006↠ ACTION

[concasse]

[It's sunny. And hot. And perhaps not the best weather to take a nap in while you're unabashedly unconscious.

... Which is too bad, seeing as Sanji's passed out under a tree located at the village's edge - clothes dirty and ruffled, no doubt collecting more dirt as he rolls in his uncomfortable slumber, the crook of his arm covering his eyes.

Go on. Wake him up. Be a good Samaritan.



And hell, even if you don't, Sanji will eventually stumble upon you -- or into you, if that's your thing. Later in the day he'll be all over the village insisting he's fine, no he's not drunk so stop trying to escort him back to bed. B| He can walk it off.]





[ooc: MALLYNAP EFFECT. Touch him and your character will share a memory with Sanji. It can be a memory of his or a memory of your character's; just specify in the subject line what you prefer. |D Any memory is free game, and the scope of it is at our discretion, but keep in mind both characters will view it until the memory ends or they escape the "boundary". (Just imagine the memory as a bubble and if a character walks far enough for whatever reason, they pop it.) Also note they're still in Luceti - no teleporting anywhere. Just assume the characters are mostly slack-jawed and staring at a tree for the duration.

I also endorse all time-breaking. Tis but a flimsy wall in our way.]

Comments

[wildkotetsu]

And really smart! [Don't forget that!] I used to ask her for answers to tests since she was one of the really smart kids in class, but she'd never cave.

[Wags a finger.]

And she always complained about me and scolded me a lot about skipping class—and punched me in the stomach way too much!

[Why did she like me again?

"O-oi, I can fix my own hair!"

"That's what you think. It's a lion mane!"

"Lion doesn't go with my hero look..."]

[concasse]

There's a lot to complain about, dumbass. [Suddenly he feels even more justified in calling you that.]

[wildkotetsu]

[He crouches all close together to himself like a hermit crab to a shell and just pouts like a five-year-old.]

And you have a lot to complain about, too!

Like your bad beard!

[concasse]

The hell is wrong with my beard?!

[wildkotetsu]

[He bumps Sanji's shoulder with his own a little, still watching the scene despite the huff in his voice.]

It's barely a beard, is what! Naa, it shouldn't even be called a beard, it's so puny!

[concasse]

[Oh. Oh ho. That earns Kotetsu's neck in a headlock, the chef not tearing his eyes from the scene either]

And what the hell does that make yours? Or do you normally shape that shit into cat ears?

1/2

[wildkotetsu]

It makes it really cool! [He struggles in the grip, elbowing the other in the ribs just enough to warrant horseplay.] Not like an upside-down umbrella! Or a palm tree--maybe a palm tree--!!

[and then he shoves sanji's face because he deserves it

HNNRHGH


--someone starts coughing in the distance]

[wildkotetsu]

[Immediately he stops his assault on Sanji to look up at the coughing woman huddled on the blanket, Kaede obliviously playing in the grass, the other Kotetsu taking her shoulder.]

Breathe-

["Breathe, careful--hey, hey, it's okay...! Your endurance isn't its best right now-"

He's cut off then and there by himself and it stays that way.

A memory. Right. His arm stops flexing and droops against Sanji's shoulder. Just memories... His face grows solemn at the scene. Tomoe was always so strong, it made him wonder if he got most of whatever the heck he had from her. She laughs between her sputters, patting his neck.

Kaede brings her some caterpillars. He thinks. He's not sure. He's quiet for a long while before he pats Sanji's shoulder with the hand he'd almost forgotten he had to begin with.]

...

Naa, if you wanna go, Sanji, you can. I mean-you don't have to stay here...

[concasse]

... Aa. Sure. [Though to be honest, there's a piece of him that wants to stay and see this play out - for better or for worse, he thinks to himself, while watching Tomoe's frame shudder with each cough. But he's troubled Kotetsu long enough with this. And there's still rawness in his own heart he needs to attend to.

He climb to his feet after exchanging a pat on the man's shoulder as well, eyes already respectfully turned elsewhere. When he walks, he walks in the opposite direction of the family, and keeps walking until for all intents and purposes, he disappears from the memory]

[wildkotetsu]

[He sits cross legged here for a while, waiting until Sanji's gone, waiting until time slips by, waiting until specks of memory start evaporating from the sky, leaving little blotty jigsaw pieces of forest. The other Kotetsu pulls Tomoe onto his back and she laughs as he carries her back with Kaede next to her. He remembers these days well.

The image dissipates at last, but it's still a few hours before he ever budges to start back home.

...

No. He doesn't want to go to the apartment; across from Bunny's old one, alone.

He goes to the restaurant instead and works for a while.

He's not sure what he should say the next time he sees Sanji. Don't know if he'll ever mention it again, not directly. He won't mention the man with the white hair, or the screams in the snow, in the cave. For now, he just.... stores it away, untouched.]