#002

[flambage.livejournal.com]

[Yo, Paradisa. Who's freakin' hungry?

There's a little sign pinned up to the kitchen door:

FOOD INSIDE - MADE BY A MASTER - COME AND SEE WHAT'S COOKING!
FREE DESSERT FOR THE LADIES!

And inside, there's a whirlwind of motion as one man works the stoves, ovens, and everything else... except the microwave. For the moments he stands still, one can see that he's blond, has strange, swirly eyebrows and a goatee, and is smoking a cigarette in his stylish and functional maroon clothing.

More important to many might be the food, and there's a lot of it, split into three tables for what kind of meal people feel like. On the breakfast table, there are pancakes and waffles galore, omelets both vegetarian and packed with meat, fruits of all sorts. Another has sandwiches and bowls of noodles, joined with chunks of meat and vegetables on bowls of rice or skewered on sticks by themselves. The last table, the one he's thrown most of his pride into, is awash perfectly-grilled with steaks and roasted poultry, and a large, glazed ham dominates the center. Breads of many varieties, both toasted and not, abound at all three tables, along with plenty of butter, honey, and jam.

And, of course, there's the dessert table, with cakes, pies, cookies and pastries of all kinds, but that one's off-limits. OFF. LIMITS. SERIOUSLY. Look at the velvet rope and posts around it, that screams class, doesn't it?

Why did he make this banquet? Because he was bored. Sanji takes a moment to rest and cracks open his journal.]

Oi, who's hungry? Get to the kitchen, I'm not eating this myself.

Comments

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[...

What a coincidence, Spike's always hungry. He meant to wave or ask if it's free or something like that, but he makes a beeline for the steaks as soon as he sees them. It's been a long time since he's had food that wasn't just poofed into existence, and nothing that smelled this good. He might cry... and probably drool.

Hello, new favorite resident.]

[flambage.livejournal.com]

[Hello, poofy-haired man! You enjoy them steaks, now. They were made for you, just so long as no one female comes by and we're running low.]

Better than just wishing for food, huh?

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[He's way ahead of you; a dinner roll might have already found its way into his pocket when he strolled up to inspect the tables. Maybe he can just pull up a chair.]

--Hm? [Spike gives him a once over, eventually smiling when he makes the connection.] Better when you don't even have to ask. What's the occasion?

[flambage.livejournal.com]

[...Well, you're supposed to just eat here, but pocketing is good enough. There you go, the chair's a good idea. Go on, feast, make merry!]

I got bored. [SHRUG.] And, you people here need to get used to eating real food again.

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[That was before he knew there wasn't a catch. Even if there is, no use in being sneaky after he's been spotted, so he'll slide into a chair and start a plate with everything directly in front of him.]

Castle finally hired a real chef, huh?

[flambage.livejournal.com]

You've all been living too long on food magicked out of thin air. You ask me, it isn't right. ['Scuse him, he's gonna light up a new cigarette. Yes, in the kitchen.] Or worse, the filth that micro-thing pumps out.

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[Hey, that'll just get him bonus points.]

It's a real crime. [Although to be fair, most of the time Spike stole whatever people left in the fridge. He knows how that goes.] I was starving.

[flambage.livejournal.com]

Well, we can't have that. [A big, smug smirk.] Until I can figure out how to turn up a Beli off cooking in this joint, it's all on the house.

Except dessert.

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[He's still listening, really! Just between mouthfuls of steak, because there's no way in hell he's letting this get cold.]

What's your name?

[flambage.livejournal.com]

[Yeah. He's used to that. Most of the crew doesn't even bother to listen while they shovel their own bodyweight in meat into their mouths.]

Name's Sanji.

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[Best to take it as a compliment. Also, he's attempting to commit that name to memory harder than he usually does. This is honestly the first person he's met that can cook since he came here.]

Spike Spiegel. [He'd ask more about him, but really... Spike's interests are pretty transparent.] Let me know if you ever need a hand getting rid of this stuff. I'm happy to help.

[flambage.livejournal.com]

[Sanji has to chuckle at that. Yeah, he's used to those kinds of interests, too, and it's nice to see that some people don't even bother trying to lie about it.]

Enjoy it while it's free. A man's got to make money somehow, eh, Mr. Spike?

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[Too bad. But one free meal is better than none, and he's never been someone who thinks ahead.]

You won't have much competition.

[flambage.livejournal.com]

[Thinking ahead is for suckers anyway. Plowing on ahead without worrying about the consequences, that's the pirate/bounty hunter way.]

Hmph. Taking it the restaurant business isn't exactly booming here.

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[Who knew they'd be so similar.]

Nope. Unless you like bar food. [There might be more in town, but he's too cheap to find them.]

[flambage.livejournal.com]

[Sanji likes women on his ship!]

Bars. Tch. Low-class and greasy. [This place is utterly lacking culture. If he's gonna be stick here for a long time, that has to change.]

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[He should be more careful what he wishes for.

-- Shrugging (since his mouth is full). You really don't want to know some of the things he's eaten.] I don't know how we've managed.

[flambage.livejournal.com]

[On the counts of being careful with wishes and not wanting to know what Spike's eaten, agreed.

Sanji knows sarcasm when he hears it, too.] By magicking food up out of thin air, right?

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[He's not too excited about the magic part either. It's a shame that any animal he finds around there is someone's pet, or he might give hunting a try.]

Not a lot of alternatives. When I can, I try to get someone else to do it for me.

[flambage.livejournal.com]

[Funny he should think that. Sanji mostly wants to fry up his ship's mascot slash doctor and enjoy some venison...]

Heh. You're lucky I showed up then, Spike, because I get the impression there ain't many people willing to do that for you.

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[Spike wouldn't tell anyone. -- Kind of how he won't mention that he meant he stole everyone's leftovers from the fridge. You should see what some people wish for, man.]

Had to catch a break sooner or later.

[flambage.livejournal.com]

[He's vaguely aware of the horrors this castle's residents eat willingly. It's better for him not to think about it, though, for his health.]

Damn right. I was brought here for a purpose!

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

[Yes, feeding him sounds like a good calling. He's already through his steak, and starts biting into the roll from his pocket.]

You're ahead of most of the people here then.

[flambage.livejournal.com]

Maybe, maybe... Life's too short to bother going about it without a purpose. That's what I think.

[gottaknockhard.livejournal.com]

That's how it's supposed to be.