Dream 001

[warriorothesea]

[Warnings]: none? really vaguely alluded to death, I guess
[Dream Effects]: a strong sense of warmth, comfort, and contentment, followed by a sharp sense of loss that may linger after the dream ends

Comments

[Action]

[serving_love]

[Sanji’s morning routine lately, before heading down to the kitchen to start cooking, involves checking his Dreamberry while having his first smoke of the day, so that’s exactly what he’s doing now before he’s even managed to drag himself out of bed. And he wasn’t actually planning on watching all of Usopp’s dream when he came across it-too much of an invasion of shitty privacy-but then his mom showed up and Sanji’s curiosity got the better of him. Oops.

He turns the Dreamberry off when the dream is done, kind of staring blankly down at the screen, then glances across to Usopp’s bed where the other boy is still sleeping.

Hmm...Usopp’s usually up early enough. And it won’t kill Luffy if breakfast is a little late.

So Sanji settles back on his bed, leaning his head back against the wall, and waits for Usopp to wake up.]

[Action]

[warriorothesea]

When you live with Sanji, the smell of cigarette smoke gets to be a very familiar one, so it's not unusual that it's the first thing Usopp notices when he wakes up. What is unusual is how strong it is; by the time Usopp gets up every morning, Sanji is normally long gone to start breakfast, leaving only the lingering ghost of smoke hanging in their room. He rolls over and cracks an eye, and sure enough, Sanji's still there, sitting on his bed across the room, and Usopp assumes it must be earlier than he thought--but no, by the look of the early morning light streaming through their window, it's the usual time. "Morning," Usopp manages to get out before yawning, and sits up in bed, giving Sanji a quizzical look. "Running late today?"

Re: [Action]

[serving_love]

[was kind of lost in thought and blinks over at Usopp, just noticing he's awake, and then shrugs]

Nah, just being slow.

[exhales slowly, stubbing out at his latest cigarette in the ashtray on his bedside table, and then tilts his head curiously at Usopp -- he knows it was just a dream and people usually get over those pretty quickly, or forget them altogether come morning, but this is different and kinda weird since he actually saw it, so he can't help asking-]

You okay?

[Action]

[warriorothesea]

Usopp shrugs. Fair enough; Sanji's entitled to a little break sometimes if he feels like it. He kicks off the covers and swings his legs out of bed, sitting the rest of the way up. There's a sort of nervous energy in the room, and Usopp's not really sure why, but it's making him uneasy. Then Sanji asks if he's okay, and he's not only uneasy, but confused to boot, wondering if he's missing something important. "I'm okay," he answers, a little cautiously, trying to remember if there's a reason he shouldn't be.

Re: [Action]

[serving_love]

[nods absently] Right... [looks away, reaching for his Dreamberry and scrolling through the posts as he gets up off his bed and crosses to Usopp's, plopping down next to him] Here. Everyone else'll be able to see it, so you should probably know it's there.

[Action]

[warriorothesea]

*brow furrows, perplexed at first when Sanji goes for his Dreamberry...but then he remembers about the dreams and winces a little* ...oh. One of my dreams--it got recorded?

*then he's wracking his still-sleepy brain, trying to remember what he even dreamed about last night...and before Sanji even thumbs on the video, he's already starting to remember* ...oh. *looks down at the floor* I guess you saw it then, huh?

Re: [Action]

[serving_love]

Yeah...sorry. [doesn't actually press play or anything, because it's not like he needs to watch it again] Shoulda just skipped it, but I got nosy. [gives Usopp a sidelong glance] That was your mom, huh?

Re: [Action]

[warriorothesea]

*shrugs* It's okay. It wasn't really bad or anything. *...still, it's weird thinking that Sanji watched his dream--and probably a bunch of other people, too. people he doesn't even know*

*glances sidelong back at Sanji* Yep. *gives a small smile* She was pretty, huh?

Re: [Action]

[serving_love]

Not bad, just private. [looks a bit guilty for a moment, but then grins a little] Really pretty. You look like her. Except, you know. [gestures vaguely with a hand at Usopp] Not girly.

Re: [Action]

[warriorothesea]

*laughs, though not as loudly as usual* You think so? She always said I looked like my dad.

Re: [Action]

[serving_love]

Well. You probably look like both your parents, but I’ve never seen your dad, so. [shrugs and then pauses for a moment] ...How old were you? [leaves the ‘when she died’ part out of that question because...yeah]

Re: [Action]

[warriorothesea]

*shrugs too* Yeah. I don't really remember him well, anyway. Mom had some pictures.

*drops his gaze again and rubs the back of his neck before he answers, though he doesn't sound particularly concerned. it's been a long time now, after all* Seven, I think. ...yeah, because she first got sick before my birthday, and we had cake in bed. *he smiles a bit at that memory*

Re: [Action]

[serving_love]

[grins at that] Cake in bed, huh... Think I was already hopping ships when I was seven. Maybe. [squints at nothing in particular, like he’s trying to remember, then huffs out a breath and flops backwards onto the bed, crossing his arms behind his head] I don’t remember my mom at all.

Re: [Action]

[warriorothesea]

Heh. It was a special occasion.

*looks over at Sanji, scrutinizing him for a moment. they just didn't talk about this kind of stuff; none of them did. now that the door was opened, however... Usopp knows Zeff had basically raised Sanji, at least after a certain point, but he has no idea what things were like before. he struggles for a moment over whether it would be too personal a question to ask, and eventually curiosity wins out, though he asks in a tone that makes it clear that an answer isn't required*

What happened to her? Or your dad? ...or don't you know?

Re: [Action]

[serving_love]

[blinks up at Usopp for a moment, then lets his eyes slide away and gives a little half-shrug] Dunno. Not even sure I had a dad. Or one that was actually around, anyway. Obviously there's some guy out there who kno-...got my mom in trouble.

[reaches into the pocket of his pajama pants to pull out another cigarette, but doesn't actually light it, just sticks it in his mouth and kind of chews on the end of it absently]

And I guess my mom must've kept me around for a few years, but mostly I just remember being stuck in some shitty place with a bunch of other whining kids. And I didn't like it there and didn't want to be there, so I left. [laughs a little, softly, under his breath] Decided I was gonna go on an adventure.

Re: [Action]

[warriorothesea]

*looks a little troubled* ...I don't think she would've just...left you there, Sanji. Something must've happened. *he's certain about this and it comes across in his voice, though a moment later he's backing off again, worried about crossing a line that he can't quite see, but knows is there. he switches to something that seems a bit safer instead*

You started your adventure a lot sooner than I did, anyway. I didn't even leave my island until Luffy came along. I was training, though! For the life of a pirate. Ever since I was little. *though "playing" might be more apt than "training"...*