high_seas | Bubble Trouble

Yeah?

[she's just fishing. Nothing weird here, right?]

Is it almost snack time?

[hopeful!]

[Stares at Zoro's hand for a moment -- it makes his own look much smaller now. Then he lifts his glass to his lips with his other hand and drains the remainder of the booze before tugging free from Zoro's grip. He goes to set the glass in the sink (and hindsight says drinking anything at all was a pretty poor decision right now, oi...).]

Don't force yourself, marimo, I think I can manage to survive keeping our shitty hands off each other for a day. Less than a day. This'll go away soon.

...yeah.

[Mingled disappointment and relief. This is really going to take getting used to, but hopefully the cook is right. Less than a day. He can manage.]

You gonna be okay? [you know, for now.]

Looking at your dumb face, of course. What else?

[Still peering at him, wondering...

Mah, well, maybe he decided to man up and stop skirting around Sanji. Going for the whole 'act normal' kinda thing. Sanji can live with that.]

There's sake on the bottom shelf.

Well, I ain't gonna fall to shitty pieces or anything. Got a party to prepare for.

[He's as okay as he's going to be. He'll be better once he lets Keimi get him into some clothes that actually fit tomorrow, but it's gonna be a long five days regardless.]

'Kay then.

[he goes to finish off the rest of his bottle, realizes he poured the rest for Sanji and there's nothing more than a dribble left, and then gives up and heads out to see if things have calmed down around the ship.

He just might brush against Sanji's back as he goes. It's a safe spot.]

[Keimi keeps her back to Sanji, working at the stovetop.]

Making lunch. Want some? Not as good as anything you'd make but...

[She turns around and immediately grins wide.]

Damn, you're sexy as hell. I'm pretty proud of this one.

[Celestia is not at all sure how to respond to the first statements, so she settles for the question.]

Much better in a body that is, I suppose, 'mine' as opposed to belonging to somepony else and merely borrowed by me. I feel very comfortable in this form.

Well, to think all this time human males had wings and I had no idea. This is what comes of your insistence on always wearing clothing.

[No, Celestia isn't being naive, she's sassing.]

[Actually, that's kind of relieving; Celestia isn't really certain if she has become an attractive human or not, but this way she might not need to beat him off with a stick.]

[She accepts the drink, a bit confused, as she looks down at her legs.] Oh, are they bad?

....Not. Necessarily. [She struggles valiantly to answer, suppressing all the conflicting emotions inside her with every bit of control she has.] That depends on how well the... ah. Effect. Has translated forms.

Not wings, but...oh. [you sly girl, you. At least Zoro is shirtless often enough that she could have checked that hypothesis anytime...]

Well, maybe you'll learn more stuff like that, being human.

[Oh no she's so cute. ...He. HE'S so cute—

Wait, no.

aslkjdfhs.]

Ah, no. No, I just. Uh.

[Flushes a little and scowls, averting his eyes.]

See you got another new shitty body today.

[Instantly blushes a little, scratching the back of his head. WHAT, HE ISN'T SEXY NORMALLY??? Gosh, he needs to bottle up some of this bold, crass Keimi so he can appreciate it more when he's a dude again.]

Heh... Thanks, Keimi-chan. [Glances down at his outfit.] Looks better than the shit I had on earlier, huh?

[Though the bra is still weird. HE'S ODDLY GRATEFUL TO HAVE IT, it's stupid comfortable, but damn. Weird.

He steps closer, trying to peer over her shoulder.]

What kinda lunch?

Eh?

[Blinks at her.]

No, 'course not. They're lovely~

[He says, as he eyes them up and down.]

Like night and day.

[She teases. But seriously, she wasn't going to let you off the ship looking like that.]

Fish stew. Caught them this morning. Hope you don't mind that I raided the pantry for a few ingredients.

Is this... some kind of weird training program, or something?

[That brings Sanji up short.

Uh-oh.]

...But you don't eat fish.

[That earns a stare.]

You hit your head? Fish is, like, all I eat.

[She turns back to her pot and gives it a stir.]

Was hoping I could find some clams for chowder, but I'll make due.

Good to see you're not falling all over yourself, too.

Before:

[he was doing so well. He had managed to avoid even brushing up against a bubble for days. Haki helped, a lot. Zoro was feeling pretty good about his skills, though he figured out after the first two days that as long as the bubbles existed, this bullshit would go on. They showed no signs of disappearing, so he kept his guard up.

Until today.

Today Zoro climbs out of the crow's nest, mid-morning, after doing some scouting, and about halfway down the rigging decides to let go and drop down the rest of the way, like he usually does. But as he falls, a bubble just floats into his path and there's no way to avoid it, he doesn't even see it until he hears the pop and feels the wash of foam.

Instead of landing in a crouch on the deck as usual, a much shorter Zoro thuds onto his ass with the swords clattering on top of him. Drowning in pants and sash, he lets out the longest, most savage stream of nasty cusswords in the most adorable little child voice.

Yep, he's ten again. Himself, but child-sized. Again. Fuck he hates this so much. If you'll excuse him, he's going to go trudge off to the men's cabin and hide for the rest of the day.]

After:

[once the effects of the bubbles wear off, for everyone, Zoro will be more visibly around - but sulking. Embarrassed about pretty much everything, and he handles embarrassment poorly. Clearing the air with the cook is a priority, but otherwise, he'll just be doing his job, standing watch just as much if not more than during the first five days of the month, using all that time alone to think.

That is, if he can get any time alone.]

[Stares right back until she turns around again, then drags a hand down his face.

Well shit.

WHAT DO.]

Mah, Keimi-chan, you sure you want that for lunch? We could save it for dinner, that'd give me enough time to bake a good loaf of shitty bread to go with it!

...Then what would we do for lunch?

[She looks down at the pot. She'd hate to warm it back up later.]

[UNFORTUNATELY FOR ZORO, Sanji's making his way out of the men's cabin just in time to pass that lump of too-big clothes trudging along. He pauses instantly, blinking, because whaaaa....?????

But it comes back to him in a rush, that whole thing awhile ago where half the crew suddenly lost a few shitty years off their age.

He glances over his shoulder.]

Oi, mini marimo.

[Hoping he didn't lose his memory like some of the others did that time.]

[trying SO HARD not to look up but he knows exactly who he just passed.]

Don't start with me, curly cook!

[in his little pipsqueak snarl]

Bubble Trouble

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4/5 and afterward

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4/5 to start!

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