[Four years later, there's an incident with a dog.
Some weak, half-starved beast that had been abandoned, but still knew the comfort of humans. It had trotted into a small village only slightly larger than the town Jae-Ha and Sanji had fled to after Judge had disowned his son, sniffing through garbage and the doorways of homes, until landing at the door step of the only village restaurant.
The restaurant has seen better days. The building slouches at an angle, roof peppered with holes and paint chipping from the walls. Not that its appearance matters; with money scarce in this broken economy, no one has the coin to visit one of the more famous chefs in all of Kouka Kingdom (and hardly anyone even remembers he was once famous).
Not that the dog knows this. It smells food being cooked and whines, paw pressed against the lopsided wooden door, and still has the nerve to dart back when it actually opens. A boy of 12 sticks his head out - face powdered with some white substance on his cheeks, robes stained with sauces, and mouth twitching into what will be a signature frown when he's an adult. The look doesn't soften, not even for the mutt.
... But he doesn't chase the dog off, either. He disappears for a moment instead, shouting something to the other man who frequents the restaurant, and minutes later comes out with a bowl of rice. The moment he places it down is the moment the dog lunges and nearly swallows the bowl in one go.]
Relax, I'm not gonna take it away. [The blond boy sits crosslegged, hand wiping at his face to clear some of the flour off it] Don't expect more than that, though. Owner says we ain't got the money for it.
[Yes, because the dog is obviously going to reply. Heh. Well, the boy's on his break, anyway, so rests his chin on a knee and waits for the dog to finish eating, looking at ease with the situation.
-- At least until the older kids arrive. Three of them, gruff-looking assholes who never liked him. Probably because he sometimes speaks and acts like he has authority (old habit), and most people in the town don't take kindly to it. And today, to add insult to that injury, they see him feeding a dog, when he's made it clear he's got no interest in feeding assholes who keep making fun of his eyebrow.
Or Jae-Ha's slanty-eyes. But that's another story.]
Go screw off, I don't want trouble today! [He can feel the power of their sneers from here, and groans to himself, standing to his full height... which isn't much. While he's a bit taller than his eight-year-old self, his face has kept some of its baby-ish appearance, and he's as scrawny as ever.] Can I finish my break first?
[No, apparently not. The mocking starts once they're in hearing distance, and the boy - Sanji - well, there's a reason he managed to apprentice at a restaurant no one ever goes to, owned by a gruff man who dislikes most people. It's only been a couple of months since he arrived in town, but everyone knows of his temper by now, and that he doesn't back down from challenges.]
Oi, shut up! You wanna go?! Eh? I fed the dog because it's got better manners than you ugly assholes!
[Whelp. It's gonna turn into a street brawl if someone doesn't break it up quick]
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[Four years later, there's an incident with a dog.
Some weak, half-starved beast that had been abandoned, but still knew the comfort of humans. It had trotted into a small village only slightly larger than the town Jae-Ha and Sanji had fled to after Judge had disowned his son, sniffing through garbage and the doorways of homes, until landing at the door step of the only village restaurant.
The restaurant has seen better days. The building slouches at an angle, roof peppered with holes and paint chipping from the walls. Not that its appearance matters; with money scarce in this broken economy, no one has the coin to visit one of the more famous chefs in all of Kouka Kingdom (and hardly anyone even remembers he was once famous).
Not that the dog knows this. It smells food being cooked and whines, paw pressed against the lopsided wooden door, and still has the nerve to dart back when it actually opens. A boy of 12 sticks his head out - face powdered with some white substance on his cheeks, robes stained with sauces, and mouth twitching into what will be a signature frown when he's an adult. The look doesn't soften, not even for the mutt.
... But he doesn't chase the dog off, either. He disappears for a moment instead, shouting something to the other man who frequents the restaurant, and minutes later comes out with a bowl of rice. The moment he places it down is the moment the dog lunges and nearly swallows the bowl in one go.]
Relax, I'm not gonna take it away. [The blond boy sits crosslegged, hand wiping at his face to clear some of the flour off it] Don't expect more than that, though. Owner says we ain't got the money for it.
[Yes, because the dog is obviously going to reply. Heh. Well, the boy's on his break, anyway, so rests his chin on a knee and waits for the dog to finish eating, looking at ease with the situation.
-- At least until the older kids arrive. Three of them, gruff-looking assholes who never liked him. Probably because he sometimes speaks and acts like he has authority (old habit), and most people in the town don't take kindly to it. And today, to add insult to that injury, they see him feeding a dog, when he's made it clear he's got no interest in feeding assholes who keep making fun of his eyebrow.
Or Jae-Ha's slanty-eyes. But that's another story.]
Go screw off, I don't want trouble today! [He can feel the power of their sneers from here, and groans to himself, standing to his full height... which isn't much. While he's a bit taller than his eight-year-old self, his face has kept some of its baby-ish appearance, and he's as scrawny as ever.] Can I finish my break first?
[No, apparently not. The mocking starts once they're in hearing distance, and the boy - Sanji - well, there's a reason he managed to apprentice at a restaurant no one ever goes to, owned by a gruff man who dislikes most people. It's only been a couple of months since he arrived in town, but everyone knows of his temper by now, and that he doesn't back down from challenges.]
Oi, shut up! You wanna go?! Eh? I fed the dog because it's got better manners than you ugly assholes!
[Whelp. It's gonna turn into a street brawl if someone doesn't break it up quick]