Devilish

A New Family

1 day until Leila's departure

Law entered the Heart Pirates ship with a tired look on his face. He had been working with Eloise non-stop for the past few days to monitor her movement and to administer the correct medicines to help with her muscle regeneration. He made his way into the kitchen as hunger pangs consumed his stomach and saw Leila in blue jeans with her hair up in a ponytail. She was sizzling something over the hob, a nice barbeque smell taking over the kitchen.

"Smells good, what are you making?" Law asked her, taking a seat at the counter.

"Oh, hi" She smiled at him warmly, stirring her pan before adding a powdered mix of spices. "I'm making fajitas – do you want some?"

"Do you have enough?" Law questioned her, practically salivating at the smell.

"Yeah of course, I'm making a big batch for all you boys for when I'm not here to make it anymore" She smiled down at the pan, disguising her subtle sadness. Law let out a subtle sigh. He had been so busy with work that he had let it slip his mind.

"When are you leaving?"

"Was planning on tomorrow" She replied honestly.

"I see..."

"Forget about me, what are your plans?" Leila asked him, trying to divert the conversation away from her leaving. She already felt upset about it, but she knew it was beyond necessary.

"My client wants me to stay longer but that's kind of hard to do with my crew and everything"

"What for?" She asked curiously.

"She wants me to go to that ball with her"

"Ooh...a date?" She smirked at him, seemingly unbothered. Law glared at her cooly. He had his cold doctoral aura back on him again. Leila was used to Law's stiff exterior; she understood why many feared him. With his powerful abilities and seemingly lack of emotion, of course he would be feared. However, she knew that it was mostly a defense. He was cool and collected, that was true – but deep down she knew he held great affection for his crew and close friends. When drinking, he would laugh happily and let his walls down. Leila knew he was a softie below the surface; he was incredibly kind when he wished to be.

"No, not as a date. I'm 26 you know..." Law said slowly, looking at her slightly amused.

"It sounds fun anyway" Leila told him honestly, her mind recalling the balls she used to attend in her younger years. Despite her complicated past, she enjoyed the formal dances that Xander would hold. It was largely for making political connections and recruiting strong royals, but of course, Leila never took part in any of that.

"Definitively not fun for me" Law sighed, making Leila chuckle at him. "I didn't think you would be the dancing type either..."

"Hey, I'm actually a good dancer you know!" She put her hand on her hip, giving Law some sassy attitude. "I've had some experience with formal dances like that"

"I didn't expect that at all" Law thought aloud, making Leila raise an eyebrow at him. "When would you have gone to balls?"

"I used to go as a teenager a lot" Leila shrugged, not wanting to delve into her past in that moment.

Law paused for a minute; he wasn't expecting to actually gain information about her past. 'Was she a royal or something?'

"I still don't think I'll attend though" Law continued. Leila pouted slightly, the thought of a ball being missed made her sulk but she dished up the chicken with a colorful mix of peppers and vegetables before wrapping it carefully in a tortilla. She served it up to Law with a little stick in it to keep it all together, making Law chuckle.