[ It’s strange how easily he can nearly visualize what she must be imagining as he talks about the Baratie— about the first real home he had, but not that last— a place that was both sanctuary and cage for him. Not that Zeff ever really intended it as either, but it had felt like both in equal measure. There’s no place else that would’ve drilled so many cooking skills into him in such a short span of time, no place he would’ve rather honed his craft, no place that could’ve provided the kind of warm shelter that, even with Zeff’s brusque, no nonsense manner, had felt entirely too good for someone like him. And yet, in those last few years, there had been countless moments where it had felt like a gilded cage, too, a place meant to hold him when all he wanted was freedom.
That, too, was not Zeff’s intention, but— well, what else was Sanji to do but stay and repay the debt owed? Even now, he’s paying back the small debts that he owes, still half-convinced he’s not worthy of any of the good that’s happened since arriving at the Peacock while fervently hoping it all doesn’t come crashing to the ground. And maybe it’s odd to think of this shitty, sex-obsessed casino as being capable of causing good, but there’s at least a few things that’ve happened that he’s oddly grateful for.
Meeting people like Tifa, who he’d never have met back home, is one of them. ]
Ah, sorry, sorry, it floats in the water, yeah. [ Quiet laughter spills from his throat as he grins at her, gaze vibrant with excitement. ] Worked there for nearly a decade and wouldn’t change that for a damn thing. Only left it so I could follow my heart. [ Looking back, as loathe as he once was to admit it, it was past time to spread his wings and take to the sea— to experience life outside of the sheltered existence known as Baratie— and start accomplishing his dreams. ] Yeah? I, uh, don’t work at the Baratie anymore, but you make it over to where I’m from and I can show you around our ship.
[ As far as he is concerned, it seems impossible, but, well, when the Peacock is involved, there seems to be no limits to what’s possible and what isn’t. And who knows? Maybe there are ways to make it happen on the Grand Line that none of them have heard of before. Sanji’s only heard a few stories, really, from Zeff and Shanks has been mostly quiet on the matter as well, insisting they should discover what’s possible for themselves, but he’d already been prepared to throw away normal notions of possibility long before this place had nabbed them.
It’s a testament to how deeply passionate he is about his dream that as he describes it, talks about it with childlike wonder, he misses the subtle signs of how entranced she is by his descriptions. It feels like rambling to him— even though it isn’t— but there’s no denying the sense of wonder he feels whenever he even so much as daydreams about it. He’s caught in a verbal reverie and it only shatters when he feels that featherlight brush of fingers against his arm, blinking for a brief second as reality crashes back into his perception. And while Sanji isn’t feeling tense, necessarily, there’s a feeling like relaxation— maybe relief?— when she reassures him that she doesn’t find such bold dreams to be foolish at all. And if he needed another reason to find her company enjoyable, to ratchet her up in his esteem another level, well, that certainly is reason enough.
His grin widens— still soft, still warm— as she talks about her dream, about what she’s interested in accomplishing. It’s as bold and daring as anything anyone on their crew is aiming for— no, maybe more so because saving a whole planet could be a hell of a lot harder than becoming Pirate King— and without even really thinking about it, he lightly covers the hand resting on his forearm with his other hand. ] Nah, not silly. Maybe not easy, but no dream worth accomplishing is, yeah? Definitely sounds more daunting than surviving this crappy place or finding a mythical ocean. Wanting to do something like that— most people wouldn’t even try, I bet. [ Sometimes, he thinks about the way the cooks on the Orbit used to laugh at his dream and wonders how many of them used to dream of the All Blue? How many of them dreamed the same dream and gave up without trying? ] But it feels like just trying means more than you’d think. Dreams can be foolish, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.
[ It sounds a little silly— saying that— to his ears, but after years of sitting on his own dream, setting sail had felt like such a big first step. The smile he offers her is a little sheepish, shoulders raised in a gentle tug, but a bartender on duty finally pauses in front of them with an expectant look. ] Let me buy you a drink? My treat. I’ll, uh, make you one myself later.
no subject
That, too, was not Zeff’s intention, but— well, what else was Sanji to do but stay and repay the debt owed? Even now, he’s paying back the small debts that he owes, still half-convinced he’s not worthy of any of the good that’s happened since arriving at the Peacock while fervently hoping it all doesn’t come crashing to the ground. And maybe it’s odd to think of this shitty, sex-obsessed casino as being capable of causing good, but there’s at least a few things that’ve happened that he’s oddly grateful for.
Meeting people like Tifa, who he’d never have met back home, is one of them. ]
Ah, sorry, sorry, it floats in the water, yeah. [ Quiet laughter spills from his throat as he grins at her, gaze vibrant with excitement. ] Worked there for nearly a decade and wouldn’t change that for a damn thing. Only left it so I could follow my heart. [ Looking back, as loathe as he once was to admit it, it was past time to spread his wings and take to the sea— to experience life outside of the sheltered existence known as Baratie— and start accomplishing his dreams. ] Yeah? I, uh, don’t work at the Baratie anymore, but you make it over to where I’m from and I can show you around our ship.
[ As far as he is concerned, it seems impossible, but, well, when the Peacock is involved, there seems to be no limits to what’s possible and what isn’t. And who knows? Maybe there are ways to make it happen on the Grand Line that none of them have heard of before. Sanji’s only heard a few stories, really, from Zeff and Shanks has been mostly quiet on the matter as well, insisting they should discover what’s possible for themselves, but he’d already been prepared to throw away normal notions of possibility long before this place had nabbed them.
It’s a testament to how deeply passionate he is about his dream that as he describes it, talks about it with childlike wonder, he misses the subtle signs of how entranced she is by his descriptions. It feels like rambling to him— even though it isn’t— but there’s no denying the sense of wonder he feels whenever he even so much as daydreams about it. He’s caught in a verbal reverie and it only shatters when he feels that featherlight brush of fingers against his arm, blinking for a brief second as reality crashes back into his perception. And while Sanji isn’t feeling tense, necessarily, there’s a feeling like relaxation— maybe relief?— when she reassures him that she doesn’t find such bold dreams to be foolish at all. And if he needed another reason to find her company enjoyable, to ratchet her up in his esteem another level, well, that certainly is reason enough.
His grin widens— still soft, still warm— as she talks about her dream, about what she’s interested in accomplishing. It’s as bold and daring as anything anyone on their crew is aiming for— no, maybe more so because saving a whole planet could be a hell of a lot harder than becoming Pirate King— and without even really thinking about it, he lightly covers the hand resting on his forearm with his other hand. ] Nah, not silly. Maybe not easy, but no dream worth accomplishing is, yeah? Definitely sounds more daunting than surviving this crappy place or finding a mythical ocean. Wanting to do something like that— most people wouldn’t even try, I bet. [ Sometimes, he thinks about the way the cooks on the Orbit used to laugh at his dream and wonders how many of them used to dream of the All Blue? How many of them dreamed the same dream and gave up without trying? ] But it feels like just trying means more than you’d think. Dreams can be foolish, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.
[ It sounds a little silly— saying that— to his ears, but after years of sitting on his own dream, setting sail had felt like such a big first step. The smile he offers her is a little sheepish, shoulders raised in a gentle tug, but a bartender on duty finally pauses in front of them with an expectant look. ] Let me buy you a drink? My treat. I’ll, uh, make you one myself later.