middaeg | OPEN ☁ january catch-all

Who: nami & YOU
When: early january
Where: around the city, purramid and the coven
What: nami works at purramid, trains at the coven, despairs with gardening and introduces her crewmate to people
Warnings: n/a so far

i. snowglobes and cafes ; purramid

a. [ it's not a bad job to have, by any means — being a barista is easy, dealing with customers is easy, and the pay is not bad. and the kittens are cute, of course!

one day, she brings something with her to work; a snowglobe that she sets at one of the counters, out of the way enough to not disturb the work, but close enough that she can see it during the days. inside the snowglobe, there's ocean waves crashing on its insides, as a ship with a lion's head at its front and a skull with a straw hat on it painted on its sails fights against the waves. all around it, snow keeps falling slowly. ]

b. [ when she's not taking a break with petting kittens, nami is actually, you know, doing her job as a barista. when a customer approaches her, she greets them with a beaming smile and, ]

Hi, what can I get you?

[ or, if it happens to be someone she already knows, ] Oh, hey, it's you!

[ ... politeness really isn't a pirate's strength, okay. ]

ii. all about onigashima ; the coven

[ in her free time, nami still attends magic classes, but spends her time training both physical fighting skills as well as magical. this particular day, she can be found sitting in a large courtyard after practising; there's scorch marks all over the ground. nami twirls her clima-tact in her hand idly... and upon seeing someone else enter the courtyard, she says, ]

Hey... what do you think it takes to defeat a really, really large dragon?

[ not that she's going to be the one fighting kaido... but if she can get her friends any pointers at all, that'd be great. ]

iii. behave, garden! ; nami's house

[ should anyone walk past a small, unassuming house that nami calls home, here, they might see that a patch of the garden is kept warm with spells even during winter, and there a patch of vegetables grows... in relative peace.

"relative", because sometimes, the vegetables in question require some encouragement. ]

Oi, stop that! You're supposed to be growing, not running around! Tangerine, stop chasing them!!

[ neither nami's sheep-like cauliflowers nor her cat seem to listen to her at all, running around her in a circle. eventually, she just sits down and sighs, leaning her chin on her hand. ]

Haaaahh.... I'm really not made to be a farmer.

iv. have you met sanji-kun? ; around the city ( note: responses come from both nami and sanji! )

[ whereas some months ago, nami would be seen on her own most of the time, nowadays it's not too rare to spot her accompanied by a slim, blonde man with a notably curly eyebrow. she bosses him around mercilessly, more often than not making him carry all the bags from their shopping trips... not that he seems to mind too much.

but should anyone run into them as they're out and about, especially if it's someone nami already knows, she's quick to greet them with a grin and a wave. ]

Hi! It's good to see you! Ah — [ then, glancing at her companion, ] This is Sanji-kun, our crew's cook! [ and from the bright, bright smile on her face, it's easy to see she's glad she's no longer the only straw hat in this world. ]

v. wildcard

[ you know what to do! hit me up, or pm me here or on plurk @ celen to plan for something specific! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Maybe! Trust me, you can't mistake him when you see him. Just look for someone with a curly eyebrow.

[ he's... very recognisable. ]

Ah, you have no idea! They're very lively. But... I hope so, too. [ despite the frequent headaches they give her... she misses them.

then, she frowns a little. ] How do you deal with it, if you've been here so long... wanting to go back home and see everyone you know, but also not want to leave behind those you know here?

Oh...

[ Saber looks a bit awkward and then takes a slow breath. ]

I... don't have much to return to. In my own world, I am a Heroic Spirit. And before that I was on the brink of death. So... I didn't leave much behind, in a sense.

Oh —

[ horrified, nami presses her hand on her mouth, gasping out; how terrible! how could she make a stupid mistake like this...? ]

I'm so sorry, Saber-chan! I shouldn't have thought... I know others who were in a similar situation, back home. I should have been more thoughtful.

No, no, you couldn't have known.

[ She raises her hands awkwardly, as if to ward off the apology. ]

It's something I've come to terms with.

Still... it can't have been easy for you, arriving here.

[ her voice is compassionate as she reaches for saber's hand, and as kind and easy as nami is with her friendships, she doesn't really think that saber might not find the way she takes her hand and squeezes it as reassuring. ]

I hope you've been able to build a good life, here... of course it's not the same, but — it's something.

It was... different. But I've managed.

[ Saber's expression softens a little, although she's a little surprised to have her hand taken - but she rolls with it. ]

While I'm here, I'm making the best of it. Making... a future, I suppose. For however long it lasts.

Yes... that's all we can do, isn't it?

[ giving saber's hand another squeeze, nami lets go with a soft smile, ]

We don't know how long we'll be here for... but for now, it's our life, isn't it? So all we can do is live it to the best of our ability!

I'm finding that's true with every passing day. I spent... a long time trying to undo the past. I don't think that's something to aspire to, though.

[ Although she still wonders what she could have done differently. It's not easy to move on from that. ]

But you probably don't want to hear me talk about my old life. [ Saber tries to change the subject. ]

Is there something else I can do to help you?

[ she shakes her head at the assumption, still smiling a little. ]

I don't mind. I had to learn to let go of my past, too... forgive those that I could. After all, what's the point in dwelling what's happened when you can do nothing about it? All you can change is what's now.

[ so she understands... at least to a degree. of course, she doesn't know any specifics of what saber might have wanted to change — but she does understand the urge to keep thinking about it, about how things could have been different.

however, she does allow the subject change. ]

No, you already did with talking about the dragon... though, if one day you want to help me practice my magic, I wouldn't mind that!

I've never been skilled with magic... here or at home, but if I can provide any kind of assistance, I'll be happy to help.

[ Saber nods firmly. ]

At the very least I can provide encouragement, no?

I'm sure you'll be helpful, no matter what!

[ she nods, too, and grins. ]

Yeah! And company. That's important, too. So... I'll see you soon, Saber-chan!

Yes; good luck with your efforts.

[ Saber smiles, nods, and turns to go. Time to move on. ]

OPEN ☁ january catch-all

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

iiiiit's a wrap??

sounds good to me!