~~~32~~~

Sitting in the galley for lunch, Law's thoughts wandered far into territory he deemed somewhat dangerous: her. He knew she was fascinating, like a puzzle; she had many facets, some of which he understood, some of which he didn't. He knew she was compassionate but merciless, calm but giddy, rational but childish, a leader but also a team player. But those things that he didn't understand, he realized, bothered him. He wanted to understand those inner workings, her likes and dislikes, preferences, hates, morals, characteristics. He wanted to know and understand everything about her.

And that scared him.

Before he had time to mull over his dilemma any more, the very subject of his torments slid into the chair across from him. "Whatcha thinkin' about, Law?" He blanked for a moment, staring into her curious eyes, before smoothly lying through his teeth.

"Captain things." He lifted his hat off his head and set it on the table, swiping a hand through his messy hair, and leaned back in his chair comfortably.

"Oh? I remember that. Good times. Lots to think about."

"Yeah, I suppose." In the lull that followed, he realized that he had unknowingly taken off his hat because she had once said that he looked better without it. His stomach lurched at the thought that she affected him that much, whether she meant to or not.

"Hey, does rain still make us weak? I've only had my Devil Fruit for a few days, and the week's weather was hot and dry." She sat forward and placed an elbow on the table, experimenting with her wind as she bent and flipped her hand around, curling the air through her fingers and down to the table.

"No. It's an odd thing; moving water does not affect Hammers." She crinkled an eyebrow in confusion. Expanding, he continued. "Rain does not weaken us, but stagnant water does, like the ocean, baths, and the like. You'll figure it out soon enough."

"Hmm." After a few moments, she got up and headed past him. He suppressed the urge to ask her where she was going, but she soon returned with two mugs of coffee. She slid one in front of him, then took her seat again. It was black, nothing added, and he pondered at her knowledge of how he liked his coffee.

"Thanks, Sage." Then again, I know how she takes hers; one-third milk, two sugars... Why do I know that?

"Sure. You were twiddling your fingers. I figured you hadn't had your fifth cup yet," she joked.

I was?

"What happened to the 'Miss'? The past couple of times you've called me, you haven't said it."

"I thought you didn't like it." He answered coolly.

"Since when did you care whether I liked it or not?" She cocked an eyebrow curiously at him. He knew it wasn't meant to be a jab, but he felt it and the tips of his ears growing warm. He avoided answering by taking a swig of his coffee, regretting it; it burned his tongue and scalded his throat, stinging all the way down..

"I have reports to do." He got up, bringing his coffee with him.

"But that's Josh's job…" He pretended not to hear, and left. Sage glanced back at the table, where he had left his hat, confused at the rare occurrence of him forgetting it.

~~~X~~~

The next day, Sage set up a crew-wide tournament, and after dozens of quick matches resulting in losses to both her and Brandy, they decided to all fight the two all together. The two women stood back-to-back in the middle of the ring of crewmembers, Sage with cyclones of wind as each of her fists, Brandy with her sword poised. They launched into battle, she and Brandy twisting in a complex dance born of trust shared from many battles until they had fended off everyone.

Sharing a victorious grin with the redhead, who sheathed her sword, Sage clapped hands good-naturedly with everyone they had combatted with. Since it was almost time for lunch, everyone else stayed in the galley, she returned to her room, absentmindedly twirling a ball of whirling air in her open palm while she walked. As she unlocked the door to her and Brandy's room, she noticed that Law's door a few yards down was open, an odd happening due to the fact that the crew could be rowdy in the bunks across the hall. Peering in without letting her presence be known, she saw he was lying sideways on his bed with his legs crossed, feet resting on the corner of his wooden desk. He stared at the ceiling, his hat sitting on his stomach and his arms over his head, hands dangling over the other side of the black blankets.

Feeling mischievous, she blew a small breeze through the room, ruffling his black hair. He smirked, still looking up, then picked up his hat and sat up, placing it on his head. "You look bored, Law."

"You don't want to see me bored. People die." His smirk widened.

"Bullshit. Maybe they end up in pieces, but I've never seen you kill without reason. You're not a monster." She leaned against the door, a pose she immediately realized mimicked Law's favorite stance. His smirk widened, and he slowly stood, approaching her with his smooth, relaxed stride.

"Are you sure about that?" He loomed intimidatingly over her, tilting his chin down to meet her eye with his confident gray eyes, his words falling smoothly from his tongue. Looking up at him from below her brows, she pulled her hand out of her pocket and gently poked him in the stomach with two fingers.

Her next words came unbidden, and in a low purr she herself hadn't expected. "You wanna show me, Law?"

"Are you volunteering to lose at your own game, Miss Sage?" He stepped forward, pulling her close to him by the waist and out of sight of the hallway, and allowed his hands to rest just above her ass. He had trouble resisting the urge to reach down and grab it, yet maintained his cocky smirk the entire time.

As he had pulled her in, her arm had folded up beside her chest as she was pressed against him, and she lightly traced random shapes over his hoodie with her finger, looking up at him under her eyelashes. "As much as I'd love to, I'd like to win, so I'll pass. This time, at least." She broke out of his grip and slipped out, chuckling.