[That smile in tandem with those words don't inspire much confidence. Having said that, Mark is a stubborn guy. Sanji hasn't visited others to know how long it takes to return to one's world, but Mark will definitely find his way back here and there sooner or later.]
Sounds good. You don't have to rush if things are going well, but you can send me a message any time.
[He slides a hand in his pant pocket, feeling for his phone. Even now, its sleek design is a novelty. Whether he's answering Mark or Asa, he's going to have to make sure it's properly muted before he does anything else.
[ not sanji needing to learn to keep his phone on silent, like a normal person
Sure, Mark can send messages; he nods, easy. But he's still gonna come back — it'd be weird to have come to Sanji's world and not visit him again, even if Sanji did actually tell him not to come to begin with—
A blink at his question, mind catching up to him, followed by a moment's pause. Is he hungry?
And then, another nod. ] Yeah, kind of... [ He probably hasn't been eating the greatest after the whole, you know. Reason he wanted to talk in the first place.
Trying to thread the needle between not wanting to impose himself, but also knowing that this very much is Sanji's thing: ] You got something in mind?
[These phones don't just go to sleep like snails do . . . What a pain.
Mark can always eat at the Baratie—Zeff will feed him at no charge or for a day of washing dishes, if nothing else—but it's the principle of the matter. Sanji can't send him on a long-distance journey on an halfway empty stomach, so he hunches forward and plants his feet against the branch, crouching to ready himself for a leap.]
Yeah. First things first: we need to find a duck or two.
[They live all over this forest, he knows. It's time to cook a few and rejuvenate Mark.]
[ Mark gives a curious little tilt of his head as Sanji hunches forward, indicating he's getting ready to do something — and then fully perks up at the mention of ducks. ]
Oh, man. I can't remember the last time I had duck. [ He's leaning forward now too, still sitting since it doesn't take much for him to get back in the air, looking over at Sanji. ] Is it part of your training to find them yourself, or can I help?
[ Respecting boundaries... But also, he knows with Sanji cooking them up, they'll be amazing. ]
[Hmm, is it? Technically speaking, the challenge concerns the denizens of this island. The animals and nature itself are mere variables introduced by consequence. Sanji glances at Mark, who's already looking a little better, before eyeing the ground beneath them.]
They're all over this section of the forest. If you can round up a few, I'll begin preparations for cooking them.
[Saying that, he leaps off the branch and lands on the ground in a mild crouch. The sky is much, much safer, but he can't gather what he needs from the earth to create makeshift tools if he goes up—so down it is.]
[ And there goes Sanji. Mark leans over further to watch him land back on the ground, a little fascinated by how his method of flying— landing— all of it works. He takes another couple of seconds to watch him get to work scavenging on the ground before he takes off for himself, disturbing some petals on the way as he elevates, looking for ducks as he circles above.
When he spots a flock he goes flying right into them, nearby enough that Sanji might hear the panicked sounds of ducks making an escape, a bunch of them taking to the sky... Mark can wrestle with ducks for the rest of this tag to give Sanji some time to get some things together. ]
While Mark wrestles with the oddly effeminate flock, Sanji's grown accustomed to bushcraft that he gathers what he needs with ease. Once he has enough supplies in the way of wood and stone, he parks himself in a small clearing surrounded by foliage to start a modest fire, after which he pulls out his switchblade to begin carving out a spoon from a block of wood. A year of practice and his natural expertise at handling a blade see that his hands continue to work as Sanji looks up at Mark's return.]
[ He's too busy trying to grab hold of ducks and actually keep hold of them to notice the qualities they have... They're just ducks, right? They're just ducks, he tells himself as he heads back — floating above the ground, moving somewhat cautiously, with two still-alive ducks, each tucked under an arm and trying to peck at him in lieu of being able to do anything else.
Not that he feels it. Not that he knows what else he's supposed to do except... well... here he is with the ducks, grip secure enough that they aren't going anywhere. ]
Hey. [ Small smile. A fire! Something that looks like a spoon? Mark doesn't know anything about wilderness survival, mostly because he doesn't need to, so he's impressed. ] I got them but, uh... wasn't sure if there was anything in particular you wanted... done.
[ He isn't that naive; he understands that the ducks are very much going to have to die in order to be eaten. It's also just that the last living creature he killed he pulverized, and he wasn't sure what the most... humane... way about going about this was. ]
[Fortunately for Mark, Sanji will handle that part.]
No, that's plenty. I'll take them from here. [He holds his hands out, the partially carved wooden block in one.] Hold onto this in the meantime.
[Once he's got the ducks in his grasp, he'll go back to his impromptu workstation and make short work of them with a precise blow and swift twist. Ducks aren't humans, but their lives are lives still and this is part of his job. Mark's done the hard part, so he should relax while Sanji prepares the carcasses for cooking with efficient motions amid the fire's slow rise.]
[ After the handoff he's turning the beginnings of a spoon over in his hands, admiring the craftsmanship, the skill it takes to make something like this. He doesn't have that. Punch a tree to splinters, yeah, sure, he can do that; take the wood and make something new out of it? He's lost.
Maybe that's also something he should take advantage of while he's here. Not necessarily wood carving, but trying to be productive instead of outright destructive. It's... the latter isn't good.
He also does not look up until it's quiet again, not really wanting to watch. That isn't something he needs to learn. He'll just take a seat by the fire instead, watching the flames, idly turning the block over in his hands.
For lack of anything else to fill the silence, ] Have you been eating a lot of duck? Since you've been here, I mean.
[Good. Mark's made himself comfortable. It eases something in Sanji, who works with more comfort in his grip and motions in the following silence—as he always does when he cooks, because that's when he's truly at peace, challenge or not.]
More than usual, but not for lack of options. [He keeps his eyes on his work, bowing his head at a slight angle to focus.] There are ingredients all around us; you just have to know where to look.
[It's half the reason he hasn't accidentally poisoned himself, which makes him wonder if Mark has to worry about such things. Well, he's not about to test that.]
[ Mark looks around, as though he's going to know what the edible ingredients are just from Sanji saying that alone. (I also regret to inform you that he can eat basically anything, but he doesn't know that yet.) ]
... What's been your favourite thing to eat here? [ Duck is good, but through lack of imagination, he's at a loss as to what else there could be. The petals, maybe? Are they edible? Something about "pink" feels edible. ] I wouldn't even know the first thing to look for.
[ He also doesn't know the first thing about cooking what's basically the freshest meat possible, and with that thought in his mind, he looks up at Sanji again. Not that he can really make out or understand each individual action, and not that this is something he's ever likely to learn, but he's vaguely curious now — not to mention a lot more relaxed, now that he's unloaded at least a part of his soul, and is at the point where he can just sit with a friend. ]
[Let sweet Mark remain blissfully ignorant to his inhuman immune system so that he feels more like a human being during his stay in the Blue Sea.
Sanji is in the process of plucking the duck in his grasp. His hand moves swiftly, pinching and pulling upward to discard the feathers at his side while his other hand keeps the skin taut. Practiced as his movements are, he gives the task his full visual attention. Mark's meal shouldn't be sloppy or it'd be an insult to the craft.]
So far, everything I've made. [Never mind that he's been eating nothing but his own cooking ever since the challenge began. There's an easy explanation for this, however:] The recipes guarded by this island's people are something else. Not only are they packed with flavor, their health benefits are practically unrivaled.
[For surviving out in the wild as long as he has been, Sanji's bulked up over the past year. That's equal parts due to the grueling training and the recipes he's been sampling along the way. He doesn't have the exact ingredients most of them require at this moment, but that just means he can utilize what he's learned in the way of technique to feed something equally beneficial to Mark, who can use a meal that's at least rejuvenating.]
Watching Sanji at work, even from his limited view, really does give Mark the chance to see the changes in him over the course of a year. The care for food, meticulousness in preparing it, the easy friendship despite any gruffer demeanour — all of that remains, stays obvious to him. But the health benefits involved, really looking at the way his body moves now (respectfully)...
There's little different about Mark, who really has just been coasting along on natural gifts (for however much he has to learn to control them and himself both now). He's just kind of. The same, which at least keeps the earnest friendliness intact, too. ]
Health benefits... [ Listen, flavour is one thing, but pretty much everything he's had that Sanji has made has been incredible. He doesn't doubt that this will be too, secret recipe or not. He leans forward a little. ] Like... they'll keep you full, give you greater endurance, more energy? Keep you from getting sick, that kind of thing?
[ Recipes being guarded by people sounded kind of silly to him at first — be like Sanji! Share food! — but thinking about the other secrets they may hold... Okay, he can maybe get why Sanji has to work so hard for them now. ]
Any dish that takes nutrition into account can manage all those things. [For all the snacks he whipped up for the ladies back at the house, Sanji did calculate the nutritional values of the meals he prepared for everyone on the show. He's never been sick a day in his life, though, so he can't promise anything on that front; at least he knows how to soothe an ill body with the correct dishes.] But something like that. Those recipes strengthen the body of the person who tries them. I could actually feel power coursing through me after a single meal, but it's supposed to show through physique, too.
[Imagine if he fed these recipes to Nami and Robin and Asa and Anna and Ritsuka and Dorothea and Kat and Wednesday—oh, his face is straining against a wobbly smile! No, no. He presses his lips thin. Focus on the ducks. Mark needs food. Cooking is love, and Sanji's heart will not be sidetracked.]
[ A little tilt to his head, since it kind of seemed like Sanji's mind went elsewhere for a second there, but Mark isn't going to question it. Especially when he's not exactly well-versed in food prep, which is where he assumes Sanji's mind still is.
Rather, he's going to turn his focus back to recipes that strengthen the body. (A mental note — oh, maybe that explains Sanji's physique nowadays. Okay, that makes sense.) That he could feel power coursing through him...
Mark worries at his lip a little before answering. ]
That sounds like it'll be good for your crew... I mean, it'll be good for all of your friends, right? So that's pretty cool.
[ Though there isn't exactly a lot of enthusiasm in his voice. On one level, Mark knows he actually does need to get stronger, but while he's here, effectively on a kind of vacation, after what he's come from... he kind of doesn't want to.
So he's definitely hoping for some nice, normal duck. ]
Sanji plucks the last of the feathers, sets the ducks down on a small slab of stone, and moves on to preparing the seasoning with the native herbs and some rocks. This meat is going to have flavor.]
Yeah.
[It's the coolest thing, really. Not only will it enhance their looks, it'll also keep them safer by making them stronger. There's nothing more torturous than the crushing weight of helplessness . . . though strength probably isn't a concern in Mark's case (except for when it is).]
But for you, what's important is that you don't get lost on an empty stomach.
[As such, Mark is getting some kind of duck, because most (if not all) the animals of this nation sport luscious locks and the occasional stubbles for reasons. All of that's gone now. It's just meat here; granted, it isn't much, but surely Mark's sense of direction isn't as awful as Zoro's.]
[ A moment after Sanji sets the ducks down Mark gets up, figuring he can at least, like. Look at them. Get a better view of what Sanji is doing with the herbs and rocks too, because he's never really roughed it before, but it also feels kind of... respectful? To see the ducks like this, on their way to becoming food.
He looks back up at the notion of getting lost on an empty stomach, and that does a good job of snapping him out of any melancholy he might've been feeling.
You don't have to do this for me is on the tip of his tongue, but he catches himself. Knows better than to actually say that out loud, taking one lesson to heart from way back when Sanji had essentially begged him to think about himself too, after what his dad did. (Also the part where food is important to Sanji. It's two reasons to not try to brush this off.)
Instead, ] I appreciate that. Really. [ Soft smile. ] I know I'll find my way eventually, but it'll be a lot easier on a full stomach, so, thank you.
[ Pause, looking back to the ducks. This really is the closest he's ever come to hunting... ]
When's the first time you worked with food like this? Like... out in the open, everything coming directly from nature.
[ He knows Sanji had started working with food young, but picking up ingredients from the grocery store(? If that's how Sanji had started? Mark really can't imagine it happening any other way) and being out on an island like this feels like they're worlds apart. ]
[Earnest as always. While Sanji focuses on what his hands are doing, he glimpses Mark in his periphery and glances over to catch the latter's smile. Definitely earnest. Even after everything he's had to go through, Mark hasn't forgotten the power of gratitude.]
If you're talking food, I've been fishing since I was a kid. The Sunny also has an aquarium on board for the crew to throw their catches inside in order to keep them fresh. The only difference now is that I had ready access to a kitchen back then.
[This time around, he started with a single pocket knife and a heavy scoop of resolve after finding the kitchens heavily guarded in anticipation of his arrival. In a way, fending for himself from the ground up has been very helpful.]
You never know when you'll find yourself stranded somewhere without food at sea. [It's debatable how much of a problem this would pose for Mark, but the sentiment very much remains for Sanji, who grinds away at the herbs.] We're lucky this island is as bountiful as it is.
[ He falls quiet, thinking, gaze zeroing in on the herbs. ]
That's a good idea. The aquarium on board, I mean... [ He doesn't sound entirely present, though, like that isn't what he's actually thinking about. Like he's on autopilot.
Mark stays silent a moment longer, watching Sanji prep. ]
... Yeah, this island seems really good. I mean, I—
The place I was, when I killed that guy. [ Soft exhale. He did do that. That is a thing that he did. ] It wasn't anything like this. The guy could jump between dimensions, and he brought me to one that was like... dead? I don't know how else to describe it, all there was was sand and like, the remnants of buildings. Nothing else. So I get that. About being stranded.
[ He's just going to. Sit down now, actually. Right on the ground, spoon block still in his hands. ]
I wasn't there long enough to be starving or anything, but, [ weak smile he does not entirely feel, ] I guess you don't know what you've got until it's gone, huh?
[Studying the result between the rocks, he nods to himself and deftly slices the duck next, the meat of which he soon has cooking over the fire. Then he looks at Mark, whose attempt at a smile he doesn't return, with an appraising gaze.
Sanji imagines it: Mark, standing over a battered corpse in the middle of nowhere, hands stained irrevocably with blood and restless from the remnants of adrenaline. No glory or relief, just guilt and horror in deafening silence. It would take somewhere as far as another dimension to strand someone like him. A part of him is probably still back there. In another life, Sanji might have been in a similar position—only, he wouldn't have been so scrupulous or kind, deranged as he'd been.]
Most people only learn the true value of something once they've lost it. Food, people, even freedom and sanity . . . There's a lot we take for granted. Once we realize that, everything feels different.
[One learns to be grateful. At the same time, that's when the shame starts to weigh on one's shoulders. Sanji holds a hand out, eyes falling on the block in Mark's grasp and then back up to the latter's face. Seeing Mark like this, that weight will never alleviate in full . . . but Sanji can at least make sure he's fed and strong enough to stand just a little straighter.]
[ Sometimes, when he shuts his eyes, it really is nothing more than a desolate wasteland and blood on his hands. He's wondering when that's going to go away, but... everything feels different. There are things now that he's hyper aware of — what it feels like to have something staining your skin, the deafening sound of silence with only his own voice and maybe the wind to break it, the weight of another's life on his shoulders—
He catches the movement of Sanji's hand in his periphery vision. Looks back up. Takes it, assuming it's for him, to stand back up, block still in his other hand. ]
... Yeah. Shit, I shouldn't even— I mean, freedom—
[ Mark doesn't know what it is to lose that. Does know what it is for Sanji to have it, and he feels really selfish for a second there. There really is only so much he can impose...
He inhales, taking in the scent of duck cooking, normal and good. Maybe he's not used to it out in the wilderness like this, but it's the principle of the matter — real food being prepared by a close friend. ]
I guess on the bright side, it lets you appreciate it more when you've got it back. [ When, not if. Because Mark got out of a dead wasteland, got the comforts of life back. His innocence and sense of right and wrong may be shattered, but he can pick up the pieces, so it'll be fine. It'll be fine. He nods at Sanji, a little too forceful of a movement to be directed solely at him. ] I mean... I'm never going to forget this.
[ The scent, the kindness behind creating it, the friendship behind that... He'll cling to it with all he has if he has to.
A beat. ]
Anything I can do to help?
[ Even if he caught the food... the urge to do something, to not be useless, is creeping back in again. It's a lot easier to be inside your own head when you also have other things to look at. ]
[His lips part as he squints at Mark's misunderstanding of his gesture. The guy is seriously tactile. What's more, Sanji has the sneaking suspicion that Mark has also misconstrued what he meant by freedom, because it's not something purely physical. The freedom of expression—to allow one to be oneself, to feel without restraint and fear—is equally important.
Sanji is lucky. He's more than likely contributed to his share of irreversible damage against his foes, but he's yet to cross the line of his principles. Mark's lost that innocence, and he can cope with it . . . but that's never going to come back. Some horrors will never go away. At least he's got the right idea of hanging onto the good.
For Mark's sake, Sanji stands up, making use of their joined hands without the awkwardness of just dropping them. He does pull back afterward to extend that same hand again, palm upturned as he gives it a languid shake, his expression tame and casual.]
For starters, you can hand me that block, so I can finish carving out a spoon. We may be outside, but it's bad manners to eat with your bare hands.
[ Mark doesn't get to be free of restraint. He knows this all too well now. Freedom is... being able to go up into the sky, drift among the clouds, experience something limitless; it's being able to do what you want, with no external forces holding you back. No bars, no cages. Just you.
(He needs to learn to hold himself back, no matter what. He can't go there again.)
Mark smiles, small and grateful, at that languid shake. It's all good. He'll be good— ]
Oh.
[ He's an idiot. Small laugh, as he relinquishes the block to Sanji's far more capable hands. Right. Right, ]
[Sanji easily takes the block and, just to make things a little less awkward for Mark, goes back to whittling away at the wood while standing. He'll sit down in a minute.]
Not this particular dish. Just because there's a stream we can wash our hands nearby, doesn't mean we have to be brutes.
[His tone is casual. A reasonable, civilized person would eat with utensils; sometimes, it's as simple as that.]
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no subject
Sounds good. You don't have to rush if things are going well, but you can send me a message any time.
[He slides a hand in his pant pocket, feeling for his phone. Even now, its sleek design is a novelty. Whether he's answering Mark or Asa, he's going to have to make sure it's properly muted before he does anything else.
But before even that:] You hungry?
no subject
Sure, Mark can send messages; he nods, easy. But he's still gonna come back — it'd be weird to have come to Sanji's world and not visit him again, even if Sanji did actually tell him not to come to begin with—
A blink at his question, mind catching up to him, followed by a moment's pause. Is he hungry?
And then, another nod. ] Yeah, kind of... [ He probably hasn't been eating the greatest after the whole, you know. Reason he wanted to talk in the first place.
Trying to thread the needle between not wanting to impose himself, but also knowing that this very much is Sanji's thing: ] You got something in mind?
no subject
Mark can always eat at the Baratie—Zeff will feed him at no charge or for a day of washing dishes, if nothing else—but it's the principle of the matter. Sanji can't send him on a long-distance journey on an halfway empty stomach, so he hunches forward and plants his feet against the branch, crouching to ready himself for a leap.]
Yeah. First things first: we need to find a duck or two.
[They live all over this forest, he knows. It's time to cook a few and rejuvenate Mark.]
no subject
Oh, man. I can't remember the last time I had duck. [ He's leaning forward now too, still sitting since it doesn't take much for him to get back in the air, looking over at Sanji. ] Is it part of your training to find them yourself, or can I help?
[ Respecting boundaries... But also, he knows with Sanji cooking them up, they'll be amazing. ]
no subject
They're all over this section of the forest. If you can round up a few, I'll begin preparations for cooking them.
[Saying that, he leaps off the branch and lands on the ground in a mild crouch. The sky is much, much safer, but he can't gather what he needs from the earth to create makeshift tools if he goes up—so down it is.]
no subject
When he spots a flock he goes flying right into them, nearby enough that Sanji might hear the panicked sounds of ducks making an escape, a bunch of them taking to the sky... Mark can wrestle with ducks for the rest of this tag to give Sanji some time to get some things together. ]
no subject
While Mark wrestles with the oddly effeminate flock, Sanji's grown accustomed to bushcraft that he gathers what he needs with ease. Once he has enough supplies in the way of wood and stone, he parks himself in a small clearing surrounded by foliage to start a modest fire, after which he pulls out his switchblade to begin carving out a spoon from a block of wood. A year of practice and his natural expertise at handling a blade see that his hands continue to work as Sanji looks up at Mark's return.]
no subject
Not that he feels it. Not that he knows what else he's supposed to do except... well... here he is with the ducks, grip secure enough that they aren't going anywhere. ]
Hey. [ Small smile. A fire! Something that looks like a spoon? Mark doesn't know anything about wilderness survival, mostly because he doesn't need to, so he's impressed. ] I got them but, uh... wasn't sure if there was anything in particular you wanted... done.
[ He isn't that naive; he understands that the ducks are very much going to have to die in order to be eaten. It's also just that the last living creature he killed he pulverized, and he wasn't sure what the most... humane... way about going about this was. ]
no subject
No, that's plenty. I'll take them from here. [He holds his hands out, the partially carved wooden block in one.] Hold onto this in the meantime.
[Once he's got the ducks in his grasp, he'll go back to his impromptu workstation and make short work of them with a precise blow and swift twist. Ducks aren't humans, but their lives are lives still and this is part of his job. Mark's done the hard part, so he should relax while Sanji prepares the carcasses for cooking with efficient motions amid the fire's slow rise.]
no subject
Maybe that's also something he should take advantage of while he's here. Not necessarily wood carving, but trying to be productive instead of outright destructive. It's... the latter isn't good.
He also does not look up until it's quiet again, not really wanting to watch. That isn't something he needs to learn. He'll just take a seat by the fire instead, watching the flames, idly turning the block over in his hands.
For lack of anything else to fill the silence, ] Have you been eating a lot of duck? Since you've been here, I mean.
no subject
More than usual, but not for lack of options. [He keeps his eyes on his work, bowing his head at a slight angle to focus.] There are ingredients all around us; you just have to know where to look.
[It's half the reason he hasn't accidentally poisoned himself, which makes him wonder if Mark has to worry about such things. Well, he's not about to test that.]
no subject
... What's been your favourite thing to eat here? [ Duck is good, but through lack of imagination, he's at a loss as to what else there could be. The petals, maybe? Are they edible? Something about "pink" feels edible. ] I wouldn't even know the first thing to look for.
[ He also doesn't know the first thing about cooking what's basically the freshest meat possible, and with that thought in his mind, he looks up at Sanji again. Not that he can really make out or understand each individual action, and not that this is something he's ever likely to learn, but he's vaguely curious now — not to mention a lot more relaxed, now that he's unloaded at least a part of his soul, and is at the point where he can just sit with a friend. ]
no subject
Sanji is in the process of plucking the duck in his grasp. His hand moves swiftly, pinching and pulling upward to discard the feathers at his side while his other hand keeps the skin taut. Practiced as his movements are, he gives the task his full visual attention. Mark's meal shouldn't be sloppy or it'd be an insult to the craft.]
So far, everything I've made. [Never mind that he's been eating nothing but his own cooking ever since the challenge began. There's an easy explanation for this, however:] The recipes guarded by this island's people are something else. Not only are they packed with flavor, their health benefits are practically unrivaled.
[For surviving out in the wild as long as he has been, Sanji's bulked up over the past year. That's equal parts due to the grueling training and the recipes he's been sampling along the way. He doesn't have the exact ingredients most of them require at this moment, but that just means he can utilize what he's learned in the way of technique to feed something equally beneficial to Mark, who can use a meal that's at least rejuvenating.]
no subject
Watching Sanji at work, even from his limited view, really does give Mark the chance to see the changes in him over the course of a year. The care for food, meticulousness in preparing it, the easy friendship despite any gruffer demeanour — all of that remains, stays obvious to him. But the health benefits involved, really looking at the way his body moves now (respectfully)...
There's little different about Mark, who really has just been coasting along on natural gifts (for however much he has to learn to control them and himself both now). He's just kind of. The same, which at least keeps the earnest friendliness intact, too. ]
Health benefits... [ Listen, flavour is one thing, but pretty much everything he's had that Sanji has made has been incredible. He doesn't doubt that this will be too, secret recipe or not. He leans forward a little. ] Like... they'll keep you full, give you greater endurance, more energy? Keep you from getting sick, that kind of thing?
[ Recipes being guarded by people sounded kind of silly to him at first — be like Sanji! Share food! — but thinking about the other secrets they may hold... Okay, he can maybe get why Sanji has to work so hard for them now. ]
no subject
[Imagine if he fed these recipes to Nami and Robin and Asa and Anna and Ritsuka and Dorothea and Kat and Wednesday—oh, his face is straining against a wobbly smile! No, no. He presses his lips thin. Focus on the ducks. Mark needs food. Cooking is love, and Sanji's heart will not be sidetracked.]
no subject
Rather, he's going to turn his focus back to recipes that strengthen the body. (A mental note — oh, maybe that explains Sanji's physique nowadays. Okay, that makes sense.) That he could feel power coursing through him...
Mark worries at his lip a little before answering. ]
That sounds like it'll be good for your crew... I mean, it'll be good for all of your friends, right? So that's pretty cool.
[ Though there isn't exactly a lot of enthusiasm in his voice. On one level, Mark knows he actually does need to get stronger, but while he's here, effectively on a kind of vacation, after what he's come from... he kind of doesn't want to.
So he's definitely hoping for some nice, normal duck. ]
no subject
Sanji plucks the last of the feathers, sets the ducks down on a small slab of stone, and moves on to preparing the seasoning with the native herbs and some rocks. This meat is going to have flavor.]
Yeah.
[It's the coolest thing, really. Not only will it enhance their looks, it'll also keep them safer by making them stronger. There's nothing more torturous than the crushing weight of helplessness . . . though strength probably isn't a concern in Mark's case (except for when it is).]
But for you, what's important is that you don't get lost on an empty stomach.
[As such, Mark is getting some kind of duck, because most (if not all) the animals of this nation sport luscious locks and the occasional stubbles for reasons. All of that's gone now. It's just meat here; granted, it isn't much, but surely Mark's sense of direction isn't as awful as Zoro's.]
no subject
He looks back up at the notion of getting lost on an empty stomach, and that does a good job of snapping him out of any melancholy he might've been feeling.
You don't have to do this for me is on the tip of his tongue, but he catches himself. Knows better than to actually say that out loud, taking one lesson to heart from way back when Sanji had essentially begged him to think about himself too, after what his dad did. (Also the part where food is important to Sanji. It's two reasons to not try to brush this off.)
Instead, ] I appreciate that. Really. [ Soft smile. ] I know I'll find my way eventually, but it'll be a lot easier on a full stomach, so, thank you.
[ Pause, looking back to the ducks. This really is the closest he's ever come to hunting... ]
When's the first time you worked with food like this? Like... out in the open, everything coming directly from nature.
[ He knows Sanji had started working with food young, but picking up ingredients from the grocery store(? If that's how Sanji had started? Mark really can't imagine it happening any other way) and being out on an island like this feels like they're worlds apart. ]
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If you're talking food, I've been fishing since I was a kid. The Sunny also has an aquarium on board for the crew to throw their catches inside in order to keep them fresh. The only difference now is that I had ready access to a kitchen back then.
[This time around, he started with a single pocket knife and a heavy scoop of resolve after finding the kitchens heavily guarded in anticipation of his arrival. In a way, fending for himself from the ground up has been very helpful.]
You never know when you'll find yourself stranded somewhere without food at sea. [It's debatable how much of a problem this would pose for Mark, but the sentiment very much remains for Sanji, who grinds away at the herbs.] We're lucky this island is as bountiful as it is.
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That's a good idea. The aquarium on board, I mean... [ He doesn't sound entirely present, though, like that isn't what he's actually thinking about. Like he's on autopilot.
Mark stays silent a moment longer, watching Sanji prep. ]
... Yeah, this island seems really good. I mean, I—
The place I was, when I killed that guy. [ Soft exhale. He did do that. That is a thing that he did. ] It wasn't anything like this. The guy could jump between dimensions, and he brought me to one that was like... dead? I don't know how else to describe it, all there was was sand and like, the remnants of buildings. Nothing else. So I get that. About being stranded.
[ He's just going to. Sit down now, actually. Right on the ground, spoon block still in his hands. ]
I wasn't there long enough to be starving or anything, but, [ weak smile he does not entirely feel, ] I guess you don't know what you've got until it's gone, huh?
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Sanji imagines it: Mark, standing over a battered corpse in the middle of nowhere, hands stained irrevocably with blood and restless from the remnants of adrenaline. No glory or relief, just guilt and horror in deafening silence. It would take somewhere as far as another dimension to strand someone like him. A part of him is probably still back there. In another life, Sanji might have been in a similar position—only, he wouldn't have been so scrupulous or kind, deranged as he'd been.]
Most people only learn the true value of something once they've lost it. Food, people, even freedom and sanity . . . There's a lot we take for granted. Once we realize that, everything feels different.
[One learns to be grateful. At the same time, that's when the shame starts to weigh on one's shoulders. Sanji holds a hand out, eyes falling on the block in Mark's grasp and then back up to the latter's face. Seeing Mark like this, that weight will never alleviate in full . . . but Sanji can at least make sure he's fed and strong enough to stand just a little straighter.]
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He catches the movement of Sanji's hand in his periphery vision. Looks back up. Takes it, assuming it's for him, to stand back up, block still in his other hand. ]
... Yeah. Shit, I shouldn't even— I mean, freedom—
[ Mark doesn't know what it is to lose that. Does know what it is for Sanji to have it, and he feels really selfish for a second there. There really is only so much he can impose...
He inhales, taking in the scent of duck cooking, normal and good. Maybe he's not used to it out in the wilderness like this, but it's the principle of the matter — real food being prepared by a close friend. ]
I guess on the bright side, it lets you appreciate it more when you've got it back. [ When, not if. Because Mark got out of a dead wasteland, got the comforts of life back. His innocence and sense of right and wrong may be shattered, but he can pick up the pieces, so it'll be fine. It'll be fine. He nods at Sanji, a little too forceful of a movement to be directed solely at him. ] I mean... I'm never going to forget this.
[ The scent, the kindness behind creating it, the friendship behind that... He'll cling to it with all he has if he has to.
A beat. ]
Anything I can do to help?
[ Even if he caught the food... the urge to do something, to not be useless, is creeping back in again. It's a lot easier to be inside your own head when you also have other things to look at. ]
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Sanji is lucky. He's more than likely contributed to his share of irreversible damage against his foes, but he's yet to cross the line of his principles. Mark's lost that innocence, and he can cope with it . . . but that's never going to come back. Some horrors will never go away. At least he's got the right idea of hanging onto the good.
For Mark's sake, Sanji stands up, making use of their joined hands without the awkwardness of just dropping them. He does pull back afterward to extend that same hand again, palm upturned as he gives it a languid shake, his expression tame and casual.]
For starters, you can hand me that block, so I can finish carving out a spoon. We may be outside, but it's bad manners to eat with your bare hands.
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(He needs to learn to hold himself back, no matter what. He can't go there again.)
Mark smiles, small and grateful, at that languid shake. It's all good. He'll be good— ]
Oh.
[ He's an idiot. Small laugh, as he relinquishes the block to Sanji's far more capable hands. Right. Right, ]
Sorry about that. I... guess duck isn't exactly finger food, huh.
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Not this particular dish. Just because there's a stream we can wash our hands nearby, doesn't mean we have to be brutes.
[His tone is casual. A reasonable, civilized person would eat with utensils; sometimes, it's as simple as that.]
A spoon isn't ideal, but it'll get the job done.
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