piratejournal | [voice, mostly] and always action to Straw Hats

Entry tags:

[voice, mostly] and always action to Straw Hats

Out of curiosity, has anybody figured out a...I don't know, an antidote or something to protect people from losing their damn minds every other month? By now I've seen enough bizarre behavior, it'd be nice to find some kind of immunity to that.

...not that we can predict when it happens.

Which reminds me. Ace, you ever send Luffy something like that again and I'll come over there next. You don't want me to come over there.

[some time later, he adds, scrawled on the bottom of the page as if he forgot that he can't write notes to himself on this journal...]

Needs more treasure. I need those weights.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nothing, nothing.

[Waves it off, trying to force his grin away and failing kinda miserably. He moves to get the fish prepared and start on the rice.]

It'll be edible all the same, just don't drop any on the floor.

[pouting considerably more, now. Clearly he did it wrong but he doesn't know how or why, so all he can do is be irritable]

What was the point of that, anyway? Just so you could laugh at me?

[Shrugs, working some fancier knife work as he slices the sea beast.]

Wasn't one. Figured as long as you were sitting there, you could help.

[he watches, knowing full well that the cook is just as skilled with those knives as he is with his blades, but in totally different ways. How dumb. Because he can't admit his fail without losing face in front of Sanji, even moreso than he already has. Dammit.]

Next time I'll take my bottle and go drink somewhere else.

[Gets the fish in the oven in record time, then glances back at Zoro with a grin.]

Yeah, take your bottle, you big baby. Why are you pouting? So it ain't pretty, not like you completely damaged it.

[Grabs some more veggies like carrots and celery and brings them over to the table, sitting across from him and snatching up the knife.]

Dumbass. Watch.

[Proceeds to chop away using precise, quick strokes, though not anywhere near his usual speed, with his hands of course in the proper positions.]

Shut up, damn curly-cook.

[His eye is on those hands, naturally, but it just looks like chopping. If there's technique, he can't see it. Yet somehow Sanji's vegetables all come out in perfect slices, all the same size and looking pretty. Zoro would be jealous if he cared.]

...and?

[Flips the knife around, holding the handle out to him.]

And I wanna see if you can do it.

Why?

[it's an honest question, no accusing tone here.]

You don't need anyone's help in the kitchen.

I don't need it, no. But Keimi-chan helps me sometimes. And Robin-chan doesn't mind lending a hand. ...Or two or three. Usopp used to tinker with his shit in the galley all the time when I was cooking, and if I didn't think Luffy would swipe half the damn food, he'd be in here all day.

[BASICALLY...he doesn't mind other people hanging around...sometimes. If the company isn't terrible. Ahem.]

You're not tinkering, you're sitting there guzzling up all the booze. That ain't free, it comes with a price, and the price is you gotta make yourself useful.

[Still pointedly holding the knife out.]

[looks from him to the knife and back again]

I don't want to learn to cook.

[there has to be something else he can do to be useful. Or, he'll just get up and take his leave. Either way, he plans to avoid making Sanji laugh at him again.]

[Frowns a little, looking stubborn.]

It's prep work, barely even counts as cooking. It's not like I'm gonna force a shitty chef's hat on you.

[But Zoro's clearly not making any move to take the knife back, so Sanji huffs and relents after a moment.]

Ugh, fine.

[He'll just chop up the rest himself then, hmph.]

[Nope, standing his ground on this one. Not that he's not watching; Sanji's skill is like magic to him, he sometimes pays attention but still can't figure out how the pile of ingredients turns into tasty food. Magic, seriously.]

I wouldn't have thought you would even want my help.

Yeah, well.

[Finishes with the celery and sweeps that plus all of the uneven broccoli chunks into a bowl that he totally brought with him to the table, then moves on to the carrots.]

That was obviously a momentary lapse of judgment on my part.

[He rests his chin on a hand and keeps watching, as if trying to puzzle out some great secret of how the cook works his magic. Some part of him is actually disappointed in himself for letting his crewmate down, which feels weird.]

Anything else I can do?

[Not used to being under such close scrutiny from Zoro of all people, he can actually almost feel him watching. He doesn't look up, instead trying to stay focused on his work, though honestly he could do this blindfolded at twice the speed he's currently moving.]

Nah... It ain't a complicated meal.

[He grunts an affirmation and sits back, finishing off what's in his glass and setting it aside. That seems to be enough for today. And, as content as he is to believe that Sanji just keeps being the unfortunate victim of whatever weirdness periodically happens, Zoro still has to wonder. About a great many things.

He pushes himself out of the chair and brushes past the cook]

...I'll let you work.

[Pauses for a beat, half glancing up at Zoro as he walks past, then he forces a shrug and goes back to chopping.]

Yeah, alright.

[Soon as Zoro's out of the galley, though, Sanji drops the knife and reaches for the bottle of sake still on the table to knock back a healthy dose.

Because there's something that feels eerily like disappointment lurking in the back of his mind that Zoro actually left, and that's...unsettling. To say the least. ...But he'll shove that aside and bury it somewhere and get back to dinner!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[voice, mostly] and always action to Straw Hats

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]

[action]