Belph

[concasse]

Will put in some meme here later

Comments

[concasse]

You know as well as I do that we don't have time to coddle everyone.

[Evan's dead. He didn't deserve what happened to him, but he's gone. No one else gets a free pass, as far as Sanji's concerned]

Especially with the new rules. If there really is only one team that can win, we've got a problem.

[axilium]

... The important thing is if we can find a way to revive everyone after the "competition". If we can, then... well, we know from experience that it doesn't really matter how many of us dies.

[as cold as it sounds.]

But not every place had that option, it seems, so we can't count on that as a guarantee.

[concasse]

... Which place didn't have the revival option?

[It was stupid of him to assume, but... Sanji really did think that everyone got their happy ending]

[axilium]

Demon boat.

[concasse]

[And it's official, Sanji never wants to go there.

He hisses a sigh through his teeth]

So you're telling me that those bastards were meant to die and not come back?

[axilium]

Something like that, from what I gather.

[...]

The number of killing games where the dead did come back vastly outnumbers it, but... it's something to keep in mind.

[concasse]

... Aa. No guarantees then.

[That's... hard to say, hard to swallow. But they don't have the luxury of turning a blind eye to that possibility]

Oi, are you, Steph-chan, and Hikage all on the same team? I don't need the color, just...

[Give him a sense of the potential mess]

[axilium]

... No. All three of us are on different teams.

[haha!]

[concasse]

... Sorry, Belph.

[axilium]

[he shrugs.]

... It's not ideal, but I braced myself for this kind of thing back in the castle.

[concasse]

I know, but...

[He's still unhappy hearing this shit, and his features set into concern]

Well, we'll just. keep it in mind. There's no guarantee that the rule about one team winning will pan out, or even what that entails.

[axilium]

If it follows the pattern of other places, there's either a hidden catch or a better ending. We'll just have to see what it is.

[...]

This isn't really relevant, but got some time?

[concasse]

... Yeah, sure.

[Looking briefly surprised because Belph rarely asks anything of him that isn't work-related, so.]

What do you need?

[axilium]

Mind sparring with me for a bit? Not really my idea of a fun time, but given our situation, I figure it's not a good idea for my lessons back in the castle to go to waste.

And I used my ability earlier, and it turns out that giving up my sense of touch means I don't feel any pain either, so hey, now's as good of a time as any to get beaten up.

[concasse]

[... Sighing loudly]

Fine, I'm in. You remember how I fight though, right?

[axilium]

Vaguely. It'll be a change of pace?

[concasse]

["Vaguely"

oh dear, Sanji has a concern]

Well, before we start... keep my way of fighting to yourself for now, could ya? I don't think even the people from the castle know.

[More to the point, they have no idea how Sanji uh... murdered half of their ranks]

I expect shit to get ugly while we're here, so the more aces I got up my sleeves, the better.

[axilium]

[listen belph wasn't taking notes on how sanji killed people, he had his hands full with his stabby partner]

I assume it won't be a lot of fun to be on the receiving end, but that's also why I'm asking while I can't feel shit anyway.

But roger that.

[concasse]

[Whelp.

Time to find a spot so Sanji can literally kick his ass. Jesus. He still has so many fears. AND ALSO--]

How much fighting can you do? You know any basic self-defense?

[axilium]

Took lessons from Steph and Shirasu back in the castle. Can't say I'm an expert, but I know the basics.

[concasse]

... Alright.

Let's try this.

I want you to try and dodge. Do it however you like, but the goal is to avoid my attack, even if that means laying me out. Got it?

[axilium]

[he nods.]

Got it.

[concasse]

[in that case, Sanji's hands slide into his pockets. Is Belph aware he fights only with his legs? Well, he's about to find out when Sanji lunges and will lodge a foot into his ribcage unless he moves.]

[axilium]

[kind of unusual, but belph dodges, dashing to the side. his hand twitches, because this is probably the part where shirasu would, like, stab his opponent and belph unfortunately takes more cues from his murderous ninja partner than steph, but.]

[concasse]

[Shirasu giving poor Belph PSTD.

There are no knives or swords from Sanji. But as a trade-off, he's relentless in how he chases after Belph. The next attack isn't a kick, but a swipe at the other's feet, trying to throw him off-balance.]