inbox for golden peacock

[chiffonades]

@sanji

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[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.