The Long Con [[ Nami x Law ]]

Ch 12 - Cat and Mouse

Nami sat quietly in the push armchair. She idly checked her nails, putting on a face of casual disinterest, determined not to be the first one to speak.

"I'm so pleased you decided to drop by, Kitten."

"You asked me to come here," she corrected shortly.

Doflamingo peered at her from behind the large desk in his private office. His large smile only grew with the small hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Violet tells me you're settling in well. How do you like your new quarters?"

Nami was not expecting to be called to report to the king so soon after their last meeting. She hoped this would be about a new mission or assignment and not about him wanting her to join the family again. Either way, she was never one for small talk, especially when she was eager to know what business he actually had with her.

"Listen, if you want an answer about whether or not I'll join your family-"

"Of course not." He waved his hand to dismiss her before she could finish. "You'll come to me when you're ready to accept my offer. No, today..." He let out a sigh. "Today, I was simply hoping we could have another chat."

She eyed him suspiciously, still not entirely sure what his motives were behind their last chat. Unable to find Law at a time that he wasn't annoyingly close to Monet, Nami still had not gotten a chance to speak with him about Doflamingo's offer. That and all the other burning questions about him that she couldn't seem to get out of her head.

"Can I be honest with you?" He slightly raised a brow with the question.

Ok, now she was really suspicious.

"Don't be so skittish, Kitten." He rolled his eyes at her clear distrust of his suggestion. "I'm simply... curious. I find you interesting."

She remained guarded, but she made no attempt to stop him or leave, hoping he would get to the point sooner if she was willing to listen.

He rounded the large desk and leaned against it, slipping his hands in his pockets casually and crossing his legs at his ankles.

"I have a problem, and I want your opinion on it."

"What kind of problem?" she asked cautiously. There were so many thoughts running through her head. She struggled to tamp down her anxiety at all of the possible ways she could be the cause of his problem, realizing just how many secrets from this man she had - from her relationship with Law to her secret with Viola and even to her task to gather information on him for Arlong.

"The night you returned from your mission in Germa, Diamante and Violet returned from a mission of their own. They brought me exactly what I asked for, but I still can't seem to get what I want - what I need from him." Doflamingo was looking out into the empty parts of the room, one fist clenched tightly in the air, seeming talking to himself as he spoke aloud.

"Him?" she questioned softly.

He looked down at Nami before replying, a slight frown tugged at his lips. "What do you do when you can't get information out of someone?"

Nami returned his frown. This was all news to her. She remembered Vergo mentioning another successful mission, but she had honestly forgotten about it with everything else that was going on. And she certainly wasn't aware that they brought someone back with them.

Her frown turned thoughtful as she sought to honestly answer the question. Now that she knew the subject of his agitation was not her own deception, she could relax enough to be intrigued by the situation.