It was an immense relief to find Sam and the others agreeing with her and Alice was able to work out a schedule with them that had them rotating to keep her company throughout the day. It’d allow them proper rest and maybe even let them enjoy the gorgeous island they found themselves in along with the King’s hospitality.
Part of her felt guilty. Everything she’d said was true, and she believed that it would have been something she approached them with regardless, but there was no denying the fact that diminishing the amount of guards surrounding her would also benefit her attempts at properly conveying her interest to the Warlord. It didn’t take away from her professionalism or her abilities, but she’d never had such strong ulterior motives before and was still adapting to the way they were influencing her behavior.
They were led to their quarters by a servant who, per Floreo’s orders, placed the young doctor on a luxurious suite with a view facing outwards towards the gardens, and the officers on the two rooms directly in front of it, arranging it so they could revel in comfort while still being close enough to each other and their charge to do their job well. They were also informed that the Warlord was staying a few rooms down the corridor and Alice felt her pulse quickening considerably at the thought.
With her luggage settled, she went with Sam to meet the Royal family’s doctors and heard about Calista’s condition from them, taking the time to see the tests they’d already run and discuss their ideas. Given how different the climate was from what she was used to, she’d have a lot to study beforehand and scheduled a meeting with both the King and his sister for the next day for a private talk.
Once she had all the material, Alice returned to her suite and started taking notes. She was able to go for an hour before having to stop and take a cool shower. The warm weather made it hard to concentrate, so she dressed in something lighter and relocated from the interior of the gorgeous room to the balcony. Smiling to herself, she spent a long moment just admiring the gardens from such a vantage point. She missed being able to travel around freely, experiencing different islands and learning from all kinds of people, but if she hadn’t settled and made a proper name for herself, she wouldn’t have been privy to these privileged experiences. In the expanse of a few months, she’d been invited to a Noble’s palace and a faraway Kingdom. Her job had always been rewarding, but it’d been a while since she was so excited about it.
It didn’t take long at all for her mind to divert back to the subject that’d been constantly drifting between the back and foreground of her thoughts. Whether he’d meant to or not, Mihawk had taught her so much, but more than that, he’d reawakened a part of herself that she’d been sorely missing, the part that was willing to go after what she wanted. And she wanted him. Badly.
Just as she was about to turn her attention back to her studies, she caught sight of Mihawk silently walking past the gardens. Her lips parted around the shape of his name, but no sound came out. She wanted to call out to him, invite him closer, but it wasn’t something she could simply shout from the balcony, so she let the moment pass and simply watched him until he disappeared past the treeline instead. Being in a place he’d visited in the past, around people who’d witnessed who’d been while still growing into the man he was now, it only made her want to know more about him.
Sighing quietly, she focused on the task at hand and lost herself in the books about the local plants and creatures, hoping she would be able to help Calista as quickly as possible, but also wishing for enough time to study what Silva had to offer. It wasn’t until she began having difficulty to read that she realized how late it was and decided to turn in, leaving the balcony door open so the night breeze could help her cool down.
Still, she had trouble falling asleep, mind cluttered by potential lines of treatment, but mostly by the memory of Mihawk’s kiss combined with the knowledge that he was only a few doors away in an effort to keep her body almost feverishly hot.
Waking up to a warm morning after a hot night of tossing and turning wasn’t the best way to start the day, so she jumped into the shower and made it as cool as she could handle, coming out of it refreshed. After dressing herself accordingly, she met with Renato and Calista and asked them about any history of disease in their family, allergies or even mild discomfort when exposed to any sort of substance. Making note of anything relevant, Alice listed the former princess’s routine and all the places she remembered going to around the time she started feeling sick.
After taking some blood samples and leaving them to react to the testing agents, she decided to visit the closest location on the list. Regardless of the weather, going out hiking through the nature, especially when in search of possible sources for toxins, required pants and long sleeves, so Alice changed and asked one of the officers to come with her. They were on their way out when coming across the Warlord.
“Mister Dracule.” Glad that she was able to tone down the excitement in her voice at seeing him, one of her hands curled around the strap of her bag absentmindedly. “I could use another set of sharp eyes. Would you mind coming with us to one of the places Miss Calista visited before falling ill?”
Spending the afternoon exploring the jungles of Silva was surprisingly therapeutic. Whenever the Warlord was irritated, seeking solitude was his goto method to recharge. Finding time alone was something he could usually seek quite easily, but here he was weary of Floreo and anyone else in his family that might eager to pester him. On some level, he also didn’t want to run into Alice. While it was clear her troupe of vigilant bodyguards weren’t going to allow them a moment alone, the longer he had to consider it, the more it was clear he had been making an absolute fool of himself. Any opening she had left for him, he had pounced on the opportunity, making it abundantly clear he desired the sort of company she hinted interest in. Whether all those chances were just plagued by woeful circumstances, or she was just uncertain of her own impulses he couldn’t be certain of. Either way, he resolved to no longer be sucked in so easily by the idea that she wanted him -- in actuality, not just out of passive fantasy. The rational side of him urged him to get over this, and as much as he did want her, he knew the desire would wane with time and self control.
The next day, he was exiting his room with the intent of traveling into the city. After an evening of wine and blessed solitude, he was feeling well enough to tolerate the townsfolk in order to see if there were any goods there that interested him. As the world’s master swordsman, he was also a collector of sorts, and had often come across rare blades in his travels if he took the time to look. Even if there were no swords of value to be found, he could usually pick a new book or two -- which was something he would need here given that he intended to avoid everyone as much as he could.
On his way out, he intercepted Alice and just one of her escorts. He was surprised when instead of just a casual greeting, she paused and asked him to join them point blank. By the way the cadet paled on the question, it was apparent he too was taken aback. If there was any circumstance here where Alice might require four protectors, it would be exploring the outskirts of the castle grounds. Thus, he was confused as to why she had just one man at her side.
“I’m no expert of these grounds,” he replied to her, carefully considering whether or not to just turn her down and carry on with the rest of his day’s plans. He hadn’t encountered anything especially dangerous in his explorations, but beasts, even dangerous ones, tended to keep their distance in his presence. In a way, he wasn’t so different from the carnivorous creatures that lurked behind the tree line. Most people he encountered identified Mihawk as being dangerous, and animals were no different. Taking a moment to size up the cadet, he couldn’t say he was reasonably confident he could defend the both of them from the island’s natural perils.
“Did they tell you about the area?” He asked, turning his gaze back on hers, surprisingly feeling perfectly neutral toward her after last night’s contemplations. Still, even if he had pared back the lust he’d been nurturing for her, he was still concerned for her safety.
“I could assist you keeping an eye out, if you have an idea of what you’re looking for.”
izzy806
turnnoffyourmind
pixelskylines
dededos
titsay
origamiaround
