You kept your distance from your oh so gracious host.

He seemed to mean no harm but the way he switched so quickly from attacking to promoting you to maid had you on edge. You wouldn't put it past him to change his mind again just as quickly.

First thing the next morning, you busied yourself with the mess your fight had left, taking care to avoid the main walkways on your way outside in case the warlord happened to be roaming the halls. Once safely out, you could see the full extent of the chaos. The front of the castle was a mess, covered in plants and mud from the water you'd brought forth. Surrounding that, you could clearly see a gouge in the earth, created by the warlord's sword when he cut through your plants initially no doubt. The ground around it was bone dry and brittle, still very dehydrated from when you created your water orb.

Your boots slid in the muck the second you stepped off the grimey walkway, armed with a bucket full of cleaning supplies and tools to remove the plants. You wouldn't have needed the tools if most of the plants weren't dead and if you weren't still exhausted from how much you'd used your abilities. In reality, a day of rest would've been preferable, your body still ached painfully, the old pains only made worse from the new ones. But once again, you couldn't be sure if leaving such a disaster at the warlord's front door step would be enough for him to decide maybe you weren't worth keeping around.

With a groan, you dropped your bucket and got to work, cutting down dry, dead plants and throwing them to the edge of the trees. You started with the little stuff, pulling them up by the roots easily enough and filling in the holes that were left behind. Some of the ivy that you'd used yesterday had managed to climb up the front of the castle and impressively, some hadn't died.

But it was still all brittle enough that a curt tug was enough to release the plants grip and bring them falling down. It didn't take long to remove everything from the walls and move on to the real task. The large roots and thicker plants, though dry and mostly dead, were still quite strong.

"It seems you're doing things the hard way."

On instinct, you felt a surge of energy and greenery rose to your call and shot towards the voice. You jumped and turned quickly to see Mihawk at the top of the stairs, arms crossed as he stared down at you with a natural, slight scowl. The plants stopped around him, only a few, slim tendrils of green resting on the toes of his boots, licking them greedily in your defense. You slumped forward slightly, now more exhausted than before. At this point, it didn't take much to sap what little energy you had remaining.

"Ah, now I see." He remarked, lips now turning into a very slight grin of amusement. "Drained are we?"

"Don't sneak up on me." You frowned, now there was more you'd have to clean.

"I would instead suggest you hone your skills, it's pitiful that you didn't notice my arrival." He countered.

But you couldn't help but notice, as he kicked the plants off his boots and marched down the stairs, that he was dressed for yard work. Based on what you'd seen so far, he preferred his lavish outfits. Though then again, you'd hardly seen much of him, maybe you were wrong.

"Problem?" He continued, noticing your furrowed brows.

"Just wondering if you got dressed in the dark is all."

"I suppose you don't want my help then?" He quirked a brow questioningly.

You weren't sure if you wanted his company, but your aching body wouldn't let you say no.

With a sigh, you shrugged. "I could maybe use a hand."

He walked down the steps to join you and reached for the closest, thick mass of roots. Where you would have struggled to take down the overgrowth, he seemed to remove them like it was as simple as tugging on frail blades of grass. You watched in awe as he tossed them towards the trees lazily, as if what he just did wasn't an inhuman feat. You always assumed tales of such strength were just stories.

But before the warlord could catch you gawking, you quickly returned to work, giving him plenty of space as you pulled up smaller roots with noticable effort. Maybe he was right and you did need to brush up on your skills. The thought plagued your mind only for a short while. Soon you were more involved in the quiet act of uprooting plants, dead and alive alike.

It felt like a rough, shuffling dance between the two of you. The warlord would leisurely make his way to more challenging plants to uproot while you gave him wide birth, not interested in finding yourself too close to the man. He was still very much a mystery after all.

In reality, the job was short lived with your expert helper. Soon you were on opposite ends of the gouge, filling it back up with dirt as you worked towards the middle. It was cut deep, but wasn't much thicker than the blade used to create it. If you looked hard enough, you could see slivers of sliced roots as bugs explored the newly created territory. For a moment, the repetitive motions of kicking dirt in the hole and stamping it down with a foot was almost enough to keep you oblivious of your surroundings.

Before you knew it, you were almost shoulder to shoulder with the warlord, both of you equally sweaty as the day warmed up despite the cloud cover. All the fine hairs on your body stood on end as you felt the brush of fabric against your body.

"I've got the rest." You said quickly, fighting the urge to step away as you continued to busy your self with stomping down a patch of particularly dry dirt.

If the tense edge of your voice didn't do it, the lack of eye contact was enough to encourage him to straighten out and step back from the work without a single comment. The man was yet still full of surprises.

"I suppose it is late enough in the day for lunch." He stated plainly. You glanced in his direction long enough to see his eyes turning towards the front doors of his home thoughtfully.

He only paused for a moment before wordlessly making his way inside, and to the kitchen you assumed. The second the heavy doors closed behind him, you felt your body relax, releasing tension you didn't even realize had built up.

Once again you were alone, not even the apes were around and it seemed like you were wrapped in a blanket of blissful silence. All that could be heard was the ground crunching beneath your feet as you finished filling the dirt. The quiet was something to be enjoyed and you did just that every chance you got. It was peace, serenity, calm, all things you never experienced for more years than you cared to count.

But you also supposed it was time for a break from the work and therefore, the peaceful outdoor quiet. Your body ached to the point that you had no choice but to call it a day. You were quite sure there wasn't much left to be done anyway. The ground would look obviously disturbed for some time and no amount of work would fix it.

With an exaggerated groan, you stretched your arms above your head until you felt your spine pop, and began to make your way inside. The warlord was right, lunch did sound good. That and a bath of course.

----

"I was not far from assuming you'd gone and decided to live among the apes." Mihawk remarked.

Maybe you'd taken longer than planned in the bath but it'd helped soothe some of the ache in your bones. Not to mention you'd gathered a fine layer of dirt on your skin and needed it gone before even daring to make your way to the kitchen despite the appetite you'd worked up.

You'd thought it was convenient anyway, and that the warlord would have long since finished in the kitchen. But interestingly enough, he was still there, a small array of ingredients around the cutting board he was currently standing over. His, what you assumed to be, normal expression was on his face as he sliced through a loaf of bread. One that somehow looked bored and keen at the same time.

"I was taking my time." You answered simply as you inspected the counter.

A few condiments were piled together on one side, and on the other was a hunk of cheese and a small ham that you'd cooked before. It was what remained after you cooked it a couple days ago and put it to the side for just this purpose.

"Indeed you were." He remarked with a slight nod, deft hands quickly putting together a sandwich.

"I thought you would've eaten by now." You ignored the obvious attitude that came with his comment, though you might have seen a small glint to his eye when he said it.

"I decided to wait." He quickly made a second sandwich and leaned over the counter to place it closer to you.

Interesting.

You cautiously reached forward and grabbed it, watching him the entire time. He simply took a bite out of his own and turned his head to the window on the far side of the room, not looking at anything in particular but taking in the gloomy view none the less. You mimicked him, staring out in case there was something out there he saw that you didn't.

But it was nothing strange, just the usual cloud cover casting shadows on a barren landscape.

"Why here?" You ventured as you nibbled at the edges of the bread.

He took another bite out his his sandwich, chewing slowly. You weren't sure if he was interested in answering and almost decided to leave the room to occupy the rest of your time somewhere else.

"I like it."

The answer was vague and honestly boring. You figured a warlord would have a better answer than that. Though you also couldn't find any real reason for someone to stay here for too long, at least not anyone normal.

Though of course, a warlord was far from normal.

You decided to think on his response, find the allure of an island as desolate as this. He must see something you don't.

You both continued to eat in silence. Your company enjoying the view out the window while you puzzled over the allure of an island that was just a relic of war in your eyes. Maybe there was something to it you just couldn't see.