[ch. 3] post-investigation, w/ sanji

[asswipe]

[...

There really isn't a proper way to react after seeing Monika's body inside the glass case. Last week's discovery makes all of this feel devastating, and while Veronica can't claim to have known her very well... she did want her to live. It seems too cruel to kill someone who was already down.

But Monika is dead, so now it's time to deal with the living.

Veronica doesn't see where Sanji heads after the body announcement, so she has to track him down. Though the kitchen is ruined, she does check there first. If that's a miss, she searches for him throughout the castle until finally spotting him.

When she does, she makes sure to gently knock on the wall to announce her presence before calling out to him.]

... Sanji?

Comments

[concasse]

[He is, in fact, in the kitchen, though it will take Veronica calling his name before he pops out from the other side of the charred counter to see him. There's a rag in his hand, soot over his clothes, and a very tired and neutral expression on his features.

Today's not looking to be a good day for him.]

I'm here, Veronica-chan.

[Putting down the rag.]

What's up?

[asswipe]

[Today is super duper not a good day. In fact, it would be great if today were cancelled. Do they have another necromancer laying around? Because that would be nice.

She hangs by the doorframe. The kitchen has definitely seen better days, and it's a little upsetting to see it wrecked like this.]

I wanted to check up on you. See if you were, um... okay. Or as okay as anyone can be today, anyway.

[concasse]

[The kitchen is a disaster zone and Sanji is personally affronted. If he doesn't kill someone over this later, it will be a true miracle.

Also, he'll smile at her concern, a brief pull of the lips before it disappears]

I'm hanging in there, yeah.

[As much as he can. The fact he can't even dance around at being the center of her attention is probably telling, though.]

... Got caught off-guard by Monika-chan, I'll admit.

[asswipe]

... You and me both. [Sighing, crossing her arms and digging her nails into her biceps.] Fitzgerald murdered Natsuo, so I'm not surprised someone took revenge, but... Monika didn't deserve to die like that. I wanted to see her get out of this.

[But she couldn't even be in charge of her own death, so that's a thing.]

I'm sorry, Sanji. You two were friends, right?

[concasse]

... We were, yeah.

[At first, he has nothing else to offer, not when his throat is starting to tighten -- that might be why he forces himself to speak anyway, falling on the polite habits he extends to women as his guide.]

She said she wanted... get stronger, I guess. [Shaking his head a little] I mean, I thought she was strong to begin with, given all the shit that happened to her on her home world, but...

[His shoulders rise and fall into a helpless shrug.]

It's just fucked up how she didn't even get a chance to try being the person she wanted to be.

[asswipe]

I know.

[She's still pretty hecking haunted by the injuries all over Monika's body. By the fact that she did that to herself because it was something she could control. There have been plenty of injustices in the month they've been trapped here, but this one... It's one of the most nauseating.]

We have to get this one right. We can't fuck up like we did for Dave's killer. Monika... Monika had so much potential, Sanji, and some asshole took that away from her.

[concasse]

[Ah... Dave. He almost forgot about that poor kid. Another innocent they let down. That seems to be happening more often than not as of late.]

Mm, we do.

[...]

Sometimes I wish I hadn't advertised I know how to fight. Then maybe some of these kids wouldn't be getting hurt instead.