#* ... featuring: perona.

from: meme. context: perona has been spending some time on the polar tang with law and his crew.

it's not as if she's going completely out of her way to humiliate him in front of his crew. it isn't entirely her intention either. but, she'll readily admit that she is a little more than smug each time she's able to elicit a reaction from @spiritmarking delighting instead in his scowl rather than cower in fear as she imagines most might. eventually, perona gives it a rest, finding a corner of the polar tang to nestle in as she thumbed through one of the various medical journals from law's library. she hears the creak of metal beneath his footfalls when he comes into the room, then the door shutting heavily behind him.

she looks up over the edge of the book, watching him move towards her, heavy deliberate steps. book plucked from her hands, law leans over her, and as irritated as his expression is, perona still opens her mouth to say something smart, needling. but, his fingers catch her chin, pushing her bottom lip upwards and at least, for the moment, effectively shutting her up.

arms cross defiantly against her chest, head tilted upwards, void gaze unblinking and challenging. she expects a lecture. maybe he'll throw her out, finally be fed up with her. she'd laugh it away and come back another day when she misses him again and she'll get him to admit the same. but, instead, his thumb presses to her bottom lip, running along the pink gloss, coating the pad in glitter and shine. she makes to protest, if not for his stare nailing her into place.

cheeks turn bright red, defiant veneer cracking for the length of time it takes for his thumb to go from one end of her lip to the other. a mere second, but enough to get her heart racing and for the ghost princess to falter. but, she lifts her hand and whacks his away, pout forming.

from: meme. verse: main. featuring: perona & drucilla, @spiritmarking

they still sat at the table, savoring breakfast while the faint sound of shovel meeting soil repetitively filtered in from the garden. it had been quiet for a few minutes, which was odd since anywhere perona was, there'd often be some sort of chatter going on every few minutes even if it was mostly just her talking and her companion listening, or nodding in (preferably) agreement.

then, she had said something about how it felt so very domestic around kuragaina now. which is to say, the closest to domestic she's ever experienced.

from: meme. verse: modern.

they're staying at the manor for the next week while mihawk gets a few of his affairs sorted. it's not the kind of business children are interested in, but rather dragged along into. the bright side to all of it is there are a lot more nooks and crannies, as well as vast spaces, here at the manor to find all sorts of things to do in.

in the backyard that seemed to stretch on forever, the pair are laid out on a blanket, eyes fixed to the dark sky. the shy sliver of the moon hung in its vast darkness, intermittently disappearing behind moving clouds.

perona thinks he's asleep. he always falls asleep. she calls it zoro's only talent. but, he says something that she doesn't quite catch, mind preoccupied and swirling with thoughts she concerns herself with now and again. she wonders if mihawk and drucilla would ever reconcile, would ever live under the same roof again, whether they would be a family again. she wonders what he's up to in that lonely house with the caretakers who seem more like ghosts than people.

from: meme. verse: main.

she brushes her lips experimentally against the curve of his cheekbone, doll eyes tracking the differences in his expression. perona doesn't really have intention to catch @hangvn offguard, though that would be a bonus.

the glittery sheen of her gloss sticks to his skin, a pink iridescence shining where her lips had been. she wonders how it would look on other places. accompanied with the thought is a rising undercurrent of red to her cheeks, warmth flooding over her face and tingling the back of her neck.

but, she pushes on when he doesn't stop her. her fingers delicately cradle his jaw, another soft brush of her lips against his forehead. it's chaste, innocent even ... and she wonders how it makes him feel, kissing him like this. but, she doesn't ask. for once, the ghost princess remains quiet. words would ruin this moment, she knows it.

but, she's not without her wiliness. this time, perona intends to catch law offguard. contrasting the gentle sweetness of her previous kisses, she grasps his chin and tilts his head up more forcefully, her other hand at the back of his head, fingers curling into his raven hair. his hat sits neatly on her vanity, and she's come to settle neatly in his lap. despite the blush that remains, she's determined.