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

[concasse]

[Gratefulness dries up like a well in the desert, and Sanji flashes him a vaguely irritated look]

I don't need a damn babysitter.

[hiken_ace]

Who says I'm babysitting? Just wanna stay at the bar.

[He takes another ship of his drink, vaguely lost in thought.]

[concasse]

[He's so very close to inviting Ace to sit elsewhere if he's gonna stay at the bar, but he doesn't. Must not be drunk enough for that shade or rudeness - though he does grunt in a very "do what you want" manner]

[hiken_ace]

[Ace just gives a light nod in return, twirling his glass around in his hand. Oh he is definitely lost in thought now. Not only wondering what on earth could make Sanji this upset, but also at how much fucking pain the Malnosso have to make people around him go through until their satisfied. His glass shakes a bit as he grips it tighter, though he's barely noticing.]

[concasse]

[While it can't be said Sanji's paying vivid attention to Ace's body language, his eyes catch wind of those tightening fingers all the same. He says nothing for a while, until it looks like that glass will either catch on fire or shatter. The chef mutters on a sigh]

Careful, Ace. That shitty glass hasn't done anything to you.

[hiken_ace]

[He immediately freezes when the cook brought him back from his thoughts. Glancing down at his glass, still shaking a little, he downs the drink and puts the glass down. He's silent before mumbling.]

Thanks.

[concasse]

Heeeeh. Seems like you could use a few shitty drinks, too.

[hiken_ace]

All I've gotten the past month. [He shakes his head.]

I just need to relax a bit.

[concasse]

-- Oh, did you ever try the hot springs? [He vaguely remembers mentioning that]

[hiken_ace]

Yeah, really helped take my mind off of things. Thanks for that. [He puts on a smile to try and lift the mood, but it's a fake one.

He's kinda good at those.]

[concasse]

It was nothing.

I might take a trip up there myself.

[hiken_ace]

Seems like a good plan. Think you could use the break.

[concasse]

Heh. Maybe.

Then again, chefs don't get breaks. [The one downfall of his job; everyone needs to eat, regardless of his mental state]

[hiken_ace]

Everyone deserves a break. Just see if you can get someone to run the restaurant for a few days. It's not like people are gonna die without it.

[concasse]

Heh. I'm not talking about that place.

I won't leave my crew.

[hiken_ace]

[...he envies you, Sanji. He really does.] Lucky... [He rushes his next sentence, to make it seem like he never said the first.]

Sticking with 'em might be better, anyway.

[concasse]

[The subtle twitch in Sanji's eyebrow means he heard that loud and clear, and distantly, he feels a roll of emotion that might be guilt.

It's dim, however, lost in the turmoil of today's events. He's sorry Ace, but right now, his sympathy is all but dried up. Maybe tomorrow.]

Aa, probably. [He tosses back another shot] But they've got their problems too. [A shrug; everyone does]

[hiken_ace]

[A one shoulder shrug.] We all do. Who says we can't all try and help people through their problems?

[Always being there for you no matter what... that's what nakama are about.]

[concasse]

[he laughs, not unkindly, as that makes the most sense logically. It's a shame human beings are only logical half the time.]

[hiken_ace]

[He gives him a cautious look from the laugh. Guess that was a stupid thing to say. And it was, he didn't know what happened, and it really wasn't any of his business. He just quietly takes another sip of his drink.]

[concasse]

[Given enough silence, Sanji will eventually soften, in a sense. Or in this case, what that means is he sighs and leans back, fixing Ace with a loose stare like he's only half-sure what to do with the man.

Frankly, he'd love for Ace to take a hike. Nothing personal, like he said - but it's easier to wallow when you're not dragging someone else down with you. He can't fully hate himself and Luceti in the presence of another.]

... Thanks, for taking me out on your skiff.

[hiken_ace]

[He'd kinda rather you didn't hate yourself, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. And hell, who is he to deprive him of that. He downs the last of his drink, standing up and putting his hat on his head.]

You're welcome. I'll be glad to give you a ride anytime. [As he walks away, he calls over his shoulder.]

And I do mean anytime.