One month after the fall of Dressrosa
The time had sped by since the Riku family had fallen, and the Donquixote family had established themselves as the saviors of Dressrosa.
The palace was theirs, and the family quickly set about establishing themselves not just as the ruling family, but also at home.
Portraits of the Riku family were removed, replaced by large, attractive pieces of art that Jora had selected. An enormous family portrait, commissioned by Doflamingo himself, hung in the grand hall.
Any servants still loyal to the Riku family were handed over to Sugar. Diamante and Gladius began overseeing potential recruits for the Donquixote army, who would serve as enforcers over Dressrosa in place of the family. Already Doflamingo had most graciously accepted a fair number of soldiers from King Riku's army into his, as they had only been following the orders of a mad king. Doflamingo made a show of his forgiveness.
Senor Pink and Pica were overseeing necessary repairs to the palace with the aid of the former soldiers.
Dellinger's human teeth were slowly growing back in, and he was sporting his crooked, uneven smile.
For the first time, the children had their own rooms. Machvise and Jora went into the city with Baby 5, Sugar, Monet and Dellinger to buy supplies for redecorating. Sugar found it boring and Baby 5 got distracted by a strange man trying to sell her a magazine subscription. Dellinger however, was delighted and picked out purple curtains for his room.
"Diamante! Diamante, look!" cried Dellinger upon their return, skipping up the huge stone steps. "Curtains!"
"Uhahahaha, oh for me? You shouldn't have. But you know purple isn't my color."
"Noooooo!" said Dellinger. "They're my curtains!"
"Of course they are," said Diamante, hoisting up Dellinger and putting him on his massive shoulders. "Now check out what else this place has for you!"
"Dellinger, come meet me in the study after-innn!" called Machvise.
Diamante carried him through the gardens. Dell could see the great sunflower fields and all of Dressrosa looking down from the King's Plateau.
He could see Green Bit and felt a surge of excitement.
"Are you going to take me to the Green Bit?"
"We'll see Dell," said Diamante. "I think you're under the impression that Fighting Fish are like pets or something. There's a caged bridge over the Green Bit for a reason."
"So people won't eat the fish?"
"No, so the fish don't eat the people."
Diamante carried him to a huge back patio and overlooking veranda, where stretched out in front of them was a large swimming pool.
Dellinger regarded it curiously from Diamante's shoulders.
"What is it?"
"It's a swimming pool!" said Diamante.
Dellinger looked at it skeptically.
"Why is the water in a box?" he asked. Having known nothing but the ocean, Dellinger found the odd rectangle of boxed water…limited.
"Uhahahaha, to go swimming in!"
"But you can't swim, Diamante. Nobody can. Except Lao G."
"Lao G and…?"
Dellinger blinked.
"Oh! And me, I swim!"
"Of course you swim, don't be dull."
Dellinger looked at the box of water, and hoped he would be able to swim in the ocean instead.
Machvise later took Dellinger to the study to go through the massive bookcases and find any books that might be suitable for Dellinger, who was learning to read. Dellinger had picked a sunflower and was wearing it in his hair behind his horns.
"How about this one?" asked Dellinger, sitting on Machvise's massive shoulders and pulling down a large volume.
"The Divine Comedy," said Machvise, reading the tile aloud. "Sounds like a laugh, why not-innnn!"
"Wow!" said Dellinger, cracking open the volume. "There's pictures of fire all over the place, just like Dressrosa was!"
"Perfect, we'll have Jora read it tonight-innn," said Machvise. "She loves books with great art."
"This one! This one!"
"Oedipus Rex," said Machvise.
"Oh, an excellent choice," chuckled Doflamingo, who was beckoning in a large throne held by several servants, the headboard fashioned into a diamond. "A personal favorite of mine. But it might give Dell some ideas, fufufufufu. Perhaps when he's older."
"Aww…."
"Heh, we'll stick to the comedy then-innnn," said Machvise.
There was a quiet knock on the door.
"Come in," said Doflamingo idly, straightening the chair.
Violet, the newly initiated family member, slowly, cautiously, stepped into the study. She was wearing a pale lavender dress with flounced tiers, the typical sort of dress that Dellinger had become used to seeing Dressrosaen women wearing.
"Ah, Violet," said Doflamingo, a cloying smile on his lips. "To what do I owe the pleasure of one of the Riku family in my study?"
Violet's mouth was a straight line. Dellinger was looking at her dress, and the dark purple shoes she was wearing that matched.
"Young Master," she said haltingly. "I – I would like to ask your permission to continue my flamenco lessons."
Doflamingo smiled.
"Fufufufu, I see no reason why you should not," he said. "I of course value Dressrosa's arts and culture, and I see no reason why my family members should not be well-versed in it.
Violet's shoulders relaxed. A reticent but relieved smile graced her face.
"Thank you," she murmured, inclining her head. "I—"
"So long as one of my executives go with you."
The smile faltered from Violet's face.
Dellinger gasped and flailed arms, nearly falling off Machvise's head.
"Young Master, Young Master can I go with Violet?" he cried. "I want to take flamingo lessons! Kya!"
He wiggled his fingers.
"Heheheh, are you going to be the next Victoria Cindry, Dellinger-innn?" chuckled Machvise, lifting Dellinger off his head.
"Yes!" cried Dellinger. "I don't know who that is!"
Machvise set him on the floor and he did several kicks and shook his hands vigorously.
"Umm…I think you are thinking of tap dancing," said Violet bravely. "Perhaps flamenco wouldn't be of much interest to your um…your child here, Young Master."
"Fufufufu! I think Dellinger joining you is a splendid idea," said Doflamingo. "Dellinger, why don't you and Jora tag along with Miss Violet. Young children should value the arts, don't you agree, Miss Violet?"
Dellinger looked at Violet cautiously. He was still a little uncertain as to how he felt about her, but the thought of flamingo dancing sounded fantastic.
He smiled at her with his uneven smile and giggled.
Violet did not smile back.
"Yes, Young Master," she said in a clipped voice. "A splendid idea."
"Violet! Hi, Violet! Look!"
Dellinger spun grandly onto the veranda, where Jora had told him to wait with Violet.
Violet was sitting on a bench in a red and black dress. She stared at him.
"What are you wearing?" she deadpanned.
Dellinger was taken aback. "It's my flamingo skirt," he said. "For dance class."
Dellinger was wearing a long tiered skirt into Dressrosaen style, of minty green fabric with a swirled pattern and dark emerald flounces. He was wearing bright green Mary Janes to match.
"Kya! Jora made it for me so I'd be ready for flamingo dancing!" said Dellinger, twirling and shaking his "jazz hands."
"Why do you do that?"
"What?"
"That thing with your hands. It's weird."
"Not it's not," said Dellinger. "It's called jazz hands."
"Well we're not taking jazz lessons, we're taking flamenco lessons," said Violet in a stiff voice. "And green isn't a flamenco color."
"Neither is red and black," said Dellinger, smirking. "I've never seen red and black flamingos. Just pink ones."
Violet groaned and buried her face in her hands.
"You're not fun," said Dellinger, scowling at her.
"Dellinger, are you a boy or a girl?" said Violet, finally looking up.
Dellinger looked at her.
"Jora says that's a stupid question. I can be whatever I want," said Dellinger, matter-of-factly. "She encourages 'freedom' and 'self-espession.'"
"But are you a boy or a girl?"
"I can be whatever I want," repeated Dellinger.
"Yes but…like, you know, when you were born," said Violet, seeming a little disconcerted. "You know, we're born a certain way, with certain things… that tells us if we're a boy or a girl."
"Ohhhh!" said Dellinger brightly. "Things we're born with! I know what you mean!"
Dellinger stood up and titled his back toward Violet. Giggling, he extended his dorsal fin.
She gasped aloud.
"What is that?"
"That's my fin! I was born with it!"
"Why were you born with...? No, never mind. Just, never mind."
"I don't know about when I was born. Diamante says I came from a store."
"What?"
"Child! Look who I've brought along!"
Dellinger and Violet turned to see Jora, with Gladius and Machvise in tow.
"Ohohohoho! Don't you just look splendid child!" said Jora, fixing a fresh sunflower into Dellinger's hair behind one of his horns.
"Gladius, look at my skirt! I can do twirls!" said Dellinger, spinning enthusiastically. "Are you going to learn flamingo dancing too?
"Jora insisted I come along in case you need a partner," said Gladius, rolling his eyes behind his goggles.
"Why are you here, Machvise?"
"Oh, Machvise is going to be my partner," said Jora, squeezing his meaty arm while Machvise grinned.
Violet opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it. Dellinger watched her eyes rove slowly over Gladius's long coat and skirt, her brow furrowed.
"You two will look simply stunning together!" said Jora, fixing a matching emerald green rosette in Gladius' top hat.
"Gladius!" cooed Dellinger. "Can I paint your nails when I get back?"
"We'll see," said Gladius. "You painted them a few days ago."
"I remember," said Dellinger dramatically. "Metallic black."
Violet made a strange face, opened her mouth, and then closed it again.
"Come now, lead the way, Miss Violet," said Jora grandly. "We mustn't be late."
Violet decided then and there, not to ask questions about anybody's gender, gender expectations, gender roles, or gendered anything in the so-called "family."
A/N: Thank you to my friend Niki who came up with "The Divine Comedy."