fierybluebird | Appointment Post 2.0 since the other is pretty full

He swore up a storm. I think he was swearing in another language, too. About five seconds later, he started crying. He really needed drinks, so we met up at the bar. I told him you treat her like a queen. He got pissed and said you'd better. He asked if I thought she was happy with you, and I said I think she is.

And then he started crying again. [And then they talked about serious things, but that's for another day.]

Edited 2012-10-31 05:27 (UTC)

Wow.

[Claps a hand on Ace's shoulder.] Actually, I feel better now. Thank you for doing that. [Nods, suddenly sure of himself!] I think that was kind of what I was expecting from Luffy, only it's Luffy, so it kind of... couldn't happen.

Not worried about it anymore.

I don't need to avoid Sanji or he'll kick me into a wall, do I?

[He scrunches up his nose, annoyed.] You owe me for that. Luffy will be the easy part.

[... nope, gonna screw you over.] I highly doubt it. Sanji'll be fine about it.

That's what you say...

You sure? Okay. [THANKS ACE. HE TRUSTS YOU. Now he won't fear Sanji as much. Good job. Enjoy having his kicked tail feathers on your head.] So Sanji was almost like her protective big brother about it?

That's what I know.

[GOOD. YOU DESERVE A SWIFT KICK IN THE ASS EVERY NOW AND THEN.] No. More like a protective boyfriend, the way he goes on about them.

We'll see. [HIS NERVES ARE NOT SETTLED.]

[And that gets an arched eyebrow.] But I'm dating Robin. [Deadpan. :| If anyone is gonna be the protective boyfriend, it's gonna be him, okay?]

Nothing ever calms you down. [APPARENTLY.

Marco, have you even met Sanji. THIS gets an eyebrow raise.] Yeah, so? Look, he fawns over any girl. He's got a huge thing for them. He knows you're dating her, and he won't get involved if he thinks she's happy. You're still worrying over nothing!

[Eyes narrow.] I'm always calm. [Such a fucking liar god.]

Huh... all right... that still sounds more like what I was worrying about with Luffy. But Sanji knows she's happy?

Bullshit. You're anything but calm now.

I said a thousand times Sanji's the hard part! And of course he does, why do you think he cried? [SRSLY, MAN.]

He CRIED? Seriously?

Ah... Now I don't know if I should talk to him...

[Taking his hat off completely and setting it aside; he'd need more hair ruffles through out this talk.] ...I don't know what to do, either. I... I wanted to think I know how to help, considering we're both-- [shakes his head] but the circumstances are too different. And I still don't completely understand what happened in the future to lead to that so-- [wow, the helplessness is punching him in the face right now] If you who'd been there seeing what he went through, and suffering too along the way, can't get to him... there's no way I can be helpful. Not with that.

[Oh screw this, he is just picking Sabo right up into a hug.]

You do help Sabo. Just by being here. Just by surviving and continuing on. By still being you and still being by Ace's side when he needs it.

Just because he feels alone about it, doesn't mean he is. So we have to show him he's not. He's dense, and sometimes he's slow, and he's always always stubborn as hell, because he's Ace and he's an idiot, but we love him anyway. We just have to show it to him. And it'll take time because he's an idiot. But he's smart enough to get there eventually. He's done it before on other things, he'll get it on this too. We just have to show that he can't push us away and that we are never giving up on him, so he can't give up on himself either, okay?

[Clings, because ugh why is life so hard right now.]

...I'm not giving up on him. He's my first real friend, Marco. There's no way I'd leave him like this, no matter how dumbass he's being. It's just... it's hard living through this. I can't blame him for feeling hopeless sometimes, 'cause there's nothing else for us but this place, and it keeps screwing us up. It's a choice between sucking it up, or nothing. But it's really hard...

[Curling up more in Marco's hug.] He's way stronger than me now, and he's lived through a lot s-so... whenever he loses hope like that, I...I feel like giving up too. I hate feeling that way, but... [why can't things be simpler like when they were both kids?]

Aye... it is hard.

[Hugs tighter. He nearly wants to cry himself, but this is helping. A lot.] I feel the same way you do matey. That's why I got so mad at him, eh? Because he's my reason for always trying so if he can't get it together, what chance have we got, right? But it's okay. He will. It's just a matter of time, unfortunately. And we'll keep trying from different angles until he gets it. Agreed?

And things... they're not hopeless here. I mean hell, it's got more calm times than some of the New World, and there's a lot of fun. We'll just have to make it more fun.

...Yeah, agreed. [Lightly patting Marco's back; sometimes Sabo forgets the eldest bro needs comfort too. Which is also partly why he chuckles a little.] We should get Luffy to kick his ass this time. He'd always hated it whenever Luffy makes sense about something, y'know. Then again, that goes for me too! [Because when Luffy's right about something, that usually means you're being incredibly, unbelievably dumb about it.

But he goes quiet again for the next part, remembering how many times this place hurt him already and he's here for barely half a year.] ...Do you really think we can?

[Laughs.] I'll have to remember that. Get Luffy to talk sense and he'll have no choice, eh? But let's consider that a last resort for now.

[Marco nods and ruffles Sabo's hair again.] I know so. With three amazing brothers like us how could Ace go wrong, eh?

[A cat is by your window. Pacing back and forth. Back and forth. Tail lashing. There is no one else to speak to. No one that she can. Not really. The pain is too close for her nakama and you are the only other one who understands]

[Marco's reading in bed, finally getting around to feeling more relaxed and forcibly making himself unwind so he can get back to taking care of his brothers. When he looks up over the glasses, Robin's presence gets a grin.]

Hey not bad cutie. Eight floors up? At least you've got this cat reflexes thing down, eh?

[Clears off any books and papers and pats the top of his bed for her to jump to; a fleece blanket with blue flames on top (present from Norma) and searches her face as much as possible for clues and insight to her inner emotions. It's always a challenge with Robin, an exciting one, but certainly a challenge, and now that she's a cat, well, it's still hard. Mostly just different, but that was exciting in its own way.]

What's wrong? [He decides there's something wrong, and while he has several guesses, he's trying more to figure out whether she wants to talk about it, or simply focus on something unpainful for now. There was a lot to be said for pleasant distractions in Marco's opinion, but he's been trying to get better at the whole "talking about things." It hasn't been working great yet, but he hasn't given it a lot of time if he's honest with himself.]

[Eight floors was nothing as a human. Less than nothing as a cat. She takes the note she had left out of her mouth before so she wouldn't bite it apart before jumping on top of the bed and laying the note at his hand. Then continues her pacing, wanting to shred something with claws and teeth. A purposeless exercise.

The note contains all that she heard about the nature of the infection. Making people go mad. Forcing friends to kill others. And her own theories about who took Zoro down because of course it had to be one of her nakama. There is no one else that would be allowed.

And that...

that kind of torture...

She growls low and deep in her belly]

[Frowns. So much pain and devastation. Truth told, Marco's made himself pretty numb. Zombies? He had to deal with that in Marineford. But he got off easy, even he knows. Arguing with Perona after the fact or not, Gecko Moria hadn't been able to get near most of his crew. For all his tough talk about wanting Little Oars Jr. to get added to his collection, Marco and the others made sure that wasn't a possibility. Doflamingo though... He controlled Jozu, used Atomos to cut down his own division-mates, oh yes, Marco still held a special hatred for Doflamingo as well.]

[To Marco, the Malnosso can't compare to a lot of the things in the New World, which is why he's always getting frustrated with Ace, isn't it? But just because he was used to worse, didn't make this any less awful. It was a strange thing to have to remember. Being forced to fight your own nakama, yeah, Marco couldn't think of too many things worse than that.]

[He reaches out a hand to Robin's head to gently pet her ears and try to offer some comfort through touch more than words. He doesn't have the right words. "Your nakama did what they had to, and they should be proud of that." "At least he's coming back, it's not permanent." No, those things don't cut it at all, he thinks.]

We'll make them pay Robin. Just forgive me if it takes a long time.

[She claws at his hand without thinking about it. Without even meaning to. Instinct flashing through her. She takes a moment and calms herself down, licking the places to let him know she didn't mean it, and then pacing again because the anger still hasn't cooled.

Revenge. Yes. There is that and she knows that he will somehow. But that will not change the fact that someone has killed Zoro. That whoever it was-- If it was nakama, it is not something they will forget. It is not something they can forget. Revenge can only hurt. It cannot heal. But there is no solution and no way she can verbalize this.]

Mraroraoooow!

[She wants her voice back!]

[He doesn't even bat an eye at the shredded hand, though the soothing licks are appreciated.]

You want to help your nakama, but you're not sure how, eh?

You can't know how yet. You'll know better than me, because each one will require something different. Atomos was puppeted by Doflamingo and attacked his own division. Squardo was tricked by Akainu and attacked Pops. [He waves the clawed and licked hand with a bit of blue flames.] These things were devastating, eh? But they do not make everything stand still.

Ah, forgive me if I sound harsh. I do not mean to. These are really bad things and I hate the Malnosso for causing this. [Blue eyes burn, that is certainly a true statement. A true understatement.] But the only way I know to keep healing, to keep moving forward, to keep protecting and helping nakama; is just that.

You will have to trust your nakama's bonds to get you all through this. [Another frown and he holds up the hand.] I know that sounds easy, but it is more complicated than it appears. [Puts the hand back down and offers to let her knead it again.] When Zoro's been incapacitated before on the Grand Line, what did you and your nakama do for him? To thank him, to cheer him up, to show what it meant?

[Runs his other hand through his hair.] In my family it's always death or parties it seems like. Someone tries to kill Pops, fails, so we party. Someone tries to take over an island of ours, fails, so we party. It's different after Pops died. None of us wanted a party and that would have hurt more. But we all stood together. Simply having your nakama's support means a lot. Having... anyone's support when things are this bad means a lot. It's why I owe Shanks so much. [Crouches down on the bed so that his chin rests on two hands, face to face with Robin though this puts his face within easy clawing range.]

How to support each of your nakama, they may require separate things. But they'll all just require you. You're strong, and I have faith in your crew, you'll all get through this. And if there is something else I can do to help, you need only suggest.

[He wants to ask her about Nami's milkan. Would arranging a harvest like last year help? But with Bellemere gone perhaps the sad memories were too strong for such a replicated attempt to do anything but sting. This is why Marco doesn't know, he doesn't know them as well as his own nakama, but he believes what he's told Robin, Ace, and Sabo. Trying, just being there, it counts for a lot.]

Want ink again? [Delayed reaction, he was distracted with nakama! thoughts.]

[She has heard about the battle of Marineford and how the Whitebeards fought. Though it had seemed distant at the time, now it is almost painful. To care for others means to care for their nakama as well. Strange how pain is transferred that way.

She knows his words and that they make sense but some wounds not even nakama can heal. Not even strength of others. Killing a friend. Watching them die. That stays with you. No matter how much others believe or trust in you it is a shard that bites and never fades...only becomes less noticeable over time. She wonders if Marco has ever done so? It is hard to tell and she doesn't want to know. Not now.

She sighs.

When he mentions the ink, she nods. At least they have not stopped her words completely]

[Marco would appreciate that Robin didn't ask about his having to kill nakama, if he knew her thoughts. It's not a good discussion for here or any other day. Dealing with Blackbeard, a traitor, was hard enough. Dealing with Squardo, nearly a brother, and still an ally, that was still a headache he knew would continue back home.]

[He gets out ink again and hands her a notebook. There's a slight pause in which he worries about the blanket; he's fussy and the idea of getting ink accidentally on it bothers him, but eventually he just moves the notebook more onto the quilt away from the blanket. Hopefully that'll take care of any errant ink splats.]

Here love.

[She wonders at the pause and is faintly amused when he sets the notebook away from the soft looking blanket. She wonders if he is attached to it. She wonders if he would let her wrap herself up in it one day. Though that seems intrusive somehow. Instead she is extra careful as she writes with the ink, using a little less than what she needs so that nothing will drip.]

There is a kind of pain nakama can't even take away. Though it is better together [she hesitates a moment] Nami suffers. She is so far away lately. Everyone seems close and distant.

[And Marco has been fighting with Ace. She remembers that, too. It seems that Luceti is adept at pulling nakama apart, thread by thread, through terror, grief and regret. She knows not to voice this, though. Some terrible things must remain hidden, especially if they can't be fixed. And...he probably knows, if only unconsciously.]

There are some things which cannot be helped.

Appointment Post 2.0 since the other is pretty full

Re: 2/2

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