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[He waits, as requested, not really sure what he's waiting for. Why a text? What in the world is magic going to do, when all he's seen it used for is very cool but relatively simple things like writing or holding a parasol?

The answer comes soon enough when the text arrives, though he isn't initially sure what's so special about it. The message itself, after all, is mundane. But then he notices the sender - or rather, the lack of a readable one, and nods slowly. Okay. That's good. That's maybe all he needs and if not, it absolutely helps.]

Yeah. Yeah, it's showing it as coming from a sender it can't recognize, or... I don't know how you'd describe this. But it didn't come from you even though it did.

[Rosinante sighs, feeling relieved at the fact that it worked. It's not perfect, but it's a start until he can do more research. But he's not sure how long the enchantment will last, that's a risk on it's own. Sometimes his formed spells last for months, years. Other times they hardly last as long. But his SmartSnail seems fine, so maybe it's going to work out.

He takes another bite of food, then another, working through his share at a higher speed now. He's still exhausted, still behind, and something long term and complex like this needs far more energy to form it. He's going to be in bad shape after this, just trying it with his own SmartSnail was a foolish decision outside of desperate times, but there's an airship on the way. And he'll be able to go home, and get medicated and fed and he'll be alright.

"I can't promise you this will last. But if you hand me your SmartSnail I'll use the same spell on it. And that should at least buy us time for research."]

[There's only a moment's hesitation before he nods and passes it over. There's still a lot of faith he has to place in this version of himself. The magic isn't something he understands and its abilities are a mystery. Sure, hopefully he will do for him what he had just demonstrated on his own number. But he might add something, like make it easier for his version of Dressrosa's staff to track him. Might create some sort of alert that will go off on his own phone if this one moves into a certain area or sends or receives messages from certain people.

Yes, he's paranoid, but not without reason, as far as he figures. The guy is a head of a powerful old nation. Not just that, but his taste for decadence and his particular kingdom of choice both set off warning bells in Rosinante's head, even though they've had a pleasant interaction on the beach here. It's unsettling. He can see why Sengoku disapproves.]

I'll text you after you're done, and I want to see the result to make sure it worked.

["You need to try to learn for yourself. What if it ceases? I've never made a spell like this before, ever. Even that's not enough though. We can hide you forever, but Doffy is still a problem."

It's never easy, is it? Nothing is. He can't even be friends with his counterpart, not really. Simply because of distrust, for one reason or another. But he can try to help him. He can do his best to keep him safe, regardless.

This time, the magic's draining effects can be seen. He looks worse, thinner, his skin paler, sick and weak looking. The first go at this energy, this specific forming of the chaos was a test. This time he does better, working harder to make sure that he gets a stronger spell, a more effective enchantment. It hurts, he's back to where he was before he'd eaten and healed a bit. But it's worth it, to keep him alive.

This one has suffered enough. He lost his life. He didn't get to see Law grow up, he didn't get to enjoy the blessings that Rosinante himself has experienced. So he's not going to leave him to the wolves, or more the flamingo. And once the enchantment sets, he hands the SmartSnail back with trembling hands.

"Lets test it."]

[Needs to learn assumes he can learn, and even if he can and does, he can't imagine he'll be able to do something like block a SmartSnail from the network after practicing for a week. The guy's been doing it for years, probably, and even he's having trouble. Rosinante doesn't argue, though. He's more interested in the result.

That result seems to take a lot out of his alternate self, and it seems too genuine to be an act. So perhaps he'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but he needs to test this anyway. Being careful and thorough has served him well.]

test

Sent it.

[Nothing fancy, but he leans over to see how it appears on the other screen.]

[There's nothing to say who the sender is. It's a messy error once more. And that makes Rosinante smile, if it lasts for a while it'll at least buy them both time. When he gets back, he'll get the research division on it. There's got to be a way to make this easier.

They'll figure it out.

"I need to ask a favor of you now. Please, make sure I get on the ship. Make sure that I say in the area until my staff arrive."

He's sure that he's going to spiral again at this rate, and he's just not healthy enough to wander any longer. He needs food and medicine, he needs to be home and safe. He's useless to everyone out here, and he knows that he's likely to wander at this rate if he's not kept in one place. And then, who knows where he'll end up or what will happen to him.]

[Phew. Okay. Satisfied with the result, he breathes a sigh of relief and pockets the snail.

The request is... concerning. The other man looks noticeably, visibly weakened from his exertion, so making sure he gets on the ship makes sense. He might need a hand. Someone to lean on. But the rest? Staying in the area? Where does he think he's even going to go in this state?

Rosinante offers him a smile, though it's tainted with confusion.]

Thank you. And, yeah, of course. You don't have to go anywhere. They'll come right to us, right? You should eat more if you can.

[While the smile is comforting, he can't deny that he notices the confusion. And he feels like he needs to ask, even if he doubts he'll get a truthful answer. It's still worth a try, though.

"Is something wrong?"

He's got a talent for escaping, even in his worst states, when he's this far off of medication and so far from stability. And he feels the urge to run, to get out, to go searching again already. So he has to depend on being able to stop himself from doing that, with this larger and more powerful version of himself that can obviously handle him if he acts out.

Right? He hopes so, at least.

"They're on their way now."

He works on his food though, as was suggested, eating as much as he can to help balance himself again. There's just not enough here to right him entirely, and even if there was he's in deep need of medical attention on a different level. But it's a start, and having his counterpart here is helping balance out some of the more unsettled traits.]

I've just never been asked by someone to keep them in a certain place. You want to tell me what's going on?

[Especially because he sounds pretty serious about it. If he has to hold someone down to keep them from running off, he'd like to know why he's doing it.

Good thing he has people coming to pick him up. But in a way, he imagines that the outing was good for this version of himself. There's always something to be learned from new experiences. Like, say, how not to spend all your money in a day, or how to cook mangrove crabs over a fire. Valuable life lessons.]

[This is one of the last things he feels like talking about, but he's here and he asked and offered so Rosinante will give him the best answer possible. He, him, counterpart, self, duplicate... This is mentally exhausting to keep up with.

"I'm usually not allowed out on my own, my health issues require careful monitoring. As do my responses and choices when I'm like this. I feel the need to flee again already, I want to keep searching. But if I run? It starts over again, they have to track me or worse, send out one of the family members and I don't want children I helped raise to see me like this."

Is that the best way to say it, that he's absolutely batshit crazy without actually saying it? He knows things get bad sometimes, the staff thinks he's ignorant about the medication in his food, that they watch him with fear any time he picks up anything with any semblance of a bladed edge, that everyone he knows and cares about his afraid of his degrading mental state. But they're wrong. He's fully aware, and he knows what they're doing, but he knows that they love him. And when things work? He's himself, entirely. Without pause or shaking or sobbing, without that manic laughter, looking for the ghosts of his past down random halls.

This is what his Law set up though, a set of plans to keep him together, so he's never going to argue it. But to get back to it, he has to fight past his own madness and get home.]

[It's a hard thing to read. Hard to see a version of himself like this - someone who wasn't quite able to overcome the torture and trauma, who is both physically and mentally more frail. It's a glimpse at what he might have been in a world where the Marines' training didn't take as well as it had, for not only had he become stronger and more capable physically, he had learned discipline and fortitude of the mind. Had overcome his fears and horrifying memories well enough to function normally.]

I'm sorry.

[And he is. It's definitely not an empty sympathy, even though he watches the fire instead of saying it to his face. There's a lot to think about here and the fire is a good backdrop for his thoughts.]

I'm sure you'll find him, or he'll find you. I know Law, even if I don't know yours. He knows you're out here somewhere and he'll do everything he can to bring you back to him safely. Until then, be as strong as you can for him so that when he finds you, you're safe and well and waiting.

["It's alright. I'm sure it's hard for you, to see someone similar to yourself like this."

For all his power, for all his frightening might and ridiculous abilities, he feels inferior right now. It's impossible not to, when facing a version of himself like this. He wonders for a moment, how embarrassing he really is for the people in his life. If his years of careful choices have led to disdain for him, for the breaks and cracks that came through after so much sacrifice.

He doesn't have time to think about that, though. Even though he hasn't mentioned exactly what he's been searching for, Rosinante knows. And that gets his mind right off of his moment of self-disgust.

Law is probably looking for him too. So he needs to be strong, he needs to be careful, to show his best face for his husband when they meet again. He needs to be well, not so thin and shaken up, so he can smile for him and remind him that every struggle has been worth it.

"You're right. Thank you."]

No need to thank me.

[But he's smiling now. It's true, he hadn't needed to be told to know exactly who he was looking for. They might be in remarkably different circumstances, but they both love Law deeply in their own ways. He knows what it is to wake up every day hoping today is the day they'll be brought back together, like they should be.]

When you find him, let me know. I would love to meet him myself.

[It's odd, having this moment of near-clarity, sitting by the fire and there's the smell of sand and fish and this isn't something that should be so calming to him. But it is, and he's as happy as he has been since arriving in this mess of a place.

"You'd like him! He's headstrong and powerful and fun. If you meet him, I want to know how he reacts to you. We don't look identical, he'll know right away. But I'm not sure how he'd respond aside from that."]

Sounds like the Law I know too. He's such a skilled doctor! If there's anyone who can help you, he can.

[And he would. Law would feel so much sympathy for this version of him. Would bend over backwards to try and cure whatever ails him, even things that can't be cured. He's a genius and he's so incredibly talented, and all of this Rosinante understood immediately on just their one day of reunion. He learned as much as he could in that short time and holds every second of it in his memory. Thinks about him when there's nothing else going on, while he's searching and hoping.]

["He can, and did! He put together a plan to keep me healthy, and when I'm actually home to follow it, it works wonders. And that's not including the mishaps he's had to deal with! He's so talented, I'm amazed at his skills."

For a moment though, he pauses, and wonders if his counterpart was really telling him the truth about the nature of his relationship with his own Law. But he doesn't think there's any good in trying to question and call him out, when he could gush about Law instead.]

That's good.

[Which, because he's talking about Law, he manages to make into the most earnest statement despite it being so simple. He's glad he's not sick. Glad he's not suffering from the ghosts of his childhood, or the terror of his own death even though memories of both still lurk in his mind. But if he was, if he struggled with either of those things, he would want Law to be the one to look after him. He's the most capable. Even at ten, the kid was a prodigy, and now?]

Well, you'll be home soon. And I'll come visit once you're feeling better, how about that? After you've had a few days to recover from all your traveling.

[He looks absolutely touched at Rosinante's offer to come visit him, and it shows in his expression. He'll be able to show him what he's like when he's well, when he's not lost and chaotic, when he's at his best. Or as close to his best as he's going to be anyway, but that's good enough for now.

"I'd like that. And please, if you need anything, feel free to call on me. "

He might not be able to help, but he has resources. And sometimes that's enough.]

Thank you. I might have to. I want to learn more about what these SmartSnails can do and what they can't. I want to find out where Doffy is before he learns how to hide himself from the network too.

[Hopefully he hasn't even realized that can be done. This is such foreign technology that it's hard to know what it's capable of, much less how to achieve it.

But that line of conversation is too heavy for what he's feeling, and he shrugs it off and has one last bite of fish before throwing the bones on what's left of the fire to sizzle and burn.]

And you can show me more of your wedding photos, and the palace. I've heard the sunflowers in Dressrosa are world-famous.

["I've already texted the research team. They'll have a head start on the project before I make it home."

There's a lot of very serious business to deal with, when it comes to the SmartSnail systems. It can make or break a lot of dealings, and Rosinante is just worried in general. But he's not capable of doing anything where he is, and the talk went back to the wedding pictures anyway which provides distraction from more intense issues. Dressrosa is good distraction too, he loves his home.

"Dressrosa is beautiful, so beautiful. I'm amazed at how far we've come, how much work has been put in to make what it is today. There's so much to do, and the people there are wonderful."

He pauses for a moment. "I have a wedding picture of both of us on my phone. If you'd like to see it."

It's not like Rosinante won't see it anyway, when he visits. So he might as well show him one of them now.]

I'd love to.

[Meanwhile, the question he wants to ask but refrains from mentioning just hovers in his mind for a moment. How can he rule that country, of all countries? Does it not upset him, knowing the history of that place? Maybe he's not Doffy, sure, but that doesn't make it all right. Their ancestors left that place hundreds of years ago. Abandoned it, and it was given back to the people who made it bright and beautiful. They made it theirs, and they deserve that. No Donquixote should ever sit on that throne.

But he says nothing. Smiles. Waits for the photo.]

[Rosinante could always simply ask. There's something of value in saying instead of just internalizing and letting something burn up inside. And of course, he'd be given an answer that was somewhat truthful. That there was no one left alive left to rule, that he did his best with the situation that was handed to him, and he's brought joy to a people that suffered in the short time that Doflamingo held the throne.

But he won't say that this is his stepping stone. A place to start the fall of the kings, to end the rule of the Celestial Dragons entirely. A stronghold to start a new era, where the cruel die young, and the people of the world do not suffer so much. A world without slavery, without corruption, where man and king are only different in responsibilities.

It's a world that most likely will never come to be. No amount of blood can make this happen, he's likely to end the entire ruling class with relative ease, but he can't fix the world that way. it's a balm, he can't murder the monstrous human condition. He can't save the child that he was, the victims of the cruelty of the nobility, and it's all going to end badly someday.

But that's not important now, or even on Rosinante's mind. He wants to show him something, to see if he still treats him nicely to any degree after seeing it. If he can handle this, without laughing or mocking him, Rosinante will support him in almost anything just out of gratefulness.

"Don't laugh, please. I know I look silly."

Rosinante hands his phone over, a picture of a photograph up on the screen. It's a set up portrait meant for keeping, this is the one that went to the papers and years later Rosinante both loves and hates it.

Rosinante is visibly nervous in the photograph, veil and diadem an impressive if not uncomfortable looking ornament set for him. His hair is long in this picture, a massive fall of it arranged, and he's absolutely bridal looking. And Law looks like the cat that caught the canary, royal formal suit and full crown to show his status, expression radiating how pleased he is with this whole situation as he stands by his spouse. It's bordering on arrogance, and Rosinante had forgotten the sort of expressions he used to make.

A lot about their personal dynamics, for back then at least, can be seen on one picture, and he's still unsure how he could have allowed Law so much say in such an important event. But it made him happy, so it was worth any embarrassment.

"You'd see it when you got there. I thought it'd be best to get it out of the way now."]

[They make quite the couple, don't they? He stifles a sound of surprise, but he's grinning as he takes the phone and looks the image over. Yes, it's strange and there's something vaguely uncomfortable about it, but when he separates the two of them from what he knows of himself and that angry little boy, it's also sort of sweet. His Law looks smug, and arrogant, but happy and that alone is worth so much. His counterpart's feminine look doesn't bother him, either. It's all elegance and beauty with both of them in the image, and he chuckles a little as he hands it back.]

I wish I could have been there. You look beautiful together. I've never seen Law smile quite like that.

[He's nearly unable to think at first. They look beautiful together, he wishes he could have been there, Rosinante's words are almost too much to handle. He needed this, just a little approval. And it pushes his confidence up a bit, and he takes the phone back with a grin.

"He was so happy. He'd wanted that day for so long, and I finally gave in. I'd never seen him smile so much before."

While Law smiles a good deal for him in private, he's still got a long list of expressions that would come before that. It's just how he is.]

I love that the first thing you did when these started showing up was you went around taking pictures of all of your pictures so you can carry them with you.

[He laughs, he's teasing, but it's so cute. And he would have done the same if he'd had the opportunity. Or, like he had in that strange city, he would have just taken tons of goofy photos directly of himself and Law. It's just fun. Instead, he'll hoard memories until given the opportunity to make new ones.

Satisfied, he digs one of his remaining cigarettes from his pack and holds it out to what remains of the fire to light it, then sticks it between his lips and sighs. Every day since arriving here has been strange, but enlightening and this is no exception.]

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Oh fuck it's the Law fanclub, party of 2

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Pointless TLDR. sob

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