Can you write the beginning of Doffy and Viola's relationship? I often wonder how their relationship started after everything Doffy did to her and Dressrosa. I also want to see how Viola's feelings are mixed feelings of hate and love. They're really interesting.
Doflamingo was a private person. A VERY private one. Still, he was a public figure, and his passionate people SPOKE, especially about their beloved king and his possible love interests. โ How do you think it would have started? โ Not a confirmation, merely an interest (short-lived, so it better be used well) in one's speculation. Fingers tapped against the desk to a personal tune and lips pulled into a smile at the memories of initial hate. What was there not to hate? Viola had been brought up as a PRINCESS, as someone who was promised to LEAD her kingdom. To become a QUEEN. He could only speculate on the number of plans she had in her mind since young age. Plans to make Dressrosa a more comfortable kingdom to live in, plans to empower it, and most importantly, plans to make her people HAPPIER. She had, unlike Doflamingo, been SELFLESS in her SELFISHNESS, while he had always been selfish in his benevolence. There was always GREATER GOOD in her mind, regardless of the choices she made and how those could've been interpreted or judged. Then, before she could even ascend to the promised throne and reform the kingdom she so dearly loved, it was taken away. Eight hundred years of Rikus' rule stripped away by a descendant of those who had abandoned their rule and ascended to the status of GODS. Her family name soiled and bloodied in the eyes of the people she cared for. Hundreds of years of peaceful rule to be murdered by Riku Doldo's sword slashing away at his own people. The HUMILIATION. The ridicule. All caused by one mastermind and made worse when he gave her an ultimatum. Gave her a chance to SERVE HIM and be degraded from a future QUEEN to a mere SERVANT. What was there not to hate?
Yet, there was a fine line between love and hate. They were contrasting yet complementary emotions. Both concentrated on the object of its desire, and both able to suffocate. In very rare cases, they could create something new. Something interesting, THRILLING even. โ Would you place a bet on sexual attraction? โ He leaned further into the armchair, raised his legs onto the table, crossed the left over his right. โ Intellectual conversations during the night? Clash of wills, perhaps? โ Few could keep up with politics the way Doflamingo did. Even fewer could predict or understand his trajectory of thought. His manipulation of the black market, involvement in external affairs, the narrative he dictated across the world and the understanding of the level of POWER he held over those most ruthless. No one held the power of Viola's devil fruit either. A power to GAZE into someone's mind, to HEAR its thoughts โ a powerful tool to possess. He knew she had used it more than once. It gave her INSIGHT, it gave her something to WORK WITH. She was only nineteen when he took over, and just like anyone willing to get ahead in life, Viola had to ADAPT. Viola was a rose, Violet her thorns. She knew if she wanted to get anywhere, she had to play the game by his rules and terms. She LEARNED. The more she did, the more she could calculate her next steps. The more she could subtly aid her people from the shadows. He was aware of it, very much so. He also found it AMUSING, at first. He wanted to see her struggle. He wanted to see whether the POTENTIAL he saw when she was offered a position was up to the task. She made sure it was.
She made it worthwhile to engage in conversation. She wasn't one of his yes-men. More often than not, she was his verbal opponent. She would make her opinions known, whether he'd ask for them or not, but she knew when to get the right TIMING. She never did it publicly in front of the Family, she didn't want to seem DISRESPECTFUL (he didn't need her Devil Fruit to know how disrespectful in her private thoughts she was). She would show her disagreement with a subtle condescending sigh, a short-lived frown on her lips, a glare thrown his way (most often). She patiently waited for a chance to catch him ALONE, most often when he was in his library READING, knowing that she could have his attention โ if he was willing to give it. Sometimes he'd dismiss her entirely, sometimes he'd indulge her thoughts for his own AMUSEMENT, and sometimes he DESIRED a debate. Mental chess against someone who could peer into his thoughts if she chose to play that hand. The stakes and the need to think ten steps ahead were much higher in such a game. It was a game of POWER. Sometimes her concerns were considered afterwards, sometimes an exchange of favors occurred, but he always, ALWAYS, did what he wanted regardless of the final decision.
The wine in his glass was refreshing on the tongue, well-balanced with an elegant mouthfeel, sweet with hints of spice. It trailed down his throat, red as blood, leaving its IMPRINT. Dressrosaโs produce was unforgettable, much like its women. โ Would you bet on the effect I have on people? My deceptiveness? โ The charismatic pull NO ONE was immune to. Enemy or not, lover or not, his genuine ALLURE was undeniable. Well-spoken and well-read, he always had numerous topics at his disposal. He was a man of power, and people, whether they admitted it or not, were ATTRACTED to power. He knew Viola was attracted to those same qualities. Her attraction was even GREATER because she saw something no one else did. She got to see far BEYOND what anyone else has ever seen. She had gazed into the abyss, he had gazed back, and she never averted her gaze. She stepped right towards it.
Lips stretched into a grin, a chuckle left his lips. โ I'll ask for the last time, how do you think it would have started? โ
There's a thin line between love and hate. Maybe they were simply confusing their emotions. Maybe he'd make an exception and let her call him Doffy.
