Lawless Curiosity(Law/Ren)

Ren blinked as Law stared down at her with a condescending stare. It was almost as if he she felt like vulnerable prey before a predator. Doubtless did she believe she could even escape with her life if he had any ill-intent. He could crush her with a fierce pulse of his spiritual energy, after all. He could leave he crippled. He could kill her. She could've chose to leave with Elyss but that option was already off the table. She now stood before the man and gulped ever so slightly.

When he finally opened his lips to speak, he bluntly stated that she would be coming with him. Huh!? Ren's eyes shot open with such a dumbfounded and befuddled look that she could hardly comprehend if she had heard him correctly.

Come with him? Well, if she were thinking of this from the most legitimate angle, he certainly had "saved" her life. Still! That didn't mean she owed him her life but then... on the other hand, what would happen if she said no? Clearly, she was in no shape or form a warrior on his level by any measure, not even an iota. He could crush her like a twig and have his way with her.

He could do a lot of things. He was the superior force. She hated to look at it from an observational eye but if she was analyzing the situation, she was not exactly in a position where she could simply reject him and outright tell him no. She had to sort of march carefully here.

To be certain,, it wasn't as if she didn't find some mutual interest, she supposed. His ability, who he was, and whether or not she could learn more about him and study the way his abilities worked but what would it mean to come with him? She struggled with the words for a moment but she cleared her throat and finally spoke.

"Ahem... Well, Law. If I was being quite honest, you are a stranger to me and having hardly known you, my answer would be no, even if you technically did save my life. On the other hand, that would be illogical. I can feel your spirit pressure and i witnessed the power you displayed moments ago." Ren stroked her chin as she thought of her next words very carefully. She still had a will of her own, right? Dreams to achieve and all that jazz? What would even be the benefit of following him?

"There ought to be no reason why you couldn't force me to do so or eliminate me on the spot, too. Even if I know my life is in danger right now, I still value my freedom enough to tell you no. That said, I do find your abilities interesting and there is something intriguing about you I can't quite place my finger on. To begin with, what would following you even entail? Do I get a say in this?"

Ren took a deep breathe after she finished, hoping she hadn't poked the tiger and said anything that would in fact, leave her at death's door. If anything, she tried to speak with him from a place of reason and bargain with him well enough to avoid being the next thing he turned into ashes other than the hollows. She kept herself composed to some extent but clearly felt a pang of anxiety at what might happen next.

Law narrowed his eyes as he stared down at the much weaker, much smaller woman before him. He felt that he'd made himself very clear in the fact that no argument was to be made. She obviously understood that he could kill or incapacitate her in a matter of moments, which made her roundabout way of trying to escape his grasp even more annoying. Still, he had to admit that he wasn't totally against a woman who had the guts to, at least attempt to, say no. That however, would not be happening.

"You talk too fucking much"

With that said, Law made his move. Within a matter of seconds he'd grabbed the woman before him and slung her over his shoulder. He just didn't feel like fucking around at the moment. There was little reason for him to be here in the first place, and she was lucky that he'd happened to cross paths with her when he did. He didn't appreciate the fact that she wanted to waste even more of his time arguing in this shithole of a forest, and so he'd taken matters into his own hands.

Because of preparations he'd already made in his base in the Bahamas, Law was able to utilize his Shambles to return immediately. Having arrived somewhere bearable, Law placed the out of her depth Shinigami back on the ground and gave her a slap on the rear. Probably harder than he should have, but fuck it.

"I'm not going to hurt you, you just interest me, and I prefer to spend my time here."

"Hey that's kinda ru----"

And then, just like that she hoisted onto the considerably stronger man's shoulders and whisked away to some other location she hadn't expected. On one hand, Ren was frightened but on the other, she didn't really get an intent that this man was going to take her life... at least that's what her mind wanted to believe. Perhaps she was speaking in a roundabout fashion before but to be fair, this man was far out of her league! What was she gonna do get on her knees and beg as if she was praying to god? Whatever the case, a lot of her worries would be assuaged almost immediately as they arrived within Law's base of operations---the Bahamas.

It almost felt like they were teleported in a sense. Was this another aspect of that ability she witnessed earlier? Interesting... perhaps this would be more mutual than she once thought. Of course, she wasn't gonna get excited or speak out of line... but perhaps she'd tone down the long-winded talk? He seemed to be a man who was more about getting to the point rather than beating around the bush. She supposed she could respect that.

The slap on the rear, though... ow! Ren would rub her backside as she rose up from the ground and gazed at the scenery with a measured interest, before turning her eyes towards Law. As she thought, he wasn't going to let loose a can of whoop ass on her as once imagined.

As he said, he was interested in her. Truth be told, the feeling was mutual. As one who reveled in understanding the nature behind the metaphysical abilities of others, his ability was quickly becoming a subject of interest in her mind. There was also that idea of what was going on with him and how he was once fighting on the side of the Gotei? So many mysteries to unravel.

"That's a relief... Hm... Well," she'd cough as a blush formed on her cheeks and wondered how weird it would come across to admit mutual interest and not to make it sound flirtatious but hey, they were already sort of familiar enough? What a wild day this was so far.

"The feeling is mutual... I find you interesting, as well. I think my roundabout way of expressing that didn't help to illustrate that but... you certainly have caught my curiosity."

"Well, I would hope so."

"I mean, I've dragged you across half the planet, so things might seem a bit out of the ordinary, but I'm sure you can adapt to how things are progressing."

As he said this, Law pinched her cheek slightly, winking at her. He felt entirely in control of the situation, and that was how he preferred it. After all, what did this woman have to offer him in the short term? Sure, in the long term she could be useful, but that was a calculated risk he was taking, and if it didn't pay off, he would be a bit out of luck.

Law couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be, to some extent, turned on by the slap to her ass. This interested him, as it would any man, but he didn't intend on going down that road at the moment.

" You'll come with me, then we can find out what you're actually interested in."

As he said this, Law grabbed her hand, and began to led her towards a more intimate location. A part of the beach that wasn't constantly crowded with those that he felt fit to inhabit his island.

A light giggle would fall from the woman's lips as he pinched her cheeks. It was a pleasant interaction compared to the tense atmosphere she felt only moments ago. She didn't envision her day would feature her being whisked off by a man who took interest in her as quickly as he had but in any case, there was no room to issue any complaint. There was a mutual interest here and she'd follow his rhythm and see where things went. Did she have a choice in the matter, really? Play with the hand your dealt, right? Her hand would wrap his own as he pulled her along to a more secluded area, as she observed the scenery with inquisitive eyes before focusing on him entirely.

"Is that so? Well, lead the way then, Law. I am certainly interested to learn more about you as well as see what you find so interesting in me..."

After only a short walk, they came upon a place on the island that Law prohibited others from visiting. It was his own personal bit of secluded beach, the most serene on the island. It was surrounded by palm trees, which all but cut it off from view of the rest of the island. The water was a brilliant blue, and you could see straight to the bottom. Law had always enjoyed it, as it gave him the ability to disconnect himself from others, or to entertain guests with no worry of being bothered.

He led her to an outcropping of rocks which existed just before the shoreline, and gestured for her to have a seat, before sitting down himself. For a moment he began to wonder to himself why he had brought her here in the first place. He generally had some reason behind everything that he did, and he found that to be the best way to operate. He wasn't quite sure what that reason was here, but in the end it likely existed. Perhaps he was overthinking it, or maybe it really was just on a whim. He mulled this over in his brain before he began to speak. If the reason wasn't evident, he could easily create another.

"I'm curious to learn what your opinion on the soul cycle is."

Sitting beside him on the outcropping of rocks overlooking the shoreline, Ren would continue to observe the male with an ever-present glance teeming with curiosity. He had yet to elaborate on his reason for why she interested him so but perhaps that was the type of man he was. An individual who kept most of his cards hidden. Those were the truly mysterious types she could never pinpoint. Turning towards the seemingly endless ocean of resplendent blue, Ren's attention would quickly shift back to Law as he posed a question. That is, to ask her what her opinion was on the Soul Cycle.

A metaphysical notion to pose, no doubt. Yet, to the bright and curious woman who had yearned to discover everything imaginable in this wide collection of realms that were held together by so many endless strings, it was the type of deep-seated contemplation she reveled in. Her eyes lit up as she tilted her head and ruminated on what she desired to say for a few moments before turning towards him completely, fingers excitedly tapping at her chin.

"Well, if I were to give you my full and unfiltered opinion, I would likely be engaging you in the sort of overly elaborate speech I engaged you in earlier. Even so, the Soul Cycle... these realms, from earth to soul society, to even the places I've yet ventured... I find it overwhelmingly fascinating. The Soul Cycle in particular presents a great deal of interest to me. Especially... the concept of death and how we are reborn, similar to the concept of reincarnation known as Samsara. Humans die and if their soul is properly cleansed, they are born into the Soul Society, free to live an entirely new life, starting all over again."

Ren would hold her hands up as she sort of pantomimed the motions of an endless circle with her fingers as she continued on. Clearly, he had stoked the flames of boundless curiosity within her soul.

"And even then, when you die, depending on how you went out, the process of reincarnation enacts itself yet again. The soul returns to earth and you can live again. When you consider other races and the way a soul is handled or destroyed, it gets even more interesting. Like how hollows are completely removed from the cycle entirely when they are felled by a quincy. I can't begin to even think of the things I haven't discovered. Like demons and how they play into the process. In lesser words, It's really... cool," she'd finish with a blush as she turned away, exposing her blue hair as it flowed in rhythm with the soft winds. He'd probably talk about her talking too much again... but still! He asked her, so it was only fair, right?

Law listened carefully as she began to speak. He could tell that this was something that truly interested her, and that was something that he was pleased with. It was generally boring to listen to someone drone on about something which they knew a great deal about, but which they had no real vested interest in. He was glad that wasn't the case here. Her animated response was enough to hold his attention for the time being. Moments after she finished, Law began to respond.

"You're cute when you talk about things that excite you."

Law thought something over in his head for a moment. He had been planning on looking into the soul cycle for some time now. It was an area of study that interested him quite a lot, and he had a few ideas that he wanted to test out. Sure, he could do this on his own, but it would probably be best for him to have someone to delegate smaller tasks to. With that in mind, he had come to a decision.

"I'll be conducting some experiments on the soul cycle in the future. I'm accepting you as the first, and likely only additional member of the team."

For the moment, he wouldn't be revealing the intricacies of his own goals, but that would most likely come with time. Law was usually fairly tight lipped when it came to what he planned to do in the future. Still, he could see himself sharing that information with this woman in the future. In the end, it all came down to how things progressed. For some reason, he had high hopes for her involvement.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, is there anything you'd like to do besides sitting here and enjoying the view? Just name it."

A light blush tinted her cheeks as Law bluntly voiced a compliment in reply to her exposition-filled ramble. Admittedly, it felt quite nice to hear those words. Looking back on her days in the academy, none of her fellow peers appreciated the degree of knowledge she possessed, some even deemed it boring. Yet, he found it cute. Hm, perhaps interacting with this man wouldn't be terrible, after all.

"T-Thank you..."

Effectively being whisked off by a man she barely knew... there was reason why it may have felt intimidating at first. With his level of spiritual pressure alone, he could crush her without laying a finger on her. Even so, she felt not an ounce of ill-will emanating from him so far. Better to play things by mood at this point. His next words had really set her interests ablaze, however. Conducting experiments on the soul cycle? Ah, so that's why he posed the question! Apparently, he desired for her to be an additional member of the team. The sole member, in fact. It sounded really cool on paper, she had to admit!

The mere idea of being involved in exploring something that stimulated her senses was an exciting prospect. Though she felt she hardly had any choice in the matter, given the situation, there was no reason not to explore this out of curiosity. Where would his research take him? She wondered. Curiosity killed the cat, but Ren would die a thousand times to see her curiosities answered, to step across a boundary never explored hitherto. A nod of acceptance was posed in his direction to signify her interest.

"I'd be honored to join you. The promise of exploring the unknown is exciting. To know there are others who share my interests... it feels nice."

Her stomach would rumble enough for it to be audible to the hears. Another shade of red stronger than the first filled her face as she turned away, clearly a little embarrassed. She was hungry. She had spent the better part of her day running away from being the meal to a group of hollows. Now, it was she who desired a meal. Maybe they could talk some more over food? She didn't hate the idea and he seemed as if he might be open to it, too? Didn't hurt to ask.

"The view is nice... but I think some food would be nicer right about now. Before you saved me from being hollow chow, I spent all day trying to get those bastards off my tail. We could talk more about what your interests, too."

Law could tell that he had intrigued her. It was obvious in the way that she reacted to his comment. Of course, who wouldn't want to work with him on something of this scale. Especially if they were already interested in the subject matter at hand. Considering this, he was not surprised at all when she agreed to be a part of his team.

Seeing as he'd offered to provide her with anything she asked for, Law felt himself compelled to comply. He had a host of services available to him on this island, not the least of which being on demand catering. He wasn't particularly hungry at the moment, but he found that he could eat.

"That's understandable."

Within a matter of seconds Law had utilized his ability to transport them both. They arrived in a rather casual setting, a couple of couches surrounded a small table, the windows were open to let in the breeze. Law called for one of his servants, and began to speak after she had arrived.

"We'll be eating in today. I expect the kitchens are already prepared?"

The servant replied in the affirmative, and he nodded.

"Good I'll have the roast duck."

He turned to Ren, and addressed her.

"Have whatever you'd like, beautiful."