[ Oh, Sanji's dead serious about getting to the heart of what's going on here. He might have been slacking in his efforts to actually investigate– and who could really blame him, considering– but even if it takes the rest of his life, he intends on finding out exactly whose ass he needs to kick. ]

Yeah? Consider me intrigued. Haven't had any luck in figuring this shithole out, but– [ He shrugs, because it's not like having more people prying into things is going to hurt their efforts. ] You never know what someone'll dig up, yeah? We all got different skills and all.

[ It's always been his firm belief that they need to take care of one another as best they can. The House doesn't look out for them– and, frankly, probably does listen to everything they say via their watches– so every single person trapped here needs to have each other's back. And really, that genuinely seems to be the case, which is one of the few bright spots that makes him think they could maybe have a future outside of the Peacock.

He sure hopes so, at least. Sanji's got dreams to accomplish, after all. ]

I, uh, gave up after a while. Not worth the time, you know?

[ And, truthfully, it wasn't like he was hurting for chips. There are benefits to living with a Queen, after all, because even if the staff are decidedly unimpressed by someone of middling rank, the same is definitely not true of royalty. Who needs to clean a shirt when it's easier to buy a new one? It's not Sanji's favorite logic, but also? It's just shirts.

Ragna's comment about not having made risotto, though? That piques Sanji's interest. Most people wouldn't even think about trying to make it, at least in his experience. That's why they come to restaurants like his, so… ]

You a cook? [ There's an extra spark of joy to the way he asks the question. ] It's, uh, not too hard once you get the technique down. Just takes time and a bit of patience.

[ It's not like they don't have plenty of time here, really. Sanji takes every chance to cook that he can when he's not too busy fucking because it feels like the most natural thing to him. Any kitchen, no matter where it is, is like home. It's maybe not a perfect home– that's reserved for the ones in Nami's suit and the galley on the Merry– but it's close enough.

And while he's totally oblivious to who Ragna is, as he listens to him speak, he can more than relate. It brings a smile to his face, too, knowing he's not the other one that feels… feels something close to normalcy when around someone that he treasures as much as he treasures their navigator. Putting any of that to words is a challenge– at least, it is when he isn't deep in the throes of lust– but being fully honest with his feelings is a challenge for another time.

For now, Sanji just grins and nods, then takes a long, deep drag on his cigarette. ]

I know just what you mean. It's so damn easy to forget where we are sometimes. [ All the time, really. ] Not like this place likes to let you forget that for long, but– it's good having someone like that. Someone you can just be who you are with, you know? It's–

[ Perfect? Wonderful? Fantastic? ]

–nice.