[not again] catchall for sanji

[fishingforcompliments]

Comments

[fishingforcompliments]

...oh. No, it was not my intent to chase you out of here...!

[Please don't get out of the way on her account!!]

I can wait. I do not have much of an appetite, at any rate.

[concasse]

Ah... no. I'm not really cooking for myself.

[The smile remains, but it settles awkwardly on his face]

Just... stress cooking, I suppose? Good to keep the hands and mind busy. So if you need anything, lemme know. I can step aside.

[fishingforcompliments]

No... please, carry on. I did not mean to interrupt.

[If he needs to keep his hands and mind busy, the last thing she wants is to make him be idle. The thoughts they all must be thinking are sure to be dark.]

...but, could I help? I suppose I could... use something to do with my hands and mind as well.

[concasse]

[... A shuffle has he moves over, giving her more counter space to work with, and he'll slide her a kitchen knife]

It's nothing major -- just a simple stew. But it'd help if you could cut up some of the vegetables while I get the broth going.]

[fishingforcompliments]

I can do that.

[...time to get started on the vegetables! She goes very slowly, so as to make sure the vegetables are cut evenly.]

[concasse]

[The sound of the chopping is soothing to him. A familiar, steady noise. Tension in his shoulders slowly eases out as he focuses on the broth as promised, though eventually he murmurs:]

How you faring, Flayn-chan?

[Did he ask her that? Well, now he's asking asking, as he keeps his eyes on his work]

[fishingforcompliments]

[chop chop chop chop chop chop

It's possible that she doesn't hear him over the sound of the chopping - but a moment later, she shakes her head, keeping her gaze focused on the vegetables she's cutting.]

...not well, if I am being honest. But I am sure the same can be said for us all. What happened today was...

[Her voice trails off.]

It was terrible.

[concasse]

Mm.

[A simple hum of acknowledgement, since... she's not wrong. No one enjoyed trial.]

... I told him his mouth would get him in trouble.

[fishingforcompliments]

...still, an unpleasant attitude and a foul mouth should not result in death.

[chop chop chop]

[concasse]

No, it shouldn't.

[Immediate agreement there. Sanji grabs a large ladle and begins stirring his broth]

Even if that's the reality we live in.

[...]

Or hell, maybe he was just unlucky and got framed on accident.

[fishingforcompliments]

[the chopping stops, because flayn is staring up at sanji, and she has enough sense not to use a knife when she's not looking at what she's cutting.]

...on accident? Do you think that is likely...?

[concasse]

... It's possible. The fact that Ogata wasn't the only person whose footprints matched makes it seem like he just happened to have the worst alibi.

[A sigh. Since he's just stirring, Sanji doesn't stop moving, even as his gaze remains on the foo]

But shit -- I have no idea. You could make an equally sound argument that he pissed someone off and so they found a way to get rid of him.

[fishingforcompliments]

...I wish we had some way of knowing for sure.

[she sighs]

Although... it is nice, in some ways, that we are told if we voted correctly or not. We received no such indication on the island. [...] Had this happened there, I am not sure if we would have realized that we made a mistake.

[concasse]

You--

[Well shit. Sanji turns his head to look at her after all, clearly stunned]

You guys didn't know for certain? What the hell...

[fishingforcompliments]

[she shakes her head]

The voice never confirmed anyone's guilt - it only told us who had received the largest number of votes.