crew if he had ever seen one, but he was beginning to have second thoughts.

"Yeah." Her shoulders tensed. Almost imperceptibly, but they tensed. He could tell. "Yeah you're right. I made a mistake. Feel free to discipline me as you'd like."

Wait.

Such a sudden flux in emotions could only mean one thing and one thing only. Something that he had honestly been dreading ever since he'd clapped eyes on that wretched straw hat in that wretched auction house.

"You saw him. Didn't you."

All at once her body slacked. As if she had realised there was nothing left to hide anymore.

"Yeah. I did."

He resisted the urge to scream and run a hand down his face. Of course! Of course she fucking saw him! This was just his lucky day wasn't it?!

But... hang on. If the two had met each other, then... Law's brow furrowed. Yes. If that had been the case there was something very, very wrong here. He had to ask. He really didn't want to, and his better judgment screamed to just accept the situation and move on, but he had to ask.

"Why didn't you go with him then?"

Strauss straightened and fixed him with a somewhat confused look. He held the gaze, in a strange mix of both curiosity and... satisfaction? Yes, satisfaction, that was it. Law felt his lips curl.

"Because we made a deal obviously."

Turned out he had been bang on the money with this one.

~0O0~0O0~0O0~

"ROOM!"

Strauss rolled out her shoulders as the sphere puffed up to encompass the wider area. She wasn't exactly sure when the fighting would start, Law tended to be a little spontaneous on that front, but she absolutely wanted to make sure she was prepared for it when it did. Things could get ugly otherwise.