[Action] Change in Fortune

[lileggplant]

[The little figure is hanging around at the very edge of the town's market square, trying his hardest to be absolutely invisible -- and probably not faring all that well, as a small child in a heavy iron mask isn't exactly subtle. He's also crying softly, audible only at close range -- not full-on sobs, but little shivering, hitching breaths and his one visible eye welling up with tears. This isn't where he was when he fell asleep, and he doesn't know where he is, and after so long spent in dim solitude, the noise and bright sunshine in the market are overwhelming.

He needs to figure out something about where he is -- what has happened to him, where his home has gone, what he's going to do with himself now -- even though the thought of approaching a stranger is frightening.

He looks around, searching for someone who looks unthreatening, or kind, or maybe like they're good at picking locks.

(After all, if he isn't at home, there is no guard with a key who can unlock the lower half of his mask so he can eat. That's important.)]

"U-Um. Excuse me?"

[When he makes his approach, his voice is thin and tremulous.]

"If... if it isn't too much trouble... could you please tell me where this is?"

Comments

[gourmet_gams]

[Sanji's arrival had gone without much fanfare or fuss, he'd figured out quickly that the SmartSnail system had all of the information he needed. And once that was dealt with, his next goal was to touch base and figure out where everyone was. And how many of everyone. And how much more he'd be going through in groceries, what timing to allot for, basic things that aren't very glamorous but important. And after what he'd come from, what he was experiencing before the worlds ended up shifting together, this felt like a vacation.

He needed to find a spot to work, he'd send out a few messages to the contacts he recognized, and it didn't take him long to realize that yes, there would possible be duplicates of himself. That, he could handle mentally. It was worth the chance of duplicates of certain people for duplicates of better people, so many Namis and Robins and yes. The idea of different timelines though, especially so violently different in range, didn't even vaguely occur to him.

And then he's there, small and fragile and fucking locked away. And no matter how he can internalize and deal with his own experiences, no matter how locked away he can push them into the back of his mind and heart, this makes him furious. And miserable, and how fucking dare they? It's funny, he's not even mad for himself really, but it puts everything into a burning, ripping perspective and his heart is pounding with the force of his crushing emotions.

What the hell does he even say? How can he deal with this poor kid?

He takes another deep drag off of his cigarette, and drops to one knee to get a better look at him. Is this what he looked like, to them? Did they see this kind of fear? Did they care?

No, he knows the answer to that. Fuck them, fuck his stupid once-family, and the bullshit they've put him through. Then, and now.] Hey. Don't worry about where we are right now. Let's get that off of you first. [Suddenly, words are painful. And he's almost surprised that he got them out without choking up or cursing or crying himself.]

I just made up a town name. It's a type of fish.

[babby5]

[Whether she looks kind or good at picking locks is up for debate, but Baby 5 is always happy to help anyone with anything.]

It's no trouble! This town is called 'Parore.'

[But her initial enthusiasm quickly fades into a worried frown.]

Hey.. are you okay?

[gourmet_gams]

[Sanji had taken the boy back with him to the Sunny, a home that he felt would make it easy for him to both heal and learn. But while he'd started him on the important points of cooking, and had involved him in almost every part of his life there from moment one, he hadn't so much as breathed a word about who he was. And he'd gone out of his way to ask his crewmates to avoid saying his name, until he figured out how to breach the conversation.

But it happening was inevitable. The tiny version of himself would figure this out eventually.]