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Noble in Reason, Infinite in Faculty

Chapter 9

(Chapter 8 here)

Mihawk’s study was Maeve’s new place of comfort. The key to let her enter as she pleased was the best gift she could ever receive, and her curiosity only piqued with each book she laid eyes on.

There was too many to choose from. How could she read just one?

Several hours of each day were dedicated to perusing the shelves, taking one or two for Maeve's enjoyment and continued education. She read while she cooked, while she cleaned, even reading in the bath. She was fond of everything she read—even the swordsman books she flipped through were lovely. Mihawk was so efficient in his choice of library. He had many topics and subjects to read up on: swordsmanship, weaponry, anatomical graphs of different creatures, history and politics from all sides, cognitive science, geography, and even a handful of gothic literary fiction, which pleased Maeve greatly.

Further into the week, Maeve would find herself ending her days curled up in Mihawk's study with her book of choice, tending to the fireplace until it was bright and cozy, settling down on the comfortable rug and reading into the late night.

It sobered her up the first night she woke and found herself asleep in his study still, forgetting to return to her own room for proper rest. But it relented into a temporary habit eventually. His study was quite peaceful at night, blocking out all noise from the world outside. Maeve hoped Mihawk would let her keep the key even after he returned; should she have restless nights, it would cure her quickly she was sure of it.

At the beginning of the next week, Maeve had started on the third shelving unit of Mihawk's books to read when she noticed a book of serious interest. Clambering for the book, her smile began widening as she took in the diagrams and beautiful plants. She assumed Mihawk would have gardening books; she was happy her guess was correct.

Utilizing the book as a guide, Maeve spent the rest of the week establishing where she should begin the garden. It was a difficult task to manage, especially since Maeve didn't want to overstep any boundaries of Mihawk's. What if he didn't approve of the location? Was she being too forward in her desire to take charge of the task?

Maeve studied the many areas and designs in the gardening book while she surveyed the outside courtyard. She paced in every other direction, circling around the yard several times to get a proper view of where things might grow. With all the debris and broken architecture, it wasn't easy to picture flourishing gardens and lively plants around. The yard would need a massive purge of all the debris. How did the Cushings' landscapers do their jobs so effortlessly?

Walking along the outskirts of the further yard by the trees, Maeve slowed down upon hearing something. It sounded like whining, or maybe crying.

Maeve turned her attention toward the forest, concern making her eyebrows knit together as she took tentative steps toward the sound. She didn't want to linger too long in the trees, aware of the apes that lived beyond. She would be in danger if she stumbled upon one or more of them.

Hiding behind a larger tree, Maeve noticed a smaller monkey laying behind a few pieces of architecture, its frail body shaking excessively.

Maeve watched in growing concern when the monkey tried digging into the dirt next to it, searching for something. It pulled up a small worm, slurping it up greedily. It searched for another one again, its luck waning after a few minutes. The sounds of gurgling and growling emitted from the creature's belly, a small whimper following.

Maeve instantly took pity on the small thing. The poor animal was starving! Where was its mother or the rest of its pack? Was it lost or injured?

She quietly stepped out into the open, slowly coming toward the animal. The small monkey noticed her quickly, yipping and yelping in fear yet staying in its one spot.

Maeve quickly stopped, raising her hands. "It's alright. I won't hurt you."

Keeping her voice soft and movements slow, she ventured toward the creature again. When she was just a few feet away, the monkey tried getting up, its small paw holding its bleeding arm. It bared its teeth at her, growling in its last bit of control to ward off the threat.

Maeve lowered to her knees. Her eyes studied the covered wound. Setting her book to the side, she reached down to her skirt and tore off the bottom few inches of the hem. She remembered Mihawk explaining how the monkeys adapted quickly to the humans around them, hoping she made some leeway with the small creature.

Mimicking wrapping her own arm with the fabric, the monkey watched in guarded interest, its growling coming to a stop.

Maeve held the fabric out, inching on her knees toward the monkey. It let her come closer, tensing when she touched its foot. Smoothing the soft, prickly fur, the monkey didn't move as she stroked it, unsure of the gesture.

Maeve maneuvered to the sides of her knees, fixing her apron. At feeling something in the pocket, she distractedly took out what was inside. It was the burnt—now very stale—cookie from Perona's batch the other week. Maeve had forgotten to eat it.

The monkey suddenly began sniffing wildly, the cookie intriguing the creature. Its small paws uncovered its injury to reach out, recognizing a food source.

Maeve smiled in wonder, extending the cookie into the ape's tiny palms, finding it almost endearing at how the monkey gnawed on the cookie. Using the momentary distraction, Maeve swiftly wrapped the fabric around the wound, aiming to be most careful. The monkey didn't seem to mind, watching her work once in a while as it nibbled away.

Once the fabric was tied tight, Maeve sat back and observed the monkey again. It was finishing the last of the cookie, which surprised Maeve quite a bit. The creature's sharp elongated fangs must have helped break the staleness down. Now comfortable in her presence, Maeve watched the monkey's small paws search inside her apron pocket for another cookie. Maeve laughed sweetly, wishing she had something else for it.

"MAAEEEEEVVVVEEE!!!"

Both Maeve and the monkey startled at the loud call of her name. Maeve whipped her head toward the opening of the forest, seeing Perona's infamous pink color weaving through the air.

A scurrying sound drew Maeve back to the monkey, who was now racing out of the woodsy area and deeper into the forest, away from the noise.

Maeve's heart sank a little, wishing she could have tended to it a little longer.

Perona's wide eyes came into view, ghosts trailing behind her. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you at all today!" She looked around nervously. "Let's get outta here. Those monkeys could ambush us!"

Walking back toward the castle, Perona squinted at Maeve. "What were you doing in there?"

Maeve didn't want to explain seeing the small monkey, lest Zoro or Mihawk find out and forbid her to go out there again. "I was just exploring. I want to get a start on our garden this week." She showed Perona the gardening book.

Perona's smile was wide. "A garden? What a cute idea! I wanna help! Let me plant something! I wanna plant flowers and a cocoa tree-"

She gasped loudly, pointing at Maeve's skirt. "What happened to the skirt I made you?! Is that blood?!"

Maeve hummed at the small blood prints from the monkey's paw. "Ah, I suppose I snagged on something. I'm sorry, Perona. I can mend it back."

Perona humphed. "I worked hard on that skirt! I crafted it from Mihawk's old curtains, you know!"

"I do know." Maeve smiled. "Why should you care anyhow? You said it was the ugliest thing you ever made."

"Well, it is." Perona folded her arms. "But it's my creation! Therefore it's worth some merit!"

Maeve kept her smile as she distracted the girl. "You said you wanted a cocoa tree? What a splendid idea."

Perona's mood lifted quickly. "Yes! Wouldn't it be great to have hot chocolate straight from the source?"

"Oh yes, quite!" Maeve replied enthusiastically, opening the front entrance.

"When do we start?" Perona asked.

~~~

“MAAEEEVVVEE! Zoro ruined my vintage skirt!!"

"No I didn't! You got in my way and tripped over it!"

"I just finished it this morning! I had the proportions perfect and then you stepped on it! Maybe if you picked up your feet when you walk instead of dragging them like a neanderthal, you wouldn't have ruined it!"

"Who are you calling a neanderthal?! I have perfect balance and footwork!"

Maeve continued picking up broken pieces of architecture, choosing to ignore the two bickering on the other side of the yard.

If Mihawk didn't want Perona or Zoro to assist Maeve with tending to the castle, she would put them to use in another way.

First thing was first, cleaning up the courtyards. Both Zoro and Perona made their skills known through this work. Zoro cut down any dead trees or plantlife and moved the heavier architecture off to the designated pile of refuse; Perona used her ghosts to collect the smaller pieces of debris and sticks. Both handled their tasks magnificently when they weren't busy bickering with one another.

Maeve was exhausted but happy to get some progress done. As she stretched her arms and back, she squinted at the sun overhead. It was nearing 3pm, it was a good time to stop; they had been working since 8 that morning.

"Alright you two, let's take a break for the evening."

Perona let out a sigh of relief and floated back toward the main doors. "Thank the stars! I have to repair my skirt!"

Zoro trailed behind Maeve, stretching his tanned arms. "You wanting all this done before Mihawk gets back? He forcing you to do this?"

"It's a mutual project. I thought I'd get an early start." Maeve shifted to look behind at the bare courtyard. "I just wish we had more helping hands. Besides your and Perona's assistance, it seems quite a big project to take on by myself."

Zoro opened the door to let Maeve in first. "What else do you need? I could help out when I'm not training."

"There's no need. I know Mihawk trains you mercilessly each day. You probably could benefit from some rest."

Zoro scoffed. "I don't want rest, I can do that when I sleep at night. I'd rather be busy doing something useful with my time. My crew and captain need me to be at my best, and I won't fail them again."

Maeve's eyes flickered to Zoro's tense shoulders. She rubbed her arm awkwardly. She hadn't gotten a chance to admit to Zoro that she was contemplating her choice of joining the crew. Part of it was the new routine, but another part was Maeve's indecisiveness. She had nowhere to go once Zoro's training was done. Was being a pirate really the best thing for her?

Swallowing, Maeve tried to be outwardly positive. "If there's something you'd like to do, I'd be delighted to let you help."

Zoro only grunted in reply, turning to head down the hallway toward his room.

Maeve watched him leave, wondering if she should have said more. Ever since they had settled into the castle, her dependence on the green-haired swordsman had waned exceptionally. Had he been this quiet since their arrival? As Maeve wandered up the stairs to use the spare shower room, she mulled over Zoro's last comment.

Something was wrong. He seemed disturbed by something.

~~~

Dinner that night had been quiet. While there was usual bickering here and there, Zoro rarely threw back one of his sarcastic retorts to Perona's sassy accusations. He mostly grumbled under his breath and piled more food into his mouth. Once the meal was done, Zoro quickly helped clean up and made haste back to his room.

Maeve finished the dishes with Perona. "Is everything alright with Zoro?" she asked tentatively.

Perona scoffed. "You just now notice how dumb he is?"

Maeve ignored the comment. "He seems a little downcast. Did something happen?"

"Oh, that." Perona dried her hands and gave Maeve a discreet look. "He's just sulking about missing his crew. He'll never admit it out loud, but I know what he's feeling. But he refuses to talk to me about it." She scoffed again. "Stars if I know why. If anyone understands, it's me!"

Maeve worried the inside of her cheek, debating going to see if Zoro was okay. Had she known about his melancholy state, she would have comforted him at once. She stole a glance toward the hall his room was in. Maybe he didn't want anyone to know. He was private about most things.

Deciding to give Zoro some space, Maeve waited until the sun went down to finally knock on his bedroom door.

"Come in."

Maeve opened the door, seeing his silhouette in a chair by a window. The sill was open, letting in some of the cool night air.

"I figured you wouldn't be in bed yet."

Zoro turned in his chair to look at her. "Everything okay?"

"Of course," Maeve said. She scratched her arm, wondering if confronting him was a good idea. She didn't want to come on too strongly. "Is everything.. alright with you?"

Zoro faced the window again. "I'm okay." It wasn't very convincing.

Maeve approached Zoro, studying him cautiously while he stared at the night sky. She felt a little helpless in her attempt to confront Zoro. She didn't want to become overbearing.

Looking out the window, Maeve had an idea. "There's a much better view up in the north towers." She gave him a smile. "Would you like to see it?"

Zoro didn't respond, but he appeared intrigued at the suggestion.

A few minutes later, the pair of them were traveling up one of the winding staircases toward the upper tower, the same one Mihawk had shown her two weeks ago.

The window gave a more expansive outlook toward the forest and the starry sky, gloomy clouds absent for once. It was an astounding sight.

Zoro maneuvered himself up on the lookout ledge, helping Maeve settle next to him a moment later. They observed the stars in silence for a while. Maeve never had the opportunity to truly examine the stars and all their splendor; the slaves' quarters were down in the basement, where they would be out of the way of the Cushings and other residents. Being out here on a lone island, surrounded with as much nature as she wanted, was a tremendous blessing.

"Do you know any constellations?" Maeve asked.

Zoro hummed, eyes skimming the sky. "Not as much as Nami. She pointed out the North Star once. It was connected to another constellation, I think something called the Dipper." He pointed to a star that twinkled brighter than the rest. "I think that's it right there."

Maeve observed it. "It's beautiful. I understand most pirates use it to navigate the seas."

"I guess if a crew doesn't have a log pose, they do. Nami had one. Made it easier to travel." Zoro paused a moment, mouth twitching upward. "One time Robin woke us all up in the middle of the night to watch a meteor shower. It looked like the stars were falling out of the sky. It was kinda trippy."

Maeve would have given anything to see a meteor shower. "How wonderful. Sounds like it was a beauty to witness."

Zoro grunted in reply. "Luffy tried to reach up to grab one. Had to punch him down so he wouldn't get burned." Zoro's chuckle was airy and dry, like he wasn't used to doing it often.

Maeve went quiet for a moment despite the amusing recount. "I'm sure you miss him. I'm sure you miss all your crew."

"I don't miss the cook, that's for damn certain," Zoro huffed. "And anyway, I don't need to miss any of them. This two-year break is only temporary. It'll be over before we know it. It doesn't do well for me to mope when I know I'll see them again."

Maeve frowned. Why was he so dismissive of his feelings? "You're allowed to miss your crewmates, Zoro."

"I don't."

"Would it be so bad if you did?" Maeve inched a little closer to Zoro. "You all went through so much together, I'm sure you all got very close in the short amount of time. And besides, what happened on Sabaody Island was traumatic for everyone. I'm sure you're worried for their well-being."

Zoro didn't respond, jaw clenched and arms crossed.

Maeve wondered briefly what she was expecting from the boy. Was she wanting emotion? Was she hoping for him to confirm what she was saying? She thought back to their conversation earlier that afternoon, her eyes studying him thoughtfully. The longer Zoro sat in his sulky silence, the more clear it was becoming to Maeve.

The truth was sobering.

Maeve rested her palms in her lap. "You still blame yourself for what happened at Sabaody."

Zoro kept his silence, but his throat bobbed. It was his own way of showing the confirmation.

Maeve sighed quietly. "Is this why you must train so hard? Why you must become the best?"

Zoro's hands were gripping his biceps. "You don't understand. They expect me to be strong, to be undefeatable. I have to be the best. What happened on Sabaody—it never should have happened. We were like fucking newborns out there, trampling around helpless like that. It was humiliating. I couldn’t—”

Zoro cut himself off, voice becoming strained. When he spoke again, he was quieter. “I couldn’t protect them. I couldn’t protect Luffy. I made a vow to him. To help him accomplish his dream, I must be the best. I have to get him there.”

His eyes dropped to the ground below. “We were too relaxed before, too enthusiastic and too naive about our circumstances. And that same laxness is why we lost and got separated. No one is to blame except me. I should have been better. That’s why… I will train to be better. The New World won’t be forgiving. I need to be the best. My captain depends on it.”

Maeve couldn’t remove her eyes from the man next to her. It was moving, seeing someone like Zoro so determined to see his captain’s dream come to fruition. It was moving how selfless Zoro could be.

And yet, that was the problem.

”I believe you take too much upon yourself, Zoro,” Maeve murmured.

He didn’t say anything to that; he only continued to keep his eyes lowered.

Maeve let her shoulder brush against his. “Yes, you will see them again. And I don’t doubt you will become much stronger than you are now.” She watched the stars again. “But would it be so bad to have this two-year period to allow yourself to feel?”

Zoro’s body tensed slightly. “A swordsman shouldn’t waste energy on fleeting things like emotions.”

Maeve raised an eyebrow. “Did Mihawk tell you that?”

”No, oddly enough.” Zoro huffed again. “It was my old teacher.”

Maeve would have liked to give this teacher a sternly-worded scolding for implementing such an idea into Zoro’s brain.

”Begging your pardon, Zoro, but you don’t have to obey everything your teacher instructs of you. Feelings may be fleeting but they also are great indicators.”

Zoro faced her, his brows furrowed. “Huh?”

Maeve’s smile was small as she kept her gaze on the stars. ”Despite your stubbornness to not appear so, you are a very feeling person. Passion is a feeling, as is anger, and irritation, and guilt, and even bloodshed! Your story about the meteor shower even evoked emotion.” She looked at Zoro. “And what does that all indicate?”

Zoro’s face fell flat. “That I’m emotional?”

”That you’re alive,” Maeve replied. Her smile grew. “You are perfectly allowed to be emotional about the things you care deeply about. You care about your crew, you care about protecting them, and you care about the consequences of your actions.”

Her hand came up behind him to place on the middle of his back. “Don’t let yourself go cold and miserable, Zoro. There’s enough people in the world that cling to their misery, and thus bring others down with them.” She rubbed circles on his thin tank. “Take your time with your feelings. They don’t have to be an enemy.”

Zoro’s silence was weighty. He let Maeve rub comforting circles on his back, his eyes focused straight ahead toward the tops of the trees. His small sigh a moment later was almost inaudible.

”You should really give that speech to Mihawk.”

It was hard to decipher if it was a jab or a joke, but Maeve smiled anyway.

Zoro’s throat bobbed again. He slumped against his side of the window. His eyes slowly climbed up toward the sky again, watching the stars twinkle and shine again.

His voice was low in the quiet. “I do miss them.”

Maeve pretended not to notice the glassy sheen over his eyes. When something shone down one side of his cheek, she moved her eyes back to the stars.

Her hands gathered one of his into her palms. “I know, Zoro.”

#one piece #fanfic #hawkeye mihawk #dracule mihawk #perona #roronoa zoro #kuraigana island