004↠ Action

[concasse]

[Sanji's at the bar probably with the rest of the village, holed up in a corner for a decidedly good portion of the evening/night, well after this mess. Catch him when he's depressingly sober, moderately drunk and pissed, or in the middle of destroying what's left of his kidneys.

He'll get home eventually. Somehow.]

Comments

[Action]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash heard the ruckus that morning and was worried when he couldn't hear Sanji afterwards. It took some time to get back from the beach, but it was hard to miss the large hole in the house next door.

Don't mind Vash as he invites himself in the new door.] Sanji!? Is anyone here? [He'll keep moving inside deeper into the house when he doesn't find anyone in the room.]

[Action]

[concasse]

[He'll find Sanji in the kitchen, perhaps, washing up dishes. He hears Vash come in and... doesn't turn.

He can see he's alive and well. That'll be good enough, he hopes. Though just in case:]

I'm fine, Vash.

[Action]

[goldenglasses]

[He hears you, but can you feel the eyes that are roaming the back of your head Sanji?]

They took, Noel? I'm sorry, Sanji, but I'm glad you're alright.

baby you know i love ya

[wildkotetsu]

[OH HEY so you're destroying your kidneys over there...

Kotetsu's relieved for his own situation, but uh... Sanji, you're not looking all there tonight; maybe this means he should walk over and be his own personal cop checking for DUIs.]

Uh... Sanji?

[Are all those bottles yours? 3:^|]

[Action]

[concasse]

[Sharp and to the point, despite the subtle slur] Go away.

[Yes, they are. And no, he doesn't want to hear your goddamn preaching. So Sanji's cutting this off at the bud rather than engage in conversation. It's better for both of them.]

[Action]

[wildkotetsu]

... Is this all yours? Did you drink all this on your own?

[It's spoken somberly. He's familiar with the pattern of 'maybe if I drink enough, my brain will shut down and stop thinking about things'. And he's not happy to see it.]

What happened?

[selphie_t]

[Okay, so Selphie wasn't affected by the experiment and wasn't even present for most of it but something drew her to the bar tonight as she settles herself next to Sanji and orders something of the non-alcoholic variety. Nobody's carrying her home tonight thank you very much!

When her drink arrives, she sips at it before poking him in the side.]

Would you like some company, good sir?

[concasse]

[No, he wouldn't. Sanji's reached that point where he's sure conversation and company will do him any good. Call it wallowing in self-pity, but he's beyond caring tonight, and wants to mope in peace.

... That said, he's not so far gone as to voice the thoughts (and he's only have three drinks). After a pause, he leans his head on a propped arm and fancies Selphie with a subdued smile.]

I'd never turn you down, Selphie-chan.

[selphie_t]

[Now that is a feeling that Selphie can understand. She reaches and pats Sanji on the shoulder.]

Bad week, huh?

[And she's putting it mildly.]

You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I understand.

/is a worse mun

[distressedude]

[So maybe this is the next day or something after Sanji deals with what must be the worst hangover ever or the same day idk consistent timelines are overrated but either way, Ion is sitting down in a secluded corner of Seventh Heaven, dealing with things in the only way he knows how!]

[...er. Well. He can't really deal with this in his usual way. You can only pretend nothing is wrong for so long, after all... especially when you feel like you can't even face half of your friends after embarrassing yourself so much. And for this to happen so soon after that conversation with Nephry...]

[And so, here he is in Seventh Heaven, with about 3 empty milkshakes sitting in front of him. He'll be ordering another one the next time Sanji comes by. The boy's got problems....]

we can be terrible together

[concasse]

[Be it beer bottles or shot glasses or milkshakes, that expression and that arrangement of empty cups is practically universal. When Ion asks for another drink, the chef's response is to unceremoniously place a tall glass of water in front of him]

Kid, any more of those and you'll be sick for a shitty week.

All the beautiful terribleness~

[distressedude]

...I think I already ensured that after the second one. One more wouldn't make too much of a difference, would it?

[Besides, being sick would give him an excuse to hide in his room for a week! Though being sick and miserable didn't seem a very good alternative to being miserable...]

[alabastajewel]

[It's late, and Vivi's usually asleep at this hour. Usually.]

[In fact, she'd tried, following her usual routine; in bed by her customary time...where she proceeded to toss. And turn. And generally worry myriad things over in her mind like a dog chewing a bone. An hour of that had been enough, and in a bid to distract herself, she settled on the couch in the living room with a book.]

[It helps a bit, though it's far from perfect. It doesn't take much to jar her from the words on the page and back to those worrisome thoughts, but she knows it's better than lying awake with nothing to do but turn those thoughts over and over in her head.]

[So, she's in the living room when she hears the sound of someone outside--the handle of the front door rattles and there's a muffled voice, though she can't make out the words. Ur. She'll just set that book aside and start heading in the direction of the door.]

[concasse]

[He fights the door open before Vivi gets her hand on the knob, punctuated by a soft "Ha!" of triumph--

And nearly stumbles into her. What keeps him in place is his forgetting to let go said knob, meaning he clings awkwardly to it, blinking rapidly so as to focus on the person in front of him.

... Oh.] Vivi-chan. [Well then. He quickly straightens, takes a few measured steps inside, and uses his weight to close the door behind him. He hasn't stopped his vaguely assessing stare] Why are you up?

[Why Sanji is still awake is probably clear enough: the strong whiff of alcohol, the subdued tone, and the lax posture that makes him look like even more of a noodle than usual. Before she can answer, he leans forward a step, slowly picking his way along with a hand on the wall]

[alabastajewel]

[Vivi pushes herself back against the wall, giving him ample room to stagger past. She drops her gaze and gives a small shrug with one shoulder.] Couldn't sleep.

...do you want some help? [She can't not ask, though she expects a refusal, and that probably shows in her face.]

[hiken_ace]

[Well, he knows Sanji is a pirate, and that scene with a good few bottles around him is a very familiar scene. And you bet Ace can tell something's wrong, and like hell he's going to let you sit there alone and wallow in your sadness.

It's not a good plan.] Oi... [He'll just take a seat next to you and you drunk self.] What happened? [His tone is soft and concerning.]

[concasse]

None of your damn business. [His head is bowed, but he does tilt it enough where he can open an eye and see who's talking to him]

Yo, Fire Fist. [He very patiently and slowly pours himself another shot, so none of it spills] Want one?

[hiken_ace]

Yeah, well I think it is.

[He shakes his head, holding up a hand.] I'm fine, thanks. [He rests an arm on the counter, getting a good, hard look at Sanji.] And whatever's upsetting you this much is something I'd like to know about.

[markofthebrave]

[Right, so. The next day, Katara's on the hunt. Yes. She is. Now try to get that song out of your head.

Because she is coming. Oh yes. One way or another. She's gonna find ya.

And she checks in the Seventh Heaven first. \o/]

[concasse]

[Good guess, Katara. There is a chef there who has decided he better not skimp out on his duties a second time. On his way back to the kitchen, he absently racks his stare across the dining room until it focuses on Katara]

Ah... Katara-chan. [... Yep. That's all he's got. No smile. No excitement. Just a blink as he walks over]

[markofthebrave]

[Well, that's fine. At least he saved her the walk.]

Sanji.

[/Hug.}

[mikangirl]

[There's a gentle clink on Sanji's table as Nami sets down a bottle and two glasses, and she slides into the seat opposite without so much as a by your leave. She doesn't say anything, actually; just quietly pours herself a glass and sets the bottle down within reach. It's an open invitation. No guesses required as to what she's drinking this fine evening.]

[concasse]

[After a surprised but subdued pause, Sanji finds himself reaching for the bottle and pouring himself a glass as well. But he keeps his eyes on her, firstly. Only once he's swallowed his first shot - yep, it won't take long before he's feeling it - does he speak]

How you holding up? [Not Are you okay?, because neither of them have time for stupid questions]

[inadvertently]

[ Oh.

Look, it's that one bartender that was screaming his head off about everyone and everything during that event.

Fact of the matter is, Shizuo's always working. And now that the world has gone back to normal, he doesn't really give a shit. He's forgotten he was even pissed.

But it's still early in the night and he oughta be doing his job. ] What can I get you?

[concasse]

Vodka, to start. [Pause] Just leave the bottle here.

[Sanji makes no attempt at eye contact - not out of shame, either. He barely remembers his yelling contest with Shizou. The chef's just lost in heavy thought, and wants something to rectify that soon.

Help a fellow blond get drunk off his ass, would ya?]