concasse | 006↠ ACTION

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006↠ ACTION

[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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Now there's a name Sanji's damn glad to hear. Some of the knots gathered in his shoulders loosen to where his figure appears less etched in its own frustration, but there's still that underlying sense of displeasure on the chef's end; an itch he hasn't scratched yet.]

... You know I wouldn't poison you, right? [He knows the answer to that question - and at least when he asks it, his eyes are somber rather than judging.]

[It may be a rhetorical question, but Richard looks genuinely hurt that it was even asked. Does Sanji really think that Richard trusts him that little? He can't tell whether he does or not, suddenly and painfully reminded of how bad he is at reading other people sometimes.]

No, I would never think that you were capable of something like that, and I'm sorry.

[For giving off that impression, if that's what led to that question.]

[No Richard, Sanji is just very capable of selfishness when there's something he wants. He knew what answer he'd get - but he still needed to hear it anyway, for his own sake.

This is personal now.]

You don't need to apologize. [The contours of his face finally loosen, even when he sighs] Though I guess it's time to play fair.

Play fair?

[He doesn't quite understand what Sanji is getting at here. He's already figured out that the memory display had something to do with Sanji, though whether it's some sort of latent ability or a little 'gift' courtesy of the Malnosso he isn't sure. Perhaps he's referring to that?]

Aa.

[He shifts his footing, enough so that he's standing next to the king, facing off at a distance. What he says next, he saying without thinking, in a clear, firm voice. His decision's been made; all that's left to do is go through with it.]

... I nearly starved to death when I was ten. [No pause, though he scrounges around for a cigarette in his breast pocket] Three shitty months on a rock in the middle of the ocean, waiting for a ship to save me, with only a small bag of food that lasted me a month in.

I was nothing but skin and bones when they finally rescued me. [A lot worse than you.]

Sanji...

[And suddenly Richard feels terrible about thinking that his own problems were so bad. He may have had his uncle to contend with, but at least he had a roof over his head and steady meals, even if he didn't eat them. As long as he stayed vigilant, he could pretend that things were normal, at least for a little while; Sanji didn't have that luxury. His was, quite literally, a fight for survival, and that's something Richard knows he can't really relate to at all.]

... I know that saying "I'm sorry" can't possibly make up for the things you've been through, and it can't ever erase those memories either. But I mean it when I say that I appreciate you telling me about that. Thank you for trusting me enough to share that.

[A sigh, though it's not an unkind one. For Sanji, this isn't exactly a matter of trust - more a matter of bringing his point across. And maybe a way of being fair. If he can't hold himself at a distance because of what he unrightly saw, at least Richard deserves to know the reason why]

A "sorry" wouldn't erase your memories, either. But now that I know what happened... You understand why I won't pretend I don't know what you're doing to yourself, either.

[The smile that makes its way onto Richard's face now is a faint one, though laced with understanding at Sanji's words. That much he comprehends quite well-- it's why he can see when other people are pretending to be better off than they are. Years of experience have taught him the art of doing so himself, making him a master at recognizing it in others.]

I should have known I wouldn't be able to fool you for long.

[It's probably wrong to smirk. There's absolutely nothing funny about Richard's confession - that he purposely played the part of a healthy man to keep everyone from worrying about him. Instead, Sanji takes it as an ironic sign of just how far things have progressed for both of them.]

You should've, yeah.

And give me the truth here - how much food intake are you averaging a day?

[Richard lowers his head to look at the ground, turning slightly away in a gesture that Sanji may recognize as being a sign that he's uncomfortable with the situation.]

That much I'm afraid I'm not sure, though I do try to eat a little at each meal.

[With Sanji's imagination, "a little" ranges from a few crumbs to maybe half a sandwich, and none of those options please him. He closes his eyes like he's calling for patience]

I won't babysit you over this. [That's Isamu's job] I won't tell your housemates either. [For now, at least] So long as you promise to try and eat more, bit by bit. You're gonna have to start out slow, anyway.

[Richard doesn't look at Sanji when he answers, already knowing what he's likely to see on the other man's face. It won't be a happy expression, that much is for sure.]

I'll try, but I just... I don't have much appetite at all even when I do. I don't know how to change that.

[Save for removing the sources of stress, something that isn't possible in Luceti.]

Is it because you're too stressed? [Believe it or not, Sanji doesn't know that much - only what Richard's memory showed him. For all he knows, Richard's major problems stem from an ongoing paranoia related to food poisoning, and that's it]

[At last he looks back up at Sanji and manages a smile, strained though it is. Is it really that obvious?]

I suppose that would be one way of putting it.

[He puts all questions on holds, as that would be a little too invasive - save for one]

... Naoki? [Having witnessed the start and crash of that relationship, he thinks it fair to mention the man's name]

[Richard glances over, eyes widening for the briefest second before he quickly composes himself and shakes his head. The fact that Sanji can feel out all of these things... it's impressive, and it manages to both be reassuring and make him somewhat nervous all at once.]

No, it's not all his fault. It isn't his fault at all-- he had no more control over being brought back than we did.

[But it still is a source of stress either way, and that fact alone makes him feel bad.]

[Sanji is not about to swallow that sad excuse for logic] You and I both know that doesn't make it hurt any less.

[If anything, that might cause the pain to throb more]

[Richard inhales, exhaling slowly to steady himself. Sanji's right, of course he's right-- Richard knows that quite well. He's just been trying to deny it to himself, ineffective as that is.]

... it's what I wanted to make myself believe.

[For all the sharpness in Sanji's expression, it scrunches suddenly, as if in pain - that's a sentiment he is... all too familiar with. Meaning he carefully circumvents the unspoken festering wounds in his own heart before he dares speak again]

Heh. [He scrubs his hair, then smooths it back down] Shoving it away just means it gets more reason to bite you in the ass later. [He talks like he knows.]

And if you keep shoving it away?

[He's being unusually candid right now and even he isn't sure just why that is. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that the other man has already seen one of the worst moments of his life displayed in vivid detail; after that, is there really a point to hiding anything else? Sanji has already made clear just how well he can see through Richard's carefully-constructed masks.]

[No answer to that, not with words. He merely glances at Richard, as if to say "You already know the answer to that."]

I'm no shitty therapist, Richard... but it might help if you share some of your burden with someone else.

[He understands that look all too well... yet he shakes his head.]

It isn't a burden that anyone else should have to bear.

[He hasn't even told Isamu the extent of what he's been through in his world for the simple reason that he doesn't want to inflict that on such a dear friend.]

No one has to do anything; but that doesn't mean they wouldn't be more than willing to. [And Sanji would cite Isamu as an example if pushed, knowing damn well how close the two of them are]

I'm not saying spill all your shitty secrets. [There are some things you can't share. The chef knows that as well as anyone] Just some things to take an edge off.

[Now there's the smallest ghost of a smile on Richard's face. He's heard words like that before, not long ago at all, from someone else dear to him. If two people are saying the same thing, then maybe, just maybe...

It's still a daunting thing to consider, though, and he isn't sure he's ready for it just yet.]

If I didn't know better, I'd say you were conspiring with Asbel in secret. The two of you sound far too much alike for it to be mere coincidence.

[Sanji ticks up a brow. Asbel, eh? Well, not exactly surprising, given what Sanji knows about him.]

See, that just means it's damn good advice! [And advice Sanji could stand to swallow himself, but Richard is in the hot seat this time around.] At least think about it, alright? There's no harm in that step.

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