[ just as she seems to transform, so does sanji, a natural, instinctive response that never seems to take much thought at all, as if simply a reaction of muscle memory or well trained impulse, as his annoyed demeanor transforms into an excitable one, all warm cheeks and smiles as he admires the woman in front of him — too caught up in the sheer presence of a woman that he doesn't consider the reflective qualities she seems to bear. ]
I take no offense, my lady. I'm very familiar with this uneducated oaf's rude behavior and I know it bears no reflection on how lovely you seem to be.
[ natural. habitual. where not even the anger he holds for zoro seems to prevent his usual behaviors, even if all it really takes is a mere glance back in the swordsman's direction to feel the scorching fire in his soul again, especially as he's forced to listen to him talk with that attitude. ]
Oi, oi—! [ before he even has a chance to criticize him on his etiquette in a woman's company, the other man already seems to be off, leaping back off the ship right from where sanji had just come from. ] Wait a damned minute, you bastard!
[ back to the maid — ]
Please excuse me, sweet miss. [ even in a hurry, he'll sneak in a forward bend to press a gentle kiss to her hand. ] I'll be sure to make him beg on his knees for forgiveness later for his ugly manners.
[ which has him immediately spinning on his heel to take off after zoro, hopping quickly back onto the dock and darting after him, knowing if he loses a second, the idiot will just get himself lost. ]
Shithead! Slow down! You realize the damn hunt you put me through to find you because you're too stupid to give one simple direction!? Where the hell do you plan on going now?
( he only slows down when can't hear the sounds of two sanjis schmoozing at once. it's enough to make him sick. it's shitty cook overload, and he has to leave before he loses his lunch over it.
it's true that he'd managed to get absurdly far. the way he wanders, it's something worth studying. in the blink of an eye, he can be halfway across an island in the wrong direction, and no one would be the wiser. )
What the hell are you talking about? You took forever because you can't follow simple landmarks. Don't put that on me.
( he took a perfectly acceptable photo of the ship and he won't be told otherwise.
when he looks around, he frowns. in truth, he was simply looking for a place to fight, a place with lots of room to struggle, and strain, and scream, but this being a city and all, places like that are in short order. it's all the more reason to get back home as soon as possible: he's not built for posh, big dress, wig-wearing city life.
but this place should be good enough. beyond the docks, the grassy area between the beach and the city, it works for him. he can see his ship in the near distance and he can see sand over his opposite shoulder. best of all, there are no people here on this path, so he doesn't need to worry about others getting in his way. )
[ it doesn't take much for sanji to catch up, long legs and all, especially when he's got the experience of chasing after zoro enough times to know the routine, to the point that he briefly gets caught up in just trying to catch him before remembering he's supposed to be preparing for a fight with him. ]
Are you still that much of an idiot? Nothing about that picture was simple. You might as well just have sent me a picture of your middle finger and it'd have been the same message.
[ why the hell does he put up with this? and more importantly, why does he still care?
they're in this city without their crew, without their captain, so really, sanji has no obligation to play babysitter to whatever stupidity zoro wants to get up to, whether he's off getting lost or drinking booze until he passes out or moving in with other women. he shouldn't give such a damn if he's not eating well enough or whether he stays out of trouble enough to not get himself killed or whether the man is still simmering in quiet hatred towards him.
sanji shouldn't care, but that's always been the problem with him. the fact that he can never help but care, and even with every insult he can spit and swear in zoro's direction, he cares about that damn bastard as his nakama and being separated from the rest of their crew doesn't change that. if anything, it makes the feeling more prevalent in his mind, an awareness that keeps the anger heated and swelling in his chest once zoro stops and they seem to have settled on a proper enough spot for their battle.
he stands a decent distance away, enough to look him in the eye with a sternness that quietly evokes the seriousness of what he intends, the curl of his brow furrowing tightly.
without a word, he tugs off his jacket, giving it a fairly careful fold before laying it on the ground beside him. hopefully it won't get dirt on it, but he'll be cleaning it again later anyway. when he straightens, his fingers go up to his tie, loosening it just slightly before he plucks the remaining nub of his cigarette from his lips and drops it to the ground, his heel crushing the faint embers left in it. ]
If we have to keep it going until I finally send you to hell, that's fine by me.
( generally speaking, zoro would define himself is a man without much to say. he isn't overly forthcoming with his words when there's no reason for it. he isn't boisterous and he isn't open, not like his captain. that isn't his role in things. there's enough of that already. even in their ragtag crew, everything has its place. if it doesn't seem that way from the outside, you're not looking closely enough.
that's why sharing his thoughts so freely before is something of an anomaly for him. he can name off the people on his crew who have a right to be so emotional, so reckless with their thoughts, and he isn't among them. zoro is discipline... yet he can't bring himself to regret his words. he only doesn't like how impassioned they were. it makes it seems as if he cares about the cook and whether he stays or goes.
he doesn't. and if he does, it's not for personal reasons. it's not because he cares; it's because luffy cares.
when you join a crew, you make an oath. the fact that sanji went back on that isn't the problem; it's the fact that he disobeyed luffy. there's no room for anything else. there's no room in his mind. there's no room in his heart. there's no place for feeling anything that isn't his goals and the goals of his captain. that's it.
that's it. that's— )
I lost my faith in you.
( ...it's going to come out from some other place, then. )
You're not the man I thought you were.
( he didn't agree for those words to pass into the air. )
I'm going to cut away every part until I find a man I can trust beneath the surface.
( it's happening of its own accord, apparently. if he shoves a hilt between his teeth, will that stop the sound? ...no. this loud part of him is just going to talk around it. three swords feel like home, [a bit like sanji may have at one point], one in each hand, one on his tongue, easy and controlled. as it should be. he'll survive this. )
Until then, don't even think about offering me your food. I won't eat it!
( as zoro rushes him, he's sure he means it. he thinks of every great meal made by sanji's hands, and he slashes their image in half against the very real figure of sanji here in the present. there's structure. there's always structure when zoro fights, but there's no relief. he's not letting up, not giving sanji a chance to back out [again] and run away [again] and abandon him [again] to defend a crew all on his own. sanji is going to face him, look the consequences of his actions in the eye, and bleed for them. )
[ sanji already faced luffy on the battlefield, confronted by the other man's insistence to not put up his own fight, stubbornness triumphing in the face of sanji's insistence to come through with his own sacrifice. his own pursuit to avoid being a burden to his crew had instead opposed the reality, one where the bottom of his heel had slammed against his own captain's teeth and all of his intentions had proven to be a reflection on more of what he had tried to grow away from — the fate of his own uselessness.
he knows where luffy stands, knows that despite the weight of his own flaws, his captain would smile brightly, showing off that newly missing tooth and say "that's just how you are", as if everything sanji had wanted to bury in the ground had been exactly what he needed to grip tightly to all along.
and that had been that — except it wasn't.
because proving himself to luffy isn't proving himself to zoro. for all that zoro follows every bit of luffy's beliefs and faith, there's the sliver of an exception where zoro simply doesn't forgive, because even with every vow of "anything for my captain", sanji's aware that beneath the loyal pride of a first mate is also a man who stands on his own values. with zoro, everything is for luffy, but not everything is luffy, and it's that part that stands before him now on the field, the part that speaks out a rare honesty, the part that tests him in this fight, the part that's all raw strength and skin and sharp metal.
because sanji already knows luffy's words. these aren't his. he already knows the rest of their crew has accepted him back. this isn't their test.
this fight isn't about their crew, about their captain, about their nakama. this is about them.
this is about zoro and sanji. ]
Then I'll show you exactly who I am.
[ because sanji is no longer buried under the weight of his past, drowning himself in the flood of his own excuses, pitying himself for his lack of worth, but he hasn't yet shown zoro. he isn't forgiven for his doubt, for his betrayal, but apologies don't come from words. they come from the way his own feet begin to race against the dirt as zoro charges forward, his own body rushing to meet him halfway. it's spoken in the burning flame that bursts around his legs before he pushes his weight through the air, letting the focused pressure of haki at his knee clash against the strong, exerted force of metal, the impact stretching out from their collision across the field of grass around them like a storm. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
I take no offense, my lady. I'm very familiar with this uneducated oaf's rude behavior and I know it bears no reflection on how lovely you seem to be.
[ natural. habitual. where not even the anger he holds for zoro seems to prevent his usual behaviors, even if all it really takes is a mere glance back in the swordsman's direction to feel the scorching fire in his soul again, especially as he's forced to listen to him talk with that attitude. ]
Oi, oi—! [ before he even has a chance to criticize him on his etiquette in a woman's company, the other man already seems to be off, leaping back off the ship right from where sanji had just come from. ] Wait a damned minute, you bastard!
[ back to the maid — ]
Please excuse me, sweet miss. [ even in a hurry, he'll sneak in a forward bend to press a gentle kiss to her hand. ] I'll be sure to make him beg on his knees for forgiveness later for his ugly manners.
[ which has him immediately spinning on his heel to take off after zoro, hopping quickly back onto the dock and darting after him, knowing if he loses a second, the idiot will just get himself lost. ]
Shithead! Slow down! You realize the damn hunt you put me through to find you because you're too stupid to give one simple direction!? Where the hell do you plan on going now?
no subject
it's true that he'd managed to get absurdly far. the way he wanders, it's something worth studying. in the blink of an eye, he can be halfway across an island in the wrong direction, and no one would be the wiser. )
What the hell are you talking about? You took forever because you can't follow simple landmarks. Don't put that on me.
( he took a perfectly acceptable photo of the ship and he won't be told otherwise.
when he looks around, he frowns. in truth, he was simply looking for a place to fight, a place with lots of room to struggle, and strain, and scream, but this being a city and all, places like that are in short order. it's all the more reason to get back home as soon as possible: he's not built for posh, big dress, wig-wearing city life.
but this place should be good enough. beyond the docks, the grassy area between the beach and the city, it works for him. he can see his ship in the near distance and he can see sand over his opposite shoulder. best of all, there are no people here on this path, so he doesn't need to worry about others getting in his way. )
...Once we start this, it won't end easily.
( 'you can still back out,' is what he means. )
no subject
Are you still that much of an idiot? Nothing about that picture was simple. You might as well just have sent me a picture of your middle finger and it'd have been the same message.
[ why the hell does he put up with this? and more importantly, why does he still care?
they're in this city without their crew, without their captain, so really, sanji has no obligation to play babysitter to whatever stupidity zoro wants to get up to, whether he's off getting lost or drinking booze until he passes out or moving in with other women. he shouldn't give such a damn if he's not eating well enough or whether he stays out of trouble enough to not get himself killed or whether the man is still simmering in quiet hatred towards him.
sanji shouldn't care, but that's always been the problem with him. the fact that he can never help but care, and even with every insult he can spit and swear in zoro's direction, he cares about that damn bastard as his nakama and being separated from the rest of their crew doesn't change that. if anything, it makes the feeling more prevalent in his mind, an awareness that keeps the anger heated and swelling in his chest once zoro stops and they seem to have settled on a proper enough spot for their battle.
he stands a decent distance away, enough to look him in the eye with a sternness that quietly evokes the seriousness of what he intends, the curl of his brow furrowing tightly.
without a word, he tugs off his jacket, giving it a fairly careful fold before laying it on the ground beside him. hopefully it won't get dirt on it, but he'll be cleaning it again later anyway. when he straightens, his fingers go up to his tie, loosening it just slightly before he plucks the remaining nub of his cigarette from his lips and drops it to the ground, his heel crushing the faint embers left in it. ]
If we have to keep it going until I finally send you to hell, that's fine by me.
no subject
that's why sharing his thoughts so freely before is something of an anomaly for him. he can name off the people on his crew who have a right to be so emotional, so reckless with their thoughts, and he isn't among them. zoro is discipline... yet he can't bring himself to regret his words. he only doesn't like how impassioned they were. it makes it seems as if he cares about the cook and whether he stays or goes.
he doesn't.
and if he does, it's not for personal reasons.
it's not because he cares; it's because luffy cares.
when you join a crew, you make an oath. the fact that sanji went back on that isn't the problem; it's the fact that he disobeyed luffy. there's no room for anything else. there's no room in his mind. there's no room in his heart. there's no place for feeling anything that isn't his goals and the goals of his captain. that's it.
that's it. that's— )
I lost my faith in you.
( ...it's going to come out from some other place, then. )
You're not the man I thought you were.
( he didn't agree for those words to pass into the air. )
I'm going to cut away every part until I find a man I can trust beneath the surface.
( it's happening of its own accord, apparently. if he shoves a hilt between his teeth, will that stop the sound? ...no. this loud part of him is just going to talk around it. three swords feel like home, [a bit like sanji may have at one point], one in each hand, one on his tongue, easy and controlled. as it should be. he'll survive this. )
Until then, don't even think about offering me your food. I won't eat it!
( as zoro rushes him, he's sure he means it. he thinks of every great meal made by sanji's hands, and he slashes their image in half against the very real figure of sanji here in the present. there's structure. there's always structure when zoro fights, but there's no relief. he's not letting up, not giving sanji a chance to back out [again] and run away [again] and abandon him [again] to defend a crew all on his own. sanji is going to face him, look the consequences of his actions in the eye, and bleed for them. )
no subject
he knows where luffy stands, knows that despite the weight of his own flaws, his captain would smile brightly, showing off that newly missing tooth and say "that's just how you are", as if everything sanji had wanted to bury in the ground had been exactly what he needed to grip tightly to all along.
and that had been that — except it wasn't.
because proving himself to luffy isn't proving himself to zoro. for all that zoro follows every bit of luffy's beliefs and faith, there's the sliver of an exception where zoro simply doesn't forgive, because even with every vow of "anything for my captain", sanji's aware that beneath the loyal pride of a first mate is also a man who stands on his own values. with zoro, everything is for luffy, but not everything is luffy, and it's that part that stands before him now on the field, the part that speaks out a rare honesty, the part that tests him in this fight, the part that's all raw strength and skin and sharp metal.
because sanji already knows luffy's words. these aren't his. he already knows the rest of their crew has accepted him back. this isn't their test.
this fight isn't about their crew, about their captain, about their nakama. this is about them.
this is about zoro and sanji. ]
Then I'll show you exactly who I am.
[ because sanji is no longer buried under the weight of his past, drowning himself in the flood of his own excuses, pitying himself for his lack of worth, but he hasn't yet shown zoro. he isn't forgiven for his doubt, for his betrayal, but apologies don't come from words. they come from the way his own feet begin to race against the dirt as zoro charges forward, his own body rushing to meet him halfway. it's spoken in the burning flame that bursts around his legs before he pushes his weight through the air, letting the focused pressure of haki at his knee clash against the strong, exerted force of metal, the impact stretching out from their collision across the field of grass around them like a storm. ]