Like a castle. [ She repeats, not knowing if she should. ] Let's go. I need a drink.
[ At this point, it's either that or pace a hole in the floor of her bedroom while clutching the stupid note burning a hole in her pocket in her fist. Nami doesn't let herself think about the part of her that wants to stay in Luffy's presence, even as it flummoxes her completely.
Her pace is brisk as she turns from the trees to head towards the galley, one arm crossing over her chest, reflexively defensive, silently mulling over the castle. There was a tower. There were burnt clothes in the corners of certain spaces. There were so many places she can almost remember. ]
(All in all it's shaping up to be an odd time, but despite feeling cornered there's no sensation of true concern. If anything there's some consolation that Nami has been having similar dreams and ultimately, at the end of it all, Luffy believes that dreams can't hurt them.
That and there's no answer burning brightly to be found, only a few shared glimpses of dreams and a piece of paper in his pocket that currently weighs the world. Perhaps it's best to let the dream fade, as they all do when morning becomes day.
Even as Luffy thinks it he knows doing so would be wrong, and he takes note of the defensive posture from Nami before slinging an arm around her shoulders.)
Now we're talking. You know you'll break Sanji's heart.
[ Her eyes are dark with confusion, jaw tightening right up until the moment Luffy stuns her out of her reverie as his arm goes around her. In her shock, Nami's head snaps up a little faster than she'd like it to for the sake of playing it cool before she makes herself relax, wholly unwilling to endure being called out for how hard she's bristling right now. ]
I'll tell him I was testing the locks. [ Nami shrugs, but keeps the gesture minimal so as not to disturb the arm he's slung around her shoulders. It's vexing when it shouldn't be, but she still doesn't want it going anywhere – which is even more perplexing if she lets herself think about it too much. ]
They didn't pass.
[ Visions of black plates still dancing in her head, Nami stops right after they duck into the galley, letting the door swing closed behind them as she balances on one foot, her other leg bending up enough for her to fish one of her lock picks out of the top of her boot. ]
This ever happen to you before? Dreaming the same dream as someone else?
[ Lifting the pick and flashing him a small smile despite the weight of her questions, another of those dreamy recollections seeps into up back of her mind. She'd taken the same pick out after they split a sandwich behind prison bars, except thankfully Nami can't remember them ever being into custody for that to happen.
Thankfully, she only gapes at him blankly for a split second before pulling herself together and heading over to the lock, throwing herself into her work as a means of distracting herself from whatever is going on. ]
(Nami's reaction to his arm isn't so unusual. Luffy is used to the navigator giving him a good shove on his way and when that doesn't happen he raises an eyebrow before opting to just go with it. The theme for the day seems to be "going with it", though Luffy couldn't say what they're going with.)
That's a shame about Sanji's locks. If he asks I'll just say I found it like that or something. (Then again, Luffy is pretty sure if Nami admitted to lockpicking them, Sanji would be fine with it...
Soon enough they're in the kitchen, a familiar place that for some reason feels more homely to Luffy than usual. A feeling not dissimilar to returning home after a long trip away and he basks in the warmth as Nami sets to work on the lockpicking, only just noticing the strange look and brief smile beforehand.)
Normal dreams? No. People can share the same dream they want to achieve, but not the nightly ones. Have you? (Brown eyes glance at the fridge with the usual, culinary expectation.) I hope it's sandwiches.
[ The lock is shamefully easy to pick, but Nami takes her time with it, using the diversion to the fullest extent she can, as long as it means she doesn't have to turn around and contend with the suddenly intense task of looking at him head on again. With the hazy, but no less unsettling sense that they've done something like this before – chatting amiably while Nami picks a lock for their benefit – she can't trust herself to not stare and incidentally reveal just how baffled and bewildered she feels. ]
Can't say I have. This is a first for me. [ Nami's voice is low and matter-of-fact. As tempting (and plausible) as letting herself believe nothing out of the ordinary is happening here, deep down that feels like too big a lie to let herself indulge in, like she would struggle to look Luffy in the eye if she did. ]
Sandwiches… [ Nami presses her lips into a tense line as that passing remark strikes a chord, making the hazy things she can't quite remember a little more vivid, however fleetingly. ] I had a dream that we shared one. [ The lock pops open and Nami steps back, tossing it on the counter as she shakes her head at him, suddenly eager to brush the comment off. ] Crazy, huh? Like you'd ever share food like that.
(There's a lot of weirdness in the air it seems, but the more Luffy picks at it the more he's convinced it's not malicious. Certainly there's an unease at not knowing something, but it doesn't come hand in hand with the trepidation that usually follows. Somehow, despite everything, it almost feels as if they're on the verge of discovery, a few steps from a pile of treasure that has long been chased.
That, and if there truly are sandwiches in the fridge, Luffy knows they're going to be great and his stomach growls loudly with the realisation. Somehow he's missed Sanji's cooking despite not having been away and Luffy considers that thought, almost missing Nami's mention of sharing dreams and food.)
If it was the only food left I'd share it. Split it in half. Maybe. (Even as Luffy says it he can hear the question mark at the end and he gives a small shrug. Everyone has their vices and he's happy to own his.) This doesn't feel bad. I don't think we should worry about it.
Just because it isn't bad, doesn't mean it's not weird.
[ And frankly, it's all bizarre. How she woke up off-kilter and hasn't been able to hit her stride since, bogged down by an unexpected, bewildering almost-memory, or the sense that it's been months, not hours since she went about the daily tasks that keep this ship upright and heading in the right direction.
Which means that regardless of what he says, Nami will worry, but now that routine concern is peppered with uncertainty, like she isn't sure she wants to see what's waiting when she turns over these rocks. ]
Hey. [ She narrows her eyes, balancing on one foot as the other leg extends until she can nudge his calf with the top of her boot. Because she wants him to focus, and not at all because for a moment she forgot herself, and reaching for him felt all too natural. ] Get me a snack too.
( It's bizarre, disconcerting, but nothing seems to be making itself known as to the cause. For now they've been grasping at straws and feeling at the mercy of Deja vu more than anything, and Luffy can't help but wonder if they'll ever get to the bottom of it. A blasé outlook on things will always clash with a more structured view.
A nudge to his leg brings Luffy back to the present, the only response to that a grin a little warmer than the usual he throws around. )
Wish me luck! ( Stated as if he doesn't just need to open the fridge and reach in, obviously addressing it all as the adventure it is. It only takes a few moments before Luffy reappears from his foray, a plate of BLT sandwiches that have been covered prior in his hands. ) Hold these, I'll see what else there is, but you gotta keep watch for Sanji.
( Sneaking around with the threat of being caught? Also feels familiar somehow. )
[ Internally debating what Sanji's reaction would be if he caught her raiding the fridge along with Luffy, she tisks under her breath after the captain reminds her to keep playing look out. ]
I'm watching, I'm watching. [ Rather than reminding him that she's been stealing long before he even left his village, Nami settles for another mildly exasperated huff. The hand not occupied holding the plate of sandwiches picks half of one up to bite off a corner before holding it close to Luffy's mouth for him to do the same.
It's an absent-minded movement, something she's not even cognizant of doing until an unexpected pang of nostalgia warms through her stomach. They've done this in reverse – she thinks, without understanding why when, as far as Nami can remember, this is the first time she's dared to try and split a sandwich with Luffy. ]
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[ At this point, it's either that or pace a hole in the floor of her bedroom while clutching the stupid note burning a hole in her pocket in her fist. Nami doesn't let herself think about the part of her that wants to stay in Luffy's presence, even as it flummoxes her completely.
Her pace is brisk as she turns from the trees to head towards the galley, one arm crossing over her chest, reflexively defensive, silently mulling over the castle. There was a tower. There were burnt clothes in the corners of certain spaces. There were so many places she can almost remember. ]
Need me to pick the lock on the fridge?
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That and there's no answer burning brightly to be found, only a few shared glimpses of dreams and a piece of paper in his pocket that currently weighs the world. Perhaps it's best to let the dream fade, as they all do when morning becomes day.
Even as Luffy thinks it he knows doing so would be wrong, and he takes note of the defensive posture from Nami before slinging an arm around her shoulders.)
Now we're talking. You know you'll break Sanji's heart.
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I'll tell him I was testing the locks. [ Nami shrugs, but keeps the gesture minimal so as not to disturb the arm he's slung around her shoulders. It's vexing when it shouldn't be, but she still doesn't want it going anywhere – which is even more perplexing if she lets herself think about it too much. ]
They didn't pass.
[ Visions of black plates still dancing in her head, Nami stops right after they duck into the galley, letting the door swing closed behind them as she balances on one foot, her other leg bending up enough for her to fish one of her lock picks out of the top of her boot. ]
This ever happen to you before? Dreaming the same dream as someone else?
[ Lifting the pick and flashing him a small smile despite the weight of her questions, another of those dreamy recollections seeps into up back of her mind. She'd taken the same pick out after they split a sandwich behind prison bars, except thankfully Nami can't remember them ever being into custody for that to happen.
Thankfully, she only gapes at him blankly for a split second before pulling herself together and heading over to the lock, throwing herself into her work as a means of distracting herself from whatever is going on. ]
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That's a shame about Sanji's locks. If he asks I'll just say I found it like that or something. (Then again, Luffy is pretty sure if Nami admitted to lockpicking them, Sanji would be fine with it...
Soon enough they're in the kitchen, a familiar place that for some reason feels more homely to Luffy than usual. A feeling not dissimilar to returning home after a long trip away and he basks in the warmth as Nami sets to work on the lockpicking, only just noticing the strange look and brief smile beforehand.)
Normal dreams? No. People can share the same dream they want to achieve, but not the nightly ones. Have you? (Brown eyes glance at the fridge with the usual, culinary expectation.) I hope it's sandwiches.
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Can't say I have. This is a first for me. [ Nami's voice is low and matter-of-fact. As tempting (and plausible) as letting herself believe nothing out of the ordinary is happening here, deep down that feels like too big a lie to let herself indulge in, like she would struggle to look Luffy in the eye if she did. ]
Sandwiches… [ Nami presses her lips into a tense line as that passing remark strikes a chord, making the hazy things she can't quite remember a little more vivid, however fleetingly. ] I had a dream that we shared one. [ The lock pops open and Nami steps back, tossing it on the counter as she shakes her head at him, suddenly eager to brush the comment off. ] Crazy, huh? Like you'd ever share food like that.
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(There's a lot of weirdness in the air it seems, but the more Luffy picks at it the more he's convinced it's not malicious. Certainly there's an unease at not knowing something, but it doesn't come hand in hand with the trepidation that usually follows. Somehow, despite everything, it almost feels as if they're on the verge of discovery, a few steps from a pile of treasure that has long been chased.
That, and if there truly are sandwiches in the fridge, Luffy knows they're going to be great and his stomach growls loudly with the realisation. Somehow he's missed Sanji's cooking despite not having been away and Luffy considers that thought, almost missing Nami's mention of sharing dreams and food.)
If it was the only food left I'd share it. Split it in half. Maybe. (Even as Luffy says it he can hear the question mark at the end and he gives a small shrug. Everyone has their vices and he's happy to own his.) This doesn't feel bad. I don't think we should worry about it.
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[ And frankly, it's all bizarre. How she woke up off-kilter and hasn't been able to hit her stride since, bogged down by an unexpected, bewildering almost-memory, or the sense that it's been months, not hours since she went about the daily tasks that keep this ship upright and heading in the right direction.
Which means that regardless of what he says, Nami will worry, but now that routine concern is peppered with uncertainty, like she isn't sure she wants to see what's waiting when she turns over these rocks. ]
Hey. [ She narrows her eyes, balancing on one foot as the other leg extends until she can nudge his calf with the top of her boot. Because she wants him to focus, and not at all because for a moment she forgot herself, and reaching for him felt all too natural. ] Get me a snack too.
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A nudge to his leg brings Luffy back to the present, the only response to that a grin a little warmer than the usual he throws around. )
Wish me luck! ( Stated as if he doesn't just need to open the fridge and reach in, obviously addressing it all as the adventure it is. It only takes a few moments before Luffy reappears from his foray, a plate of BLT sandwiches that have been covered prior in his hands. ) Hold these, I'll see what else there is, but you gotta keep watch for Sanji.
( Sneaking around with the threat of being caught? Also feels familiar somehow. )
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I'm watching, I'm watching. [ Rather than reminding him that she's been stealing long before he even left his village, Nami settles for another mildly exasperated huff. The hand not occupied holding the plate of sandwiches picks half of one up to bite off a corner before holding it close to Luffy's mouth for him to do the same.
It's an absent-minded movement, something she's not even cognizant of doing until an unexpected pang of nostalgia warms through her stomach. They've done this in reverse – she thinks, without understanding why when, as far as Nami can remember, this is the first time she's dared to try and split a sandwich with Luffy. ]