songerein | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Alphen and you
Which: open log
What: Alphen's taking dogs out for a walk.
Warnings: possible mentions of depression and death.

1. the streets of reverein

No, Wait! Come back! Black Fang! White Shadow! Gray Claw!

[Alphen's running for his life while chasing after three puppies. The dogs run away from him and hide behind the next bystander they see. ]

Sorry to bother you with this but have you seen a dog around here?

[He looks a little apologetic. It's been a crazy day. ]

1.b

That's weird. I could swear this thing was talking and walking before.

[He's holding up something that looks like a dog that's made out of plush. That used to belong to Law so Alphen decided to take care of it for the time being. ]

Now it's not really saying anything. Listen I know it's just a plush but it used to walk and talk before. Do you know about enchantment magic?

[Enchantment magic isn't something that he's particularly skilled at. ]

2. around the smithy

Maybe I should get back to work.

[Alphen might seem a little off somehow. He doesn't look like his usual self anymore. His eyes look different and his hand has a drastically changed in appearance as well. He looks more like a monster that way. Seems as if he's been trying to hide these changes under bandages.

Either way it does look suspicious. The nightmare influence is strong and affecting him to this extent. It's gotten to the point where it's noticeable.]

There's a lot of things I still have to check up on. The smithy should be open right about now too. It's been a while. I want to see how things are doing there.

3. [Wild card]

[feel free to wild card as always.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's been meaning to visit Alphen for a long time now, especially since he's rather proud of his work as a blacksmith. While Sanji has no expertise in creating weapons, he knows when someone is passionate about their craft and that's something he can appreciate.

As such, he's also brought over his own seafood curry for Alphen to try, but upon seeing the state that his friend is in, Sanji immediately frowns. Well, that's probably not great.]

Oi, Alphen.

[It's not difficult to notice the chance in his appearance and while he understands the need to push oneself, Sanji is also Pretty Worried about him.] ...Have you eaten anything at all?

Hey, Sanji.

[Alphen has always enjoyed Sanji's company. Today's no exception. He's just a little more drained than usual.]

Not really, I haven't had much time to sit down and think about it. Maybe we should eat something together.

[It might be nice to eat with a familiar face. ]

Well, lucky for you, I have extra food with me. Seafood curry.

[Guess he won't admit that he cooked something for Alphen in the first place. Don't mind Sanji being a little ~~tsundere~~ grumpy, because that's how he is towards guys, but he truly does care about Alphen and his health.]

Got a good place to sit?

Edited 2023-01-06 14:41 (UTC)

Damn, that sounds really good. Yeah there's a chair you can use over there.

[He makes a gesture and points to the chair and table.]

Is it still warm? Nothing beats a fresh meal!

[ Plus he's really interested in trying Sanji's cooking. ]

[Great, works for him. Not needing to be told again, and mostly so he can get some food into Alphen, Sanji makes his way over to the table before plopping himself on one of the chairs.]

Sure is, caught me at a good time. Better sit down soon before it starts gettin' cold though.

That would be a shame. Food's always best when it's fresh and warm.

[Alphen appreciates the sentiment behind Sanji's actions too.]

I don't want to put your hard work to waste either. Cooking is difficult. It seems easy at first but it's tough to master.

[A small appreciative smirk passes Sanji's face when Alphen mentions his hard work, accepting the compliment in a quiet manner. He starts laying the food out on the table, before scooping some of the curry in a bowl for his friend to eat.]

Doesn't matter how long we've been cooking, we're always learning.

[He agrees with an easiness to him that's usually only present when he's cooking food for others. It's truly what he enjoys the most, even if it's not a lovely lady across from him.]

Not as spicy as what you made, but still has a kick to it. I remember that you enjoy those intense spicy flavors.

[Basically Sanji making it as spicy as possible without having spice be the only thing someone tastes. There's a nice spicy afterburn when eating it too. Also, don't mind him basically admitting he cooked this for Alphen specifically.]

It's hard to make something as spicy the way I do it but hey this is pretty good too! Thanks! Sorry I might have to eat it slowly because I injured myself earlier. I hope that doesn't bother you too much.

[Alphen has to do things slowly and he can't push himself too much.]

I'll be sure to eat it before it gets cold!

[Injured, huh. A bad enough injury where he has trouble eating. Sanji eyes Alphen with a more serious look, because what the hell.]

That's fine. [He's not going to force Alpen to eat all of it either, as long as it's not wasted.] You gonna tell me how you injured yourself?

Nightmare influence. It's been getting worse by the day and next thing I realized it was just like this.

How are your dreams, Sanji?

[ Alphen just seems really tired and unlike his usual self but he's still hanging in there. ]

I've been fine, Alphen. Nothing as bad as that one dream I've had.

[Sanji frowns increases, because they're worrying about Alphen right now, not him!! The cook looks a little disgruntled, sending his friend a look that's mixed with concern. He's not bothering to try and hide it this time.]

And you're not improving at all? How long has this been going on?

A few months. I can't be certain but it might have been before that too. Dreams and nightmares all just kind of blend together.

I've had some help to supress the symptoms. It's only more obvious now.

[ He's doing his best to keep it from getting worse. ]

[Months?? What the hell. Sanji feels a little bad not noticing that things have been hard on Alphen for that long, but he shoves that emotion aside so that he can focus on him now.]

You know you can talk to me as well, yeah? Has something happened to cause these nightmares? [He gets nightmares, for sure, but he hasn't dealt with them to the point of having difficulty sleeping for days on end.]

Thanks, I appreciate it. It's been hard for me to talk about it because I don't even really understand what's going on. They started back when I lost Shionne. She's my lover. It can feel lonely when you're not with the people you care about.

Don't you miss your friends from home?

[He might not be the only one who misses someone deeply.]

Didn't know you had a lover.

[That actually explains a lot. He too would be largely upset if someone that close to him disappeared from this world. Even if you know that you'll see them again, it's still hard. There's not much he can do in that regard, other than offer his support. And food.

Sanji closes his eyes for a moment, before giving a nod to Alphen's question.]

Course I do. ...But it's not the first time I've been separated from them. One time, it took two years before I saw any of them again. [That island was Hell for him, this place is nice compared to that.]

Two years is a really long time. Even a day can seem like an eternity when nothing's going right.

Did I mention that you make really kick ass food? This is great! I'm going to eat more.

[ He's gotten his appetite back at least. It's the little things that matter. Alphen's showing some improvements. ]

Yeah, felt like an eternity then.

[As happy as Sanji is that Alphen's enjoying his food, he still can't shake off his concern for him. A smile briefly forms on the chef's face, motioning for his friend to take as much as he wants.]

Eat as much as you want. A good meal goes a long ways.

I'll do just that! Hey, do you feel like sharing your recipe with me? I don't really know what kind of spices you used to make this taste so good.

[He's really happy and he sounds a bit better too. Alphen needs more food. He takes a spoonful of his meal and drinks it down enthusiastically. ]

You're a great cook.

Sure, I'll write it down for you. It's not that hard to make, just has a few ingredients.

[The compliments does a lot to ease Sanji's posture, as he knows that Alphen really means them. Not to mention, he sees a little better compared to before, so it helps to assuage some of the concern he's had. It hasn't completely gone away, but it's progress.]

Spices wise, besides curry powder and ginger, I use serrano chili peppers. The more seeds kept in, the spicier it is. Figured I'd leave all the seeds in for you.

Awesome! I could always teach you how to make it extra spicy. When you mix in herbs it brings out the spice more and you can do that with normal peppers too.

[Sharing some of his cooking tips as a return for the gesture of kindness.]

There's something nice about seranno chili peppers too. That might just be your skill as a chef showing.

[He wonders just briefly if continuing to talk about food is the right move or if he should prod Alphen a little more about his earlier mood. But he seems to be in brighter spirits, so maybe it's just best to continue on with this. It's not like it's a chore for him to talk about these sort of things. It's his favorite, really.]

Heh, you're right. Mixing in herbs and spaces matter, along with the choice of the pepper itself. You can also temper the peppers and spices in oil and add to the dish to increase the heat more.

[Maybe he'll try and make the spiciest dish for Alphen if he really wants that.]

I don't think I ever told you why I enjoy spice so much. It's because I couldn't feel pain before.

[It might sound strange but Alphen really couldn't feel pain up until recently. He's being more honest now.]

I was just happy to feel anything at all really. At least my taste buds were still fine. How's your sense of taste? I think your blend of peppers is just fantastic.

[...Okay, go back a bit there. Because what?? Unable to feel pain? He feels like he missed something big here.]

Got a perfect sense of taste.

[He's not exaggerating or bragging really, mostly just stating that as a fact.]

...Didn't know about your whole pain thing.

It sounds strange, doesn't it?

Someone might think it's easier if you don't feel pain but I don't believe that.

We need fear to survive. [ It's an instinct so it's important to have no matter how difficult it may be. ]

[It's not that strange, really. Maybe he has Judge to thank for that, but he's honestly familiar with people who are nearly invulnerable, or people who just don't have basic human empathy or emotions. Yeah, his shitty brothers. It's not quite the same as the inability to feel pain, but he still understands to some extent.

Sanji lets out a small sigh, as he thoughts wander back to the Vinsmokes once more, but he nods at Alphen.]

...No, I fully agree with you. [...Although, despite Alphen not being able to feel pain, he's still a decent guy. He can see how that can affect someone in a bad sort of way.]

Would rather hurt every day than feel nothin' at all.