high_seas | Bubble Trouble

[Not much magic right now, he's just pouring the batter into the cake pan. And grabbing a spatula to make sure he gets it all out.]

Well, since you made it very obvious that you didn't wanna be near me, I came in here and smoked my way through a shitty pack of cigarettes while cursing Davy fucking Jones. You know, the usual.

[growls softly under his breath. Yeah, he knows, and there's probably no good way to make up for it.]

What do you want me to do? I said I was sorry.

[which is a lot better than the 'piss off shit-cook' he used to give out]

I don't want you to do anything.

[Because he's fine! MANLY MAN—aw, fuck it.

Sanji huffs, setting the bowl down again and bracing his hands against the counter. He glances at Zoro out of the corner of his eye.]

You apologized for what you said. But you fucking bailed on me, Zoro, what the hell?

[Angles a little more toward him, brow furrowing again.]

You looked at me for all of like...ten goddamn seconds and then took off like a shitty bat outta hell, what, are you allergic to girl parts or something? [Reaches up to palm his boobs.] Do these scare you??

[flushes all over again and lowers his gaze. The most contrite he's ever looked, possibly, outside of begging Mihawk on his hands and knees. And most certainly not looking at those breasts.]

Maybe. I don't know! I don't know if this means I'm not into women or if it's just...if it's like I said before. It's just you.

[so quietly, under his breath:] You were talking about it being gone and I guess I panicked. Sorry.

[The crew appears to have a new addition today -- a tall, regal woman with hair that looks very suspiciously similar to a certain pony princess's mane and tail. Celestia popped a bubble, and this is the result.]

[She's doing what anypony would do in her situation -- experimenting with walking on two feet and the limits of this new body.]

You weren't the only one who was panicking, you shitty jerk!

[Though he does let go of his chest, at least, and crosses his arms over it instead like he's trying to hide it.]

No one said you gotta be into girls, marimo, jesus. And dammit, I'm not even a girl, I'm still a man! I will ALWAYS be a fucking man, it doesn't matter what I look like or what I'm wearing or what I like, no matter what anyone else fucking says or how hard they try to—

[He cuts off with a scowl, jerking his gaze off to the side and quietly seething. There's a beat before he speaks again.]

...I don't know why that even matters, the hell did you think I was gonna do? Jump you in the middle of the shitty night? Like this?

[IT'S A WEIRD THOUGHT, actually he doesn't really know how he feels about that and...doesn't want to think about it right now. Nngh.]

Edited 2015-04-02 16:28 (UTC)

[Lorelai slaps his hand away from her food and leans back to glare at Luffy]

Keep to your own plate boy.

[She looks back at Zoro]

You just do? You carry a sword in your mouth and somehow haven't cut your arm off?

Edited 2015-04-02 17:17 (UTC)

No! [the shame evaporates with sudden energy, at that last question. Of all the things that might have freaked him out, that never even entered his mind.] It's not like that! Look...

I know I fucked up. I ain't making a single excuse! I was wrong and that's that. You're just not you right now and I don't know what to think about it!

[wait, something about that sounded...different. Zoro gives him a hard look, like he's suspicious of someone teasing his cook behind his back.]

Someone else say something about it?

[Lorelai raises herself back up on a bubble, moves closer to the man in front of her and takes an ineffectual swing at his face]

Shut up dammit!

[Sanji could really stand to be more understanding, but somehow he just bristles up even more. He knows he's different right now but he doesn't want to be, he doesn't want this body to make people look at him in a new way or think it's gonna change anything...

It all comes back to that, really. And he shouldn't be freaking out about it, logically he knows that it's likely temporary and isn't going to change anything and certainly doesn't mean he's secretly got a shitty heart of a maiden or whatever. And who the fuck cares what anyone else thinks anyway? Sanji knows who and what he is.

But it's everything he ever dreaded happening in that damn hellish place.]

I am me!

[He is he is he is. On the verge of sounding desperate now, fuck, he hates this. He needs to calm down. Take a step back, fucking breathe, and handle this better.

It's hard, though.

Zoro's question gets a sharp look.]

No. No one's said anything. Just you.

[No one's said anything lately anyway. Not since he was in Hell!]

[watching him seethe brings a sudden, sharp, painful memory of Zoro's to mind. Kuina's tears. He takes a sudden breath and claps a hand to his face, feeling absolutely awful.

As a child, he always said it didn't matter and believed it. He still believes it, he's said as much to that Marine captain chick. So how does it not apply to the cook, temporary situation or not?]

...no, you're right. You are you, somewhere in there.

[god, he fucked up bad, here. He still can't bring himself to go over there and grab the cook and squeeze him tight, but that won't make things change anyway. Zoro covers his face with his hands and tries to calm down, tries to think of anything he could possibly say or do to make this right.]

[After a bad run-in with a bubble, Keimi has lost her fish tail and become a harpy. She now has long green feathery wings on the backs of her arms, and two bird legs with impressive talons. The bubble also happened to shift her personality, just a little bit. Her temperament has changed, and her bubbly attitude has been replaced with a more aggressive one. To her, she has always been this way.

She can still be found in her workshop working on orders, or making food in the galley. She may also be sitting in the nooks and crannies of the ship's ceiling, or up in the crow's nest. Or, if you're seeing her around dinner, she'll be swooping down into the ocean to pull fish out with her large talons. Mmm, fish dinner.]

[Sanji backs down as he watches Zoro cover his face, the tension bleeding right out of his body and leaving him feeling even more tired than before. He winces slightly, a little remorse starting to creep its way in, and drags a hand over his own face before pushing it back into his hair.]

Stop that. It's fine, Zoro.

[Turns back to his cake, opening the oven so that he can slide the pan inside. He still has to make the other layers, too, so he starts measuring out various ingredients again in a robotic kind of way.]

Don't worry about it.

No, it's not. I wasn't fair to you.

[still, he has to keep his eye lowered, because it doesn't look like Sanji but, actual voice aside, it sounds like him, and that helps. The scent of cigarettes is the same, he can fixate on that.]

You have every right to be pissed. You're the one going through this, not me. I don't know what to do to fix it or make it right again, but...

[he's apologized so many times now it feels like one more would ring hollow. But he won't run away, he'll sit there and let the cook finish his cake.]

It ain't worth it staying pissed. And anyway, not your fault this happened, the hell good is it gonna do me to be mad at you?

[Measure, pour, mix, mix, mix. Different flavor for this cake layer, too.]

Look, you're not gonna fix it. I don't need you to fix it, I just need you to— [Ugh, don't say 'need'. He purses his lips together for a moment, then sighs.] ...Not run away from me.

Kick me in the face later, it'll make me feel better.

[he might be kidding, he might not]

...I'm not. I won't. I just gotta remember that it's still you.

[sure, he's been a shithead toward the cook before, but this is a different level of shithead. He should be above this, and will silently discipline himself if no one else will do it for him.]

[Snorts.]

Could kick you in the face now, what, you think it wouldn't hurt just as bad?

[Squats down to dig out another cake pan, shooting a look at Zoro over his shoulder.]

Yeah... Don't forget that, ya idiot.

Yeah, but I didn't want to interrupt your cooking.

[harrumphs and looks away]

It's still weird. Real weird.

[Arches an eyebrow.]

You think? It felt a lot less weird when it was Nami-san's body I was borrowing.

[For some reason. ...Okay, he knows why, but just gonna casually pretend he wasn't using it as an opportunity to be a total shitty perve. /cough

He straightens up again and grabs the bowl to pour the batter into the pan.]

Something about Usopp's birthday makes fucked up shit happen here. ...I take it you've seen Luffy?

Yeah. [annoyed as fuck by the wake-up call] Idiot's enjoying himself way too much.

Though...if it's the day, then everything should wear off. Right? [oh please oh please oh please] Luffy tried to get me to touch the bubbles, so I think that's what caused it this time.

Let him, he ain't hurting anyone. [Aside from the longing pang that comes with wanting to see their nakama again. Sanji gives a soft, not quite amused laugh.] Threw me for a shitty loop, though. Didn't ever think I'd see Usopp looking so damn scrawny again.

[He glances out the porthole, frowning at the bubbles that are hovering oh-so-innocently in the air.]

Shit, those things? That's annoying. Mah, but yeah, maybe it'll wear off by midnight or something...

[DOES HE DARE TO DREAM?

Yes, yes he does.

As he squirms a little suddenly.]

Fuck, I really hope so.

[he does, too, but this time he's going to keep his damn mouth shut. This isn't about him.]

On the one hand, maybe touching another one will fix it, but on the other hand...maybe it'll just make it worse. Dunno if I'd want to take that risk.

[now that the air between them seems clearer...he needs to get drunk for breakfast. Excuse him, cook, there's a liquor cabinet with his name on it.]

Told you you were the pretty one.

Pretty much. I've been training in this technique since I was a kid, I better be good at it by now.

[Luffy, plz. Captain up, here.]

[Of all the things to deal with around the ship, this is the least weird. At least for Zoro.

Sometime midafternoon on the first day, he wanders over to see how she's doing. He remembers her fascination with human function after the body swap, so...]

Having fun, Celestia?

[Hello human!pony, have a bird!fish. Keimi, sporting wings on her arms and new bird talons, gives the human woman a big grin.]

Damn. Tia, is that you? You look hot.

Bubble Trouble

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