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

[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.}

[concasse]

[And for a second, he stiffens up, not sure how he's supposed to read that hug, and it results in a frenzy of panic born from overthinking. Does she know? Is this about the experiment? Which one? And what the hell should he say?





--Breathe, idiot.

It only lasts a second. And then he's hugging her back, perhaps more tightly than he would on a regular day - it's the other testimony to the rawness of his feelings.]

[markofthebrave]

[It's just your average post-love-experiment, nice-to-see-you-in-our-right-minds again hug, Sanji, not to worry.

Katara's hugs are never particularly long affairs, but she does let this one last a beat or so longer than normal before pulling back.]

Hey.

[concasse]

[To that, he tries another smile, and manages to pull off one that reaches his eyes]

You doing alright?

[markofthebrave]

[Shrug.]

As best I can. It was Luffy, so... it could have been a lot worse.

[And she is WATCHING YOU for your response to that statement.]

[concasse]

[Oh, no worries. Sanji just laughs... then groans... then facepalms]

Katara-chan, I apologize on behalf of my captain. [Not because he suspects Luffy was forward, no; but because Luffy is Luffy.]

[markofthebrave]

[Not FORWARD per se, but definitely... they had been dating for three months, after all.

Katara shakes her head, looking a little pained.]

You don't need to apologize for him. We're okay.

[concasse]

... I'm glad. [He wouldn't want their friendship in jeopardy]

[markofthebrave]

[So, yes, enough about her.]

What about you?

[concasse]

I've had better weeks.

[markofthebrave]

I'm not surprised.

[Are you going to be all right?]

[concasse]

[With time, perhaps - no, for certain. It's not in him to mope forever.

But it will take time.]

Maah, nothing to do but move forward, eh? [He doesn't really feel any motivation behind the words, however. It's more an offer of optimism; an insistence of normalcy.]

[markofthebrave]

Well, maybe. [She puts her hand on his arm.] But there's time for grieving too.

[It's not like there's any pressing need to distract them or force them to bottle it up, however fortunate or unfortunate that may be.]

And you don't have to do that alone.

[concasse]

Katara-chan... [For a brief second, Sanji's eye clouds from weariness and pain, from hurt and the understanding of how much effort it takes for him to lean on someone else.

Then he grins, and the pain disappears, and his expression levels into sheepishness] Y'know... I realize I never apologized.

[markofthebrave]

[Blink.]

For what?

[concasse]

For nearly asking you out on a date. [/SOB]

[markofthebrave]

[She blinks, then smiles and shrugs.]

Oh, that's all right. I'm sure you - [he?] - didn't mean anything by it.

[concasse]

... You thought I was dishonest? [Don't get him wrong; he's glad she's shrugging it off like it's nothing, but at the same time...]

1/2

[markofthebrave]

[Blink.]

What? No. That's not what I said at all. I'm sure that if I'd said yes we would have gone out on a date.

[Just like any other girl you'd have asked out.]

[markofthebrave]

I just didn't think you meant it - specifically in reference to me. How could you? [Why would you?] You'd just met me.

[concasse]

That's true, but... [Sanji still senses a disconnect, and scratches the side of his face]

Why wouldn't I mean it? Katara-chan's very beautiful, and was the first person to make me feel better about my experience. You're smart and kind... I could see and feel that from meeting you once.

1/?

[markofthebrave]

[...what.]

[markofthebrave]

[No, really - what?

Her brain shorts on 'beautiful' and skitters over to 'smart and kind' although she can accept that she made him feel better...]