Happy Anniversary!

[seadevil]

Who: The crew of the Katabami
Where: Gamboller's Berth
When: June-ish
What: General crew log
Warnings:
Style: Any
Status: Closed to crew

Motochika and Ragna have survived a year of marriage (somehow). This is definitely a cause for celebration! And entering the armadillo in races so they can gamble away all their money on him. And gambling away what money they have left after the armadillo race. Basically, this is what happens after they've been without adult supervision for months.

Comments

[cherrybombpie]

A
[Kodachi was earning a nice profit in the coliseum ring, where her leotards and underhanded techniques seemed to win the crowd's favor. Her tip jar was overflowing because she was giving them quite a show, and was thus far undefeated. All in all, it was a good day.]

B
[The steaks were indeed nice on this island, and as such, Kodachi saw it fit to purchase a number of them for the crew. The sizzling sound and the delicious smell of meat on the grill was evident aboard the Katabami. Come join her?]

B

[seadevil]

[Food of any sort summons the captain fairly quickly. The smell of meat cooking summons him even faster. It's a matter of minutes before he's looming behind Kodachi, trying to see what she's doing and generally getting in the way.]

Is that dinner?

[cherrybombpie]

Yes, it is!

[It was a good thing that Kodachi liked the captain, or she would've thrown him overboard for all his meddling. As it was, she handed him the tongs and attempted to put an apron on him.]

I'll just prepare the vegetables for the grill. Could you watch the steaks, Motochika-san?

[That wasn't a recipe for disaster, was it?]

[seadevil]

Watch them...aye, I can do that...

[Motochika looked down at the apron with a little frown. While he understood the reasoning behind wearing one, it was a bit more clothing than he necessarily chose to wear most days.]

What am I supposed to be seeing?

[Clearly this was not a man who was ever expected to do his own cooking.]

[cherrybombpie]

If they explode, that's not good.

[This was said with cheerfulness from the kitchen, where she was quickly slicing up eggplant and tomatoes for the grill.]

[As if on cue, a grease fire began from one of the steaks, sending the whole grill up in flames.]

Oh.

[seadevil]

I didn't do it!!

[That seemed to be an important thing to establish right off the bat. Motochika didn't panic, though, because it was far from the first time something had suddenly caught on fire right in front of him. It was kind of a frequent occurrence back home. However, it was the first time food caught on fire in front of him and wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do about it. He certainly wasn't going to reach in and save the steaks, not with his vambraces on. He knew better than that.]

What am I supposed to do?!

A

[curseking]

[Mitsunari, who had been otherwise wandering around listlessly, took notice that Kodachi was competing in the coliseum and decided to stick around to watch her fight. He was not surprised by her skill in battle, expecting no less from an ally of his.

And at some point, he happened to toss some money into the tip jar.

It's not like he needed it, anyway.]

A

[cherrybombpie]

[Kodachi, whose senses were 100% attuned to everything that was going on in the ring, was of course aware that Mitsunari had given her a tip. Considering the nature of his person, that was the highest compliment he could give her.]

[She'd just thrown a person into the audience when she abruptly decided that she was done, and she then took her tip jar and somersaulted out of the ring only to land beside her ally.]

It would've been fun if you joined in, you know!

[curseking]

I've never participated in a competition of this kind... The rewards look meager.

[Is there anyone less enthusiastic about making money than Mitsunari?]

And it would be no challenge for me to extinguish the competition.

[Them's fightin' words, Mitsunari.]

[cherrybombpie]

I just like staying limber. After all, it's nice to exercise once in a while.

[Because throwing people was great exercise, yes.]

You're not meant to "extinguish" them literally - just their battle spirit!

Haven't you ever fought for fun?

[curseking]

[Can't argue with the value of exercise.

Mitsunari's pretty sure he could extinguish their battle spirit, too. He certainly crushed the Date Army's morale back at Odawara. Ahh, those were the days.]

Never. Only to sharpen my skills... or in service to my lord.

I enjoyed that.

B

[rebellions]

[Ragna has noticed the steaks, too; in fact, that's one of the more interesting things about the island, considering he's not too big on gambling or racing or─ okay, perhaps saying he's not big on fighting would be wrong, but he's not sold on the idea of paying to beat the crap out of people. He can usually do that for free, thank you very much.

So either way, the Grim Reaper will approach Kodachi in the middle of her cooking. Surprisingly enough, he's been in a fairly good mood lately (Is it because Xun Yu isn't around? Or is it a coincidence? We may never know.) so he's not here to whine or complain about anything. Small miracles.]

Need some help with this?

B

[cherrybombpie]

[Kodachi, in the meantime, had raked up a fortune in the ring and had used that money to buy the prime cuts of beef that were currently sizzling on the grill. She'd bought dresses too, but Gamboller's Berth being what it was, they were probably quite revealing to anyone else but Ragna, who had seen crotch plates and everything else in between.]

[She was wearing one such new dress now, white bikini underneath as she hummed a tuneless melody while watching the grill.]

[She blinked up at Ragna.]

Oh, well, certainly if you're offering. You could do the fanning so the charcoal stays lit.

[rebellions]

[That's not really the most engaging activity, but it's better than nothing... and he did offer help, so it isn't his place to complain, huh. Plus, he might make the use of fan for himself, too. It's pretty hot on this island and Ragna, as usual, stubbornly refuses to wear anything but blacks with his jacket on top of it all.]

Sure, can do tha─

[He cuts himself off mid-sentence as he finally looks away from the steaks and directs his attention at the girl instead. Well, mostly her outfit, really. Look, just because he's been exposed to some, er, excessive wardrobe doesn't necessarily mean he approves of it, much less on his little sister figures─ and despite not sharing her appearance and voice with Saya, Kodachi has somewhat become one to him.

Cue his overprotective big brother instincts kicking in.]

... What the hell are you wearing?!

[Although more precisely, his primary concern is what she isn't wearing.]

[cherrybombpie]

[Kodachi was actually legitimately surprised at his outburst. She'd heard him yelling a million times - in fact, there probably wasn't a day when he didn't shout - but when it came to wardrobe, Kodachi wasn't always the most prudish. Traditional, yes, in the sense that she enjoyed wearing kimono - but when one's battle attire consisted of leotards, it was hard to be completely shy when it came to skimpy dresses that covered more of her than her uniform did.]

A dress.

[You asked for it.]

What's the matter?

[rebellions]

[Look, at least leotards cover the most important parts, and this dress... he's not so sure about that and he'd rather not, uh, check. Ragna can't help but roll his eyes at the response, though, his voice turning as sarcastic as ever.]

... Right. How could I not notice?

[The simplicity with which she answered makes it sound like it's no issue at all─ and now that he gives it some thought, it probably really isn't provided she's not leaving the ship dressed like that.]

Nothing. [He shrugs. At least he gets accustomed to that sort of thing easily...] What was it about the fan?

Motochika Catchall

[seadevil]

[A]

[The one-year anniversary of Motochika's first marriage is coming up, but he isn't exactly the sort who remembers things like that. He knows it happened, sure, and that it happened summer-ish, but any specifics were erased from his brain as soon as he got the treasure he wanted on Eternal Bliss. Therefore, it might be a good idea to jog his memory before the wife finds out there's no present in it for him.]

[B]

[Since animal racing is a big thing on this island, you know there's no way Motochika's ego is going to allow him to pass up entering his pride and joy in the competition. Yo-chan, however, isn't exactly much of a runner. He's always had stubby little legs and now that he's roughly the size of a large (okay, huge) dog, he's not exactly the swiftest of beasts. Therefore, it's up to his proud owner to get him in shape.

You can find Motochika on the beach and on a few smaller racetracks around the island diligently training the poor armadillo for his future in competitive sports. He's taking it very, very seriously. Yo-chan just wants to eat some bugs and take a nap, though...]

[C]

[Motochika has been spoiled by the great steaks on the island. It's inspired him to haul out the Rising Sun parts he has stored in the hold and tinker with them to see if he can create the most badass grill in existence with them. One that shoots fire as well as steaks and looks (of course) like a giant spider. He doesn't actually know anything about cooking, but he does know about building machines that set things on fire.]

A

[rebellions]

[Ragna isn't good at keeping the track of time or remembering dates, either, but this is one of the few that have burned themselves into his mind hard enough for him not to miss it. Now, it's certainly NOT because he cares or thinks it's important or anything equally silly, it's just that the event was so traumatic he couldn't forget about it if he tried. Yep. That's exactly why. No room for doubt.

─that's more or less what Ragna's internal monologue amounts to as he makes his way through the ship to Motochika's quarters on the day of their anniversary, holding a sizable paper bag in his hand. Once he finally reaches his destination, he... does nothing, other than mumble to himself and let out an annoyed groan or two.]

Hnghhh... This is dumb. Why the hell do I even bother? What a waste of time...

[The Grim Reaper takes a step away from the door, turning on his heel ready to leave, but hesitates to do so. Apparently, whatever sick compulsion drove him to prepare this is also keeping him from walking away. Giving up really isn't in his nature, even when what he wants to do feels stupid. On top of that, the awareness he's acting like some sort of schoolgirl with a crush is not making him feel any better.]

... Since I'm already here, I might as well... But it's pointless... Maybe I should just leave this at the door and scram─ but that's even more pathetic...

[He continues this for a few more minutes, and it's unlikely he'll make up his mind anytime soon. Eventually, Motochika might hear knocking (or... more like muted thud sounds) at his door. Sadly it's not because Ragna has suddenly developed enough social skills not to enter somebody's room without permission, but rather because he's reached the point in his frustration where he started banging his head against the wall.]

[seadevil]

[Motochika had been busy tidying things up a bit in his cabin (something he does on rare occasions, usually when it gets to the point where he can't get from one side to the other without risking injury) when the thumping began. Considering he's not used to knocking unless Xun Yu is around (and she isn't), it's definitely worth investigating.

He manages to time it perfectly, too, because he manages to catch Ragna just as he's about to bang his head on the door again and catches the blow right on his chest.]

Ahoy there, Ragna!

[And, predictably, isn't the least bit put out about it.]

[rebellions]

[Hitting something that certainly isn't the door interrupts Ragna's self-deprecating "stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid" mantra, though it's only when Motochika calls his name that he looks up. Finding himself face-to-face with his husband, he lets out an undignified, high-pitched squeak (almost as if he saw a ghost, but don't tell him that) and jumps backwards, clutching the bag to his chest like his life depends on it.]

S-Sea Devil?! [It shouldn't be too shocking to see him walk out of his own room, and yet Ragna looks pretty startled.] I, uhhh... I mean, this... Ummm, how do I...

[The Grim Reaper stutters for a moment, feeling both embarrassed and guilty as if he was caught red-handed doing something he shouldn't. After briefly considering his options (none of which seem very appealing at this point, to be honest), he finally decides he needs to man up and see it through to the end.

Easier said than done, dammit.]

... Mind if I come in?

[If he's gonna make an idiot out of himself, he'd rather do it somewhere where there are no witnesses.]

[seadevil]

[Motochika is momentarily perplexed by how flustered Ragna seems, but he shrugs that off easily enough when Ragna asks to come in the room. That's new! He's actually asking politely instead of making a fuss about it and acting like it puts him physical pain to be anywhere near the place! Motochika is positively beaming when he steps out of his way and waves him in.]

Not at all! What brings you over here? I can't imagine it was just to bang your head on my door.

C

[curseking]

[It's no surprise to Mitsunari to see Motochika working on some kind of wild invention. He even thinks he recognizes those parts -- they belonged to the spidery machines that gave him so much trouble. Yet, it doesn't seem like he's trying to make another one.]

...

What manner of contraption is it this time, Motochika?

[seadevil]

[Hello to you, too, Mitsunari.]

It's meant to be a grill! I can't make too many promises that that's what it will end up as, of course, but that's what I thought I'd build.

[Why the grill consists of what looks like a flame thrower and giant spider legs with no visible cooking surface is anyone's guess. When he starts with spare parts and builds whatever comes to mind, sometimes the result is genius and sometimes it's nothing but a tremendous mess. It's only when he takes the time to draw out blueprints and make models before unleashing his genius upon actual materials that he can reliably create something brilliant. Well, what he considers brilliant.]

[curseking]

So it sets things aflame.

[He recognizes the flame thrower for what it is and figures this "grill" has to be a weapon. It's intended purpose doesn't even cross his mind.

He's not up to date with cooking technology.]

[seadevil]

It sets meat aflame! Well, it cooks it, rather. Though I suppose setting it aflame would cook it as well.

[Don't let him cook, basically.]

Kodachi was cooking steaks and I thought I could come up with a more exciting way to do it. It seemed a bit tedious the way she was doing it.

[AKA the right way. But the right way involved too much standing around and watching meat cook. He's convinced he can build something that will improve the process.]