NATALIE

[concasse]

will shitpost later

Comments

W1 || FRIDAY

[concasse]

[Today is so fuckin much, from the actual corpse to the pile of (4) previously dead bodies. Sanji needs a cigarette break by the campfire and rubs tiredly at his face.

Though he'll offer Natalie a wave when he sees her, surprisingly calm instead of his usual disaster self]

How's your week been treating you?

[successives]

This place is exhausting.

[Those are the first words out of her mouth, but she seems pretty calm despite them, giving a casual shrug.]

I'm pretty sure all of us are used to that, though. And it's not like we didn't expect this. [...] Well, maybe nobody expected those four idiots, but.

[concasse]

Tch. I still owe all of them a kick to the head.

[That's how Sanji makes friends, apparently.]

But you're not wrong... at least that means we get to skip being surprised when this shit happens and go straight for the bandages. We're gonna need some on hand every week.

[successives]

Careful. They might break in half. They looked pretty beat up.

[She nods.]

Lucky that one of the groups from yesterday found one just in time, I guess. Seems like there's an okay supply in there.

[concasse]

... Fair point.

[Still wants to kick them all but he'll behave because a lady told him]

Aa... though depending on the injuries, might not be enough.

[Is he expecting people to lose limbs? Maybe.]

Don't remember shit getting quite this brutal so early on in the castle.

w2, friday.

[successives]

[The announcement might happen in the early morning, but Natalie isn't looking for Sanji until the early evening. Part of that has to do with the space she assumes he'll want. She doesn't know whether he and Hikage were close at all, but she does know they came from the same game.

There's another reason she's waiting until it's a bit later to talk to him, though, and that'll be evident enough when she walks into the kitchen holding a bottle of rum. She remembers their conversation from earlier in the week.]

Hey. Dick told me you guys saw some stuff this week, so... You ready to talk about some bullshit?

[concasse]

[... The rum grants a smile. Very small, given that Sanji looks exhausted and a bit paler than usual, but he gestures at a seat across from him.]

Sure, let's talk shit.

[successives]

[She takes a seat, blinking a few times for whatever reason.]

You want to grab the glasses?

[concasse]

Sure, I--

[A sudden, aggravated pause as he stands, like he means to approach her, only to literally slap at his own ... hand? Hm.]

Goddamnit, I'm so sick of this shit.

w2, sunday.

[successives]

[Somehow, seeing somebody's arm get crushed by a barrage of baseball bats hasn't done much for her appetite, but she's heading to the kitchen for some water regardless. When she sees Sanji there, she pauses for a moment, before:]

We really need to work on our track record.

[concasse]

... There's only one time we fucked up this badly at the castle, so two weeks straight of this shit? Not much of a fan.

[Heeeeee's staring at the ceiling like maybe he'll bore a hole through it and escape.]

[successives]

[She nods.]

It's... not great, that's for sure. Dick told me that you guys were working on ways to get stuff started earlier. Inventory and injury checks, and all that. That'll probably help.

[concasse]

Tch, he's such a shitty blabbermouth.

[Dropping his gaze from the ceiling, though his voice isn't actually annoyed. More exasperated]

He ain't wrong, though. We're wasting too much time as is... some of us come from places where we got to do investigations early, but we don't have that luxury anymore and gotta adapt.

W3 || Monday

[concasse]

[At least when this shit had happened in the castle, only Zelos really had to deal with it.

So Sanji? Completely unaware that the camp is about to make their lives a new type of hell. It's why he greets Natalie outside with a bright and friendly wave upon seeing her-- and barely has time to react when the scenery abruptly shifts.

Natalie won't recognize the extremely lavish lounge that suddenly envelopes them, but she might be able to place a name to the face staring back at her.

A face that is strained with vague concern and alarm, though given how quickly the expression shifts back into neutrality, perhaps Belph was never worried at all. He listens while the other man -- Sanji -- talks, in a voice that is raw from alcohol and sorrow.

"... I'll be honest with you. If I had my way, I'd just die already and get that shit over with. I don't have a home to go back to. And I'm not planning on letting myself off the hook later.

I'm only hanging on now so I can get everyone their happy ending.

So I'd appreciate if you wait a bit before selling me out, if that's alright."

Belph pauses... the nods quietly, answering in a manner that's almost callous: "... Yeah, don't worry. Everything else aside, it's more beneficial to me to have you around, anyway."

And then a pause from Sanji's end, before the chef laughs like he might cry, quietly grateful.

The scene ends after that, with the real Sanji just staring blankly ahead.]

... Tch. Really? We're gonna do this this week?

[successives]

—Oh my god.

[Those are the first startled words out of her mouth as the memory ends. Sanji may have only had to deal with it from his partner, but Natalie's last game didn't have this kind of experience at all. The only reason her reaction isn't more confused is because someone warned her this might happen.

Still, the memory itself... Her expression shifts in obvious concern before she manages to bring it back into control. After a few moments:]

What the hell was that about?

[concasse]

[... A sigh. Because he doesn't know about Natalie's lack of experience with this sort of thing, and so assumes this is just all business as usual.]

Memory bullshit from the castle. It's not really that important now...

[successives]

It seemed pretty important.

[She doesn't want to push or admit that she's worried, really, but that second one is obvious enough.]

W3 || Friday

[concasse]

[He'd meant to check in on her earlier, but... well. Plans change.

And now there's a lot more people dead.

Even still, Sanji forces himself to seek Natalie out, rubbing at his neck once he finds her (assumedly resting)]

... Hey.

[successives]

[She's still in her cabin, but by now, she's had enough visitors that the door is propped open for anyone else who wants to come in. She's laying in her bed with her back facing the door, though she looks over her shoulder to see who's coming in before looking back towards the wall.]

...What is it?

[concasse]

[Well he

Initially wanted to talk about what might have happened to her, except now that he's here, Sanji can't bring himself to do it. Instead he rubs at his neck again and sighs]

I wanted to check in.

[successives]

...I don't think you're going to believe me if I say I'm fine.

[Especially because there are unshed tears in her voice.]

w4, monday.

[successives]

[It's about halfway through the day that she's making her way into the kitchen on her crutches. She expects this is where she'll find Sanji, and she isn't wrong. When she sees him, she moves to lean again the counter so she isn't putting as much weight on her leg, glancing his way.

She seems a little bit embarrassed to ask, but—]

...Can I ask you a favor?

[concasse]

-- But of course!

[Immediately brightening when he sees her. Frankly Sanji is surprised Natalie would seek him out for anything, given how shitty her previous week was, but his head snaps up with a smile]

Name it and it shall be done~!

[successives]

You said you know a lot about... flower language and whatever, right?

[She might not have attended the public lesson he gave, but.]

[concasse]

-- Yeah, that's right.

[And the surprises keep coming, but Sanji nods along]

Were you interested in 'em?