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[chiffonades]

@sanji

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@belialedge

[chiffonades]

[ continued from here! ]

[ The thing that scares him the most is exactly how many good memories he has here. It's not that he hasn't been screwed over by the House– he doesn't think anyone could claim that feat– because he certainly has, but most days, there's plenty of things he’s learned to enjoy. Maybe it's because he spent so damn long at the Baratie, with only his fellow cooks for company, the monotony of cooking the same damn menu day after day slowly wearing down his sanity? Or maybe it's just the complete lack of any positive memories from when he was a kid?

Either way, it's a little soothing to hear he's not the only one that maybe likes being here better than he probably should.

He grins at the partition, then chuckles, giving his head a little shake as he another long drag on his cigarette. ]

I still go looking for the staff only areas and try to find whatever I can that might get us out from this shitty resort, but… not as much as I did when I first got here. It's like… all the shit that being here involves is just normal now, you know? [ He can still remember when the resort mixed up everyone's rooms and he handled random doors sprouting up in his room like they were no big deal, while the new arrivals were busy freaking out. ] It's all normal and I've learned to enjoy this place, I guess, as crappy as whoever’s running it is. But– yeah, I haven't forgotten about the things I've gotta do back home, either.

[ Another long drag and he looks up at the ceiling, debating which memory to talk about. There's one that springs to mind pretty quickly. ]

You remember a couple of months back when people were turning into monsters and there were zombies down on the lower floors? [ Hard to forget that, all things considered, but maybe Ranga managed to avoid the chaos by staying in his room? ] I, uh, got turned into a vampire during it. Didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late.

[ Knowing how that turned out now, he's not sure he'd do anything to stop it, either. ]

Anyway, a, uh, friend I'm pretty damn close with stumbled into where we holed up and one thing led to another and I turned her into one of us. [ That part had definitely been sordid, but it isn't really the focus here. ] A side effect of the whole thing was we had this bond that let us feel each other in different ways. Like what emotions they were feeling and stuff.

[ There's a slight pause as he takes another, longer drag on the cigarette, free hand playing with his lighter, before continuing. ] The thing lingered for a month after we were back to normal. Anytime I cooked her dinner or we went somewhere or did, shit, anything we knew how we both were feeling.

[ It had been pretty damn special, all things considered. ]

And, yeah, I still think about it sometimes, you know?

[belialedge]

More like we've gotten used to it all... That's the whole point. They WANT you to forget. [ He says plainly, as if Ragna wasn't falling for it himself. ...And yet, while he doesn't have a cigarette to curb his nerves, he does take a deep breath before continuing. ] Not that I'm any better. There's a couple of hunches and leads I've got, but I haven't been able to break through...and...it's not like I've been busting my ass lately.

[ So he gets it, Sanji. He really does. When the talk of zombies comes up, he grimaces a little on his side. They weren't ghosts, per se. So he had a far easier time handling the ghoulies that skulked about. ]

Shit, they got you, huh? It's good to know that crap was temporary, then. They were especially a pain in the ass around the clinic.

[ Where he ended up following Rin around while she stole a bunch of medical supplies. Speaking of chaos? One has to make good use of that said chaos! But as the pirate leads into sharing how turning someone into a fellow vampire had given them something of a mental link, he leans forward a little more in his seat, canting his head at the partition dividing them. ]

Sounds to me like date nights got a little easier with that side effect.

[ He jests. He jests! What Sanji's relationship was with other players at the resort wasn't his business. But, in the end, the way that he makes it sound...there's traces of a smile that return to the Grim Reaper's lips again. ]

It's not every day you're THAT exposed to someone. But...sounds to me like it's someone you trust, yeah?

[chiffonades]

It's so damn easy sometimes, yeah? Getting lost in what's happening in the present. Guess we should be grateful they like to mix things up and do crazy shit like set doppelgangers loose and turn us into monsters. They're good reminders that the people running this hellhole aren't our friends. [ Not that there's really any risk of thinking that, but it at least serves as a reminder that nothing about life here is really that easy. ] We'll figure out how to get outta here eventually. It's a long game, you know? Bad as we want it, we gotta keep the House from noticing if any of us does figure something out.

[ And hopefully, that helps Ragna to feel a bit better. Because they all know there aren't any instant or even quick solutions here and it's worth being cautious and not attracting the House's attention. That's what Sanji tells himself, at least, and has for months now, ever since shortly after arriving here. ]

Temporary and you don't wanna know how it felt when it finally faded. Think it took me three damn days to get the taste of blood outta my mouth and there's a few shirts I had that, uh, let's just say aren't in usable condition.

[ RIP a week's worth of white shirts. Although even as he grumbles about the tangible after effects, the lingering bond still made it worth it. And Ragna's quick to figure out why, jumping right to the heart of the matter after a little light-hearted teasing. Sanji laughs softly, though, clearly not bothered by the joke because he's definitely not wrong about that. ]

Just a bit. Didn't have to ask if she liked the risotto, you know? I just knew the answer.

[ Not that he ever really needed to ask. Nami might not have been as effusive with her praise of his cooking as Luffy was, but he'd never doubted that she enjoyed it, either. ]

Yeah. Yeah, it was. I'd trust her with my life. She's always got my back and I've always got hers. [ There aren't many people he'd want to be that open with, even if he's usually an open book when it comes to his emotions. ] I dunno, maybe it's odd, but it felt right. You got anyone here you trust that much? Enough that you'd want them to know everything you were feeling?

[belialedge]

[ The doppelgangers being a good thing... It was disturbing for Ragna, seeing a warped visage of himself. Because there was truly a part of him, deep down, that was that beast. It's a piece of himself that he had to accept in some manner. ]

Yeah...which reminds me. If you're serious about prying this place open, I'll share some leads I've been cooking up for a while. [ A beat. ] Y'know. When we're not probably being mic'd by those assholes.

[ Hell, he wouldn't be surprised that for guests that tore the wall down between the pods to get a lot more comfortable, that the House was listening in like the sick freaks that they were. But the less he has to think about that prospect, the better. Frankly, just...talking like this was surprisingly therapeutic. He wasn't about to say that much aloud, but it's nice. ]

Heh. Red's a bitch to wash out?

[ He'll call a spade a spade. RIP his white shirts...frankly. Ragna's used to being covered in it. Whether it was his own or whoever was foolish enough to come after him back home. He wasn't afraid of roughing anyone up who got in his way. Sanji's joke about whether his friend liked his risotto wasn't lost on the Grim Reaper either, deciding it was a good opportunity to indulge in his drink some more as he looses a deep chuckle. A drink for a smoke. ]

I never did take a crack at making risotto.

[ He's no chef like Sanji was. But it was Ragna's most treasured hobby. Suffice to say, less time being on the run and more time getting laid relaxing at the Golden Peacock gave him a chance to broaden his skills given unto him by his Master. Knowing just how close a particular group of people were to his friend Nami, he's got an inkling as to who the blond was referring to. But he doesn't think to pry further on that notion, only smiling when he gets asked about who he can trust with his feelings.

And... ]

Yeah... I think I've got someone. [ No... He knows. ] She's seen me at my lowest and brought me right back up to my feet. And... [ Hell. Maybe it's the liquor he's indulged between rounds around the pods. But his tongue is looser. He threads a hand through his white hair as he takes another gentle breath in through his nose. ]

A day with her actually makes me feel like I'm somewhere normal...and not stuck in some freakishly golden smuthole of a casino.

[chiffonades]

[ 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.