20 || [Action]

[flicker_flash]

[Katie's been busy the past few days... doing a decidedly odd collection of activities, at that. Housemates might note she keeps coming home covered in sand and tired enough to actually go to bed at a decent hour. And she's quiet. Brook's gone home, and so's Zoro, and she heard Archie got hurt (and she needs to ask him about that at some point)...

Comments

[oda_hates_me]

[Small, child with sand probably in her hair, Sanji has been looking for you.

However, such thoughts escape him at the moment. Some of his usual pep is on standby - loss of crew will do that - though it can't be said he's not keeping up appearances otherwise. And he looks excited to see her, when she slips through the doors]

Katie-chan~!! Come by for lunch today~?

[flicker_flash]

[He's still here. ;A; That's a good sign. Katie gives you a wide smile, Sanji, only slightly tinged with relief.]

Hello, Sanji. [The answer to that is yes, but that's the truth, so-- well, have a hopeful look instead.] Do you have any fish?

[oda_hates_me]

Any type of fish you might like! [He ushers her toward a table, thinking the entire way, since how he plans to figure out which one she'd prefer when lying is her forte... hm.

Well, in either case, he slips her a menu and opens it straight to the seafood section. He... really wasn't kidding about there being every type of fish]

Go ahead and pick whatever you want.

[flicker_flash]

[Glooorious fish. *_* But at least she can make this part relatively easy; Katie doesn't recognise half of these dishes, but she'll point to the first dish she sees that seems to have bucketloads of salmon in it. |Db] How about this one?

[oda_hates_me]

That'll be just fine. [One mystery solved /o/ ... though before he asks what she wants to drink, he looks at her in momentary amusement]

Been to the beach, huh? You smell just like the sea air.

[flicker_flash]

Well, I didn't mean to. [Solemn blinking.] But someone moved my house in the middle of the night, and I opened the front door and there it was. But it was a lovely view.

[oda_hates_me]

[Solemn nodding] That shit seems to happen a lot. [Take Sanji for example; he magically appears at the beach quite often]

I hope Katie-chan was able to make the most of it.

[flicker_flash]

I always make the most of everything. I even brought home souvenirs. [...sand in her hair totally counts, right?]

How are you, Sanji?

[oda_hates_me]

[His hand stills, caught pausing between flipping for the drinks section. Her question aside, Sanji is suddenly very aware that he doesn't know if Katie knows about Brook's departure.

And he really doesn't want to ruin her day, but...]

Katie-chan... I don't know if you've heard yet, but some friends of ours went home recently.

[flicker_flash]

[Katie stares down at the menu. ...how. Does one answer that without sounding horrible or damaging herself in a way she can't afford to today.

Well. There's an easy enough way.]

Do you mean Brook and Zoro? I hadn't heard.

[oda_hates_me]

[He watches her expression with slight anxiety. Is that a lie or the truth?

... In either case, it doesn't matter anymore. He answers like she never knew]

I'm sorry. [His voice is soft] But Brook did leave you something.

[flicker_flash]

[That gets her glancing up at him hopefully.] He did?

[oda_hates_me]

That's right! If you don't mind waiting here... [He glances at the door] I left it back at the house. Won't take more than a few minutes, though.

[flicker_flash]

[She's tempted to ask if she can go back with him, but after a few seconds biting her lip, Katie nods.] All right.

[oda_hates_me]

[It's okay, Katie. Sanji keeps his promise and is back in a few moments; he literally ran all the way. So he might seem a tad out of breath when he slips back into the restaurant, but he's also looking triumphant... and maybe sad, too, somewhere in there]

Here you are. [He hands over a shell that might be a little big for Katie's small hands, a stormy gray in color] See that part at the top? Go ahead and press it.

[flicker_flash]

[Katie takes it with a faintly curious look, because she wasn't expecting a shell, of all things. Not that it isn't pretty, although grey is a terribly boring colour, and Brook did leave it, so it obviously means--

--part at the top, you say?

Click.

...
...
...she wasn't expecting music. Bink's Sake.

You might have to excuse her a minute, Sanji. She's listening, utterly rapt. She might remember to breathe again in a second.]