Nightshift 44: Kitchen

[ran_on_empty]

[From here.]Since there hadn't been anyone else in the Sun Room when they arrived, Sync figured they were the only ones that managed to get this far this early in the night. The God-General couldn't complain; after all, that meant less people getting in his way

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[slipperymagic]

[From here.]

When Howl entered the kitchen, it was empty. He was torn; On one hand, the less people he had to deal with, the better. On the other, a few voices filling up the space might have actually been reassuring. He truly hated this place, or would have, if he had the energy for that intense of an emotion at the moment. It was more of a simmering loathing, really, as he went to peruse the stores.

[gavemyword]

Zoro had to double back when Howl took off through a different door. He stopped short of pointing out the other's mistake when he himself stepped through to a room that looked a lot like a kitchen. He decided not to say anything.

Howl seemed to be looking for something, his "components" no doubt, so Zoro made some effort to be useful. The other was letting him tag along after all, it seemed only fair that he keep up his end of the bargain. He opened the door to one of the pantries, shining light on the shelves that were within reach.

"You need any of these?" he asked, peering inside doubtfully.

[slipperymagic]

"If you see any honey, I could probably make use of that," Howl called back as he opened up one of the other doors. Honey was more Mrs Faifax's style, but Howl could make it apply to his own spells in a pinch. He might have put on airs and claimed it was more simplistic than he was accustomed to, which perhaps it was on some level, but mostly it was just different. He had to approximate everything, but he at least knew that honey could carry and project the magic like he wanted. It did have a solid magical frequency.

He made a face at the spices he found there, but grabbed a couple bottles that looked promising. At the end of this, Howl feared that his creation might be edible.

"Where are you from, by the way?" Howl asked curiously. "And why did they let you keep your hair dye? Inconsistency is hardly good for my mental health." he continued, but it was sullenly muttered under his breath more than anything.

[gavemyword]

"... I don't dye my hair...!" Zoro's voice floated out from within the pantry, sounding a little distracted. There was some clanking as he shuffled through random cans and jugs of foodstuffs. At last, he found a jar of something that looked like honey.

"Here," Expertly grasping the flashlight between his teeth, Zoro maneuvered two jugs and a jar onto one of the tables. All three were filled with liquids of varying degrees of yellow but Zoro pushed aside the jar for Howl.

Uncapping one of the jugs, he sniffed hopefully at the liquid inside. Apple juice. So much for finding some grog. He took a long swig from it anyway, trying to imagine the burn of strong alcohol trickling down his throat. "I'm from East Blue," he answered when he was done drinking. "We were sailing on the Grand Line before I got here. And you?"

[slipperymagic]

"Aha!" Howl crowed as he picked up the jar, grinning brightly. It was a small victory, but he felt as though he deserved a pat on the back for making some progress. At least one thing was going his way. He opened the jar, and with one long, bony finger tasted the honey inside. Decent quality, probably alfalfa or wildflower. Again, honey wasn't his specialty, but who could honestly say no to honey, even something cheap picked up from the supermarket? It tasted like everything he missed, like Ingary, open fields and shy girls with ginger hair.

"Mm," he began, partially acknowledging that he had been asked a question. "I've never even heard of those places. You must be from somewhere very far away. You're a sailor, are you?" Howl looked Zoro over, and besides the green hair, he seemed to fit what Howl expected of a sea faring man. Excepting his earlier comment about swords, of course.

[gavemyword]

"I guess you could say that," Zoro smiled with a soft, wry look at his companion. He didn't think it possible that someone didn't know about the Grand Line, but he was starting to get a feeling that a lot of the people here weren't sailors, let alone pirates. Howl himself had proved it. Any sea man worth his salt would have known of the four Blues.

He gulped down another mouthful of juice, leaning against the counter leisurely. Either way, it really wasn't that important. A look at his surroundings and Zoro'd given up hope that he'd find at least Luffy trying to raid the pantry for a pre-adventure snack. With no signs of damaged equipment or misplaced food, Zoro doubted any of his nakama had been through the kitchen

[slipperymagic]

Howl eyed the juice for a moment, but soon accepted it and helped himself to a swig. It was simply unremarkable apple juice, while Howl was half-hoping for the bite of alcohol. It would have been nice to take the edge off of this place. The details of his fear would become blurry, and he'd be able to focus on facts. On actions.

That, or he'd let his emotions get the best of him and end up in a heap on the floor. Howl sighed miserably.

"My thanks. Unfortunate that this is so tame, hm?" he said, swirling the apple juice as he voiced his disappointment in the nonalcoholic content. "Not that it would be the wisest thing in the world to consume right now, but I could certainly use a stiff drink. I'm already tired of being here." Tired wasn't the right word, but it seemed to fit his long sighs and the way he leaned on the wall. He offered the bottle back to Zoro.