007↠ ACTION/VOICE (Forward-dated to tomorrow morning)

[concasse]

... Oi. Any of you New Feathers interested in cooking?

[This rather straight and subdued question comes from someone who hasn't looked at his journal in what feels like a long, long time, let alone felt the desire or necessity to make a public statement. And he knows it. The fact alone almost makes him break off before he finishes.]

I'm still down a few cooks at Seventh Heaven, so I'd appreciate any shitty help about now.

[But there, he's finished. After a moment's thought, he closes the journal and heads out for the day - to Seventh Heaven, of course, but only for a few hours, and then perhaps a walk later since it suits his fancy. There's plenty of thinking to be had no matter where he goes. And the entire time outdoors, he reminds himself that it's been chilly for a few weeks now, this isn't anything new.

He just... missed it happening.

The item shop, the clothing store, the forest, the bar... it doesn't really matter to him where he ends up. He's spent more than enough time to himself in the house, avoiding friend and acquaintance alike. Today will be spent remembering what feeling normal is like, and he's okay with searching a little to find out.]

Comments

[Video]

[ilyana]

Umm... excuse me? Sir? Are you... a cook by any chance?

[Cheer up Sanji! Have a cute starving girl!]

[Video]

[concasse]

That's right, Miss - I run one of the restaurants in the area!

Need help with something?

[Video]

[fierybluebird]

I'm a shitty cook, but I might be able to help.

[Sup man?]

[Video]

[concasse]

[Marco plz]

Hooo? And just how do you expect to help then?

[weakahoshi]

[Shirahoshi's down by the fountain- it's her favorite place in Luceti, well situated for people watching but also close to the water, even if said water is nearly unbearably cold. She waves as he passes by, and swims up to him quickly, held aloft by a large iridescent bubble.]

Sanji-sama!

[She hopes he'll recognize her, now that she's shorter than he is.]

1/2

[concasse]

[Oh Shirahoshi, as if he could ever forget that pretty face. Though admittedly, voice recognition is what first has him reacting. He doesn't provide the same, usual exuberance he normally would, but there's a large smile and a fond wave]

Shirahoshi-ch--

[concasse]

[Cut-off. Sweetie, you're a bit smaller than what he last remembers.

... Have you not been taking your vitamins? B|]

Oi, what happened to you?

[spohkh]

If you require extra help, I would be amenable. [Cooking, after-all, was a lot like science.
And he finds the process rather soothing.]

[concasse]

Alright. How many hours do you think you could put in a week?

[Video]

[tapdancinskelly]

Well I know how to make a really shitty cup of coffee! Yohohoho!

[Seriously, he almost killed Robin with it :|]

[Video]

[concasse]

[That's no surprise. Sanji also remembers Brook feeding Nami orange juice one time. The results were tragic]

Think I'll pass on that one, Brook. Keep your coffee to yourself.

[voice]

[savarin]

Actually, yeah! I kinda needed to talk to someone from Seventh Heaven anyway... I think their name was Sanji-san?

[voice]

[concasse]

Yeah, that would be me.

Whaddya need?

[Video]

[feetoffury]

[Well, she did help Master Gen run the restaurant for a while...]

Hey there. I'm an alright cook. What sort of stuff do you need help with?

[Video]

[concasse]

To be honest, just about everything. [he's got a robot that helps when necessary, but call him old-fashioned - he'd rather get more organic life forms in there, too]

Right now I could use a few chefs to cover the shitty morning shifts.

[seakingbait]

You're hiring more people, Sanji-chin? I could make more uniforms, if you wanted.

[concasse]

We'll see how many people offer themselves up, but that'd definitely be appreciated, Keimi-chan.

video;

[bluemikan]

I've already signed on to the bakery, although that's not news.

[ well, it might be. but there you have it. ]

Ah, I'd be fine with helping out when I'm not there, though.

video;

[concasse]

Oi, you don't need to concern yourself with that, Nojiko-sama! Especially if you're already busy.

[action]

[slightoverkill]

[Mihawk is taking a walk as well, and his path crosses Sanji on the bridge near the clinic. He walks with that self-assured, arrogant air of his, as if he had absolutely no cares or problems in the world and without sparing the cook a second look.

Or so it seems.

Because the moment Sanji gets close enough, he'll hear a distinctly amused snort - the closest Mihawk gets to outright laughing at someone.]

[action]

[concasse]

[And here Sanji had been prepared to ignore Mihawk in kind - only he stops short in the end, too tired to bristle to his full irritation, but still sounding plenty annoyed]

Something funny?

[action]

[endgames]

[Oh hey, long time no see. Shikamaru's in the restaurant for breakfast, so when he sees Sanji as he's finishing up he'll say hi.]

Still shorthanded, huh?

[action]

[concasse]

Something like that.

[He doesn't avoid Shikamaru's gaze, but he does seem altogether tired and subdued. The association between the draft and certain individuals hasn't eased as much as the chef would like.]

But I got a few offers. Maybe this time I'll get to keep more than four chefs.

[Because obviously Sanji isn't going anywhere.]

[rashness]

[Rin is currently, well... he's currently sitting on his roof (House 15) sitting cross-legged there with some candles out in front of him. It's a calming thing, really, to return to his old exercise. He knows he can do it now, but... he's mostly just soothing himself]

[concasse]

[Rin on a roof? Not too surprising. They can be good places for privacy.

But Rin on a roof staring at candles? That's enough of an oddity to warrant Sanji's curiosity, and after a short pause, jumps on the roof, landing a few paces behind the teen. The sound of his footfalls should be enough to announce his arrival, but just in case--]

Yo, Rin.

[goldenglasses]

[There's a familiar face at the bar. A familiar face, but not dress. Vash is at Good Spirits later in the night nursing a bottle of Wild Turkey, but his trademark red coat is gone.

Instead he's opted for a pair of brown slacks and a long button up shirt. His spiky hair a bit dropping, but he at least attempted to get it to stand up. A heavy brown coat is draped over the bar next to him with his journal open on top of it.

He's been listening for any signs of Amelia. Hoping she's alright out on her mission and doesn't bother looking up to see who is coming into the bar. Something he would have done at home, but it's been years now, and he's not a wanted man in Luceti. Old habits that he was forced to have to stay alive finally slowly slipping away.

Sanji is more than welcome to approach or ignore the gunman tonight. It doesn't look like Vash really came to the bar for good times and friends tonight either.]

[concasse]

[...]

Vash. [The casual way Sanji approaches and speaks the gunman's name masks the sudden sting of guilt in his gut, when he takes in that droopy, but still distinguishable hair.

You died again, didn't you? And he completely forgot that fact. But that's not really why Sanji feels guilty. Even now, standing beside him... it's hard to feel anything but a diminished sense of disquiet, just a tiny lingering of sorrow.

Time builds up resistance, staves off sorrow and rage. Vash has died too many times for him to muster up the usual amount of hurt he'd anticipate.

It's like Zoro's death ate it all this time]

[ action ]

[touchofrogue]

[You know who's always at the Item Shop? From 10:00-3:00, Monday through Saturday, that would be this girl. And here she is, wearing something particularly form-fitting and short, with two pairs of artistically torn sheer black stockings layered over each other so that the rips mostly reveal the stocking beneath. She's just organizing the kitchen area, bringing in the new stock and tiding up the old. You wouldn't be headed in there, would you? It's quite the view from the back.]

[ action ]

[concasse]

[By accident, Sanji's wanderings find him peeking his head into the kitchen area. It is quite a view, and Sanji appreciates it in a quiet way, though also distantly. He just doesn't have it in him to make any noise like he usually would - and he's pretty sure Rogue wouldn't appreciate his presence, either.

It's while he's wondering if he can slip away unnoticed that he bumps against a precariously set tower of pots, nearly toppling them to the floor. They're both saved the clatter of noise when he yelps and braces the pots with his hands; a shame his cover's pretty blown now]

[Action]

[the_tv_is_a_lie]

[Well, if he wants someone to bug in the afternoon, he can surely bug one of his newest, and hard-working kids at Seventh Heaven, right?

He's in the kitchen in spite of the chilly weather, shouldering most of the work. He's...also wearing something that isn't exactly the trendiest purple sweater and scarf.]

[Action]

[concasse]

[Bug him? Please. Sanji will just casually stroll in and peek right over Souji's shoulder like a creeper.

This is the most appropriate way to say "Hello and what are you making?"]

[Nothing]

[toujoursfluer]

[She listens to his journal entry but, of course, has nothing to add. It just reminds her of few times they had talked about cooking together or at the very least learning how. To make something for the others... Though now that compulsion is...buried. She closes the journal and sets it aside. It's probably for the best for now at any rate.]

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

[Now that Isamu seems to be doing considerably better, Richard doesn't feel too bad about leaving him alone for a few hours at a time (not that he would ever have been alone-alone in the first place given the other residents of House 28, but still). He's been neglecting his job terribly and he knows it; despite everything that's happened lately, he can't help but feel guilty for being a slacker in his mind.

So he's slipped in to help out where he can for a little while, even though he himself is still exhausted and it shows. A job is a job, and he's going to do his.]

[Action]

[concasse]

[Richard's absences have been... noticed - the same way you might notice that a week has gone by and can't remember for the life of you what you were doing the entire time.

It's all retrospect, in other words. When Sanji does see Richard today, it takes a moment to realize he should probably feel surprised. Maybe guilty. One of the two.]

You can go home if you're tired, Richard. [Blunt, to the point... if not for the fact they probably haven't spoken in a while, and for very telling reasons, the starter for their abrupt conversation could almost pass for normal]

[voice]

[hiken_ace]

Ah, I've been meaning to talk to you about work, actually. [So this is perfect timing.] I'm not the best cook, but I can do simple things. I could wait tables if you want me to, too.

[voice]

[concasse]

[Lip twitch. Why yes, Sanji finds it amusing that his restaurant seems to bring all the pirate boys to the yard]

Does waiting tables include a shitty waitress outfit, or should we skip that part?

[Voice]

[asobouyo]

[A long pause. He probably doesn't even notice the audio's on.

Finally—]

Big bro... can you come over for a little while?

[A lot of people are acting funny... and she misses them. You. Everyone being happy.]

[Voice]

[concasse]

[Oof. That voice. It is not a voice he's heard in a while, a fact which he'd rather much not think on.]

Of course I can! So long as your guardians are fine with it. [He adds on that last part out of courtesy, rather than any real regard.]

[video]

[cannotcrossdress]

Interested...well, I'm kind of the residential 'cook' for my group--[Bluh bluh bluh--there's some sense of articulation somewhere in there, just wait for it.]

I mean--I would really like to know how to take better advantage of the strange ingredients I find here. I mean, I can find a lot of the traditional ingredients to make the things I usually do, but I feel I should be using some of the things I'm not so familiar with, so perhaps if helping out at your restaurant would--incorporate those things, then I could be of some help...?

[Ramble ramble ramble. She's volunteering, Sanji. For realzies.] As long as it won't interfere with my duties at home, I mean.

[video]

[concasse]

[That was the... longest well-meaning effort to volunteer he's heard in a while, and the chef just barely keeps his eyebrows from raising too high.

It's okay. She's a lady so he can roll with this.]

If experience with different cuisine and recipes is what you're after, by all means! I'd be honored to have your help, Miss.

[Action]

[hollower]

[It's probably after the message goes out, and during Sanji's wanderings, that he appears at Perona's apartment. She's not expecting anyone at all - no one ever really visit except Mihawk when he needs something or has something to say to her. Even then, his presence in Perona's apartment is scarce. And, to be frank, Perona likes it like that. She's been keeping to herself almost entirely, avoiding everyone and everything. Sewing, reading, and sleeping have kept her time mostly, and she's finishing up on sewing a bit of lace onto a shirt on her couch, accompanied only by her stuffed animals and her hollow ghosts.

It's a monotonous task, and Perona works without much thought at all, but that's...not bad, really. She doesn't like or want to think much right now. When she thinks, her thoughts come upon dangerous and painful things. It's best to just not think at all, she's come to decide.]

[Action]

[concasse]

[As a matter of consequence, the biggest reason Sanji finds himself awkwardly standing just outside Perona's front door, armed with a bag of wafting off delicious smells, is because he probably thought too much about this. It's a problem he's fearfully aware of today, it almost being enough to send him careening right back down the staircase toward safer ground, but...

The corners of his mouth work as he frowns thoughtfully at the door. It shouldn't bother him how little he's seen of her over the past few weeks, now that he's in the mind to recognize her absence for what it was; she deserved to grieve, too. That's the entire reason he told her the truth in the first place. Took a slap to the face and determinedly avoided her from that moment on.

Maybe it's because Zoro's back and he still hasn't seen hide nor hair of her. Or maybe he just can't shake off the healthy dose of guilt that's determined to riddle his stomach with anxious bullet holes until he... he does something.

Whatever the case, he's here now and still staring at the door like he expects it to bite him, until his mouth suddenly dips into a scowl. Oh for shit's sake, man. At least offer another apology. And food. Food alone might win him a few seconds a favor before he either beats a hasty retreat or she floors him with her hollows.

Only one way to find out. B| Knock knock, ghost princess. You have a visitor.]