Sabo RP Blog

Chewing on a bite so big that it stretched out his cheeks, Sabo’s left hand already held the drumstick of whatever bird had had to die for their delicious meal close to his mouth, ready to bite into it as soon as he had swallowed and not suffocated, while his right hand reached for the dish with the dumplings closest to him, piling a few on his own plate. Foregoing any kind of cutlery, Sabo just dipped the complete dumpling into the gravy, swallowed the probably not thoroughly chewed mouthful just to immediately shove the poultry between his teeth again. In a display of gross pragmatism he also put the whole dumpling into his mouth before starting to chew again. Gravy splatter specked his face and a few drops sprayed out with a breath and sprinkled the tablecloth.

With table manners worse than a starving man, nobody would have guessed that the hearty eater had once been born into a noble household and had indeed been educated in dining etiquette. Sabo knew what all the different knives and forks and spoons that so neatly lined up in their place on the table setting were supposed to be used for,but just like he had rejected his noble birth he also dismissed this overly complicated way of eating the nobles felt necessary to adhere to to impress each other. Though Koala would argue that table manners were not exclusively for nobles, but even she had given up on Sabo a long time ago.

His way was much faster, speed having been the defining factor in his meal taking for years, when he’d been living with two brothers and each of their monstrous appetites, and much more satisfying, too, especially when he had to hunt his dinner himself.

Mouth and both hands always full, Sabo’s eyes scanned the table for the next item to grab. Aware of the silent, uncomfortable mood at the meal, his gaze lifted to meet Morgan’s glare that had been burning into him for a while now. She used to be such a tomboy at times and now was an even wilder woman, strong, determined, and yet she would still give him the stink-eye for his manners as the lady that she also remained to be.

the lavender-scented letter and a chocolate came attached to the envelope, the same kind Morgan gave the local kids for the holiday. -mxladymorgan

After he finished reading it,Sabo placed the letter down, right beside its envelope on his desk. Unwrapping the little piece of chocolate, he plopped it into his mouth and leaned back on his chair. The pages upon pages of reports Sabo had to work through were pushed to the edge of the desk and lay there forgotten for the moment.

As the chocolate was melting on his tongue, the sweet taste was reminiscent of a sweet girl from his past. The girl, who now was a woman, grown up just like him, well, maybe more so since ladies are said to be more mature by nature. Grinning to himself, Sabo remembered the cheeky, well educated, smart, adventurous and bold girl that was so like a sister to him for a while. Bold, as she still seemed to be, now sending him a scented letter with a kiss mark, a sweet treat and an invitation to watch the night sky together.

Sabo remembered little Morgan and her evergrowing interest in anything related to romance, her questions about his experience with love, innocent inquiries about what kissing would be like. Back then Sabo’s mind was occupied with other things, freedom, independence, adventure! He had evaded Morgan’s questions skillfully. Thinking back now, Sabo was sure it was in no small parts also because he did not know how to react to them in the first place, especially with him recognizing that Morgan was slowly coming into womanhood and the confusion of conflicting feelings about that fact.

How he would love to revisit Shipwreck, a place that held many good memories for him. How long had it been since he had last seen it? Sabo could never fit even a fraction of his life into words on a letter, and much of it was bound to secrecy anyways by nature of his current...occupation. Still, he wanted to thank Morgan for her words and little gift and would also like to share some tales with her, which would best be done in person. He was curious to learn what kind of woman she was now, how he would see her these days...

Tired from a hard, long day of work, Sabo closed his eyes for a little break. A nap would be great right now but he still had so much paperwork to do. But first, he would try to jot down some lines for his reply to Morgan. It would have to be a short letter, a promise for a reunion, though he could not put a date on it. In a minute he would start on it, just....just a few more seconds of relaxation.

remembered what day it was… Valentine’s Day. Why, she’d never celebrated it. Had Sabo? It was a waste of time, her professional biological clock said, but if Sabo was decided to waste it all the same, might as well… “I guess th-that’s alright” she allowed with slightly pink cheeks. “But no more dilly-dallying!” Sharing a ‘love apple’ with Sabo… Why not?

It is highly unusual for Koala to change her mind on something. It’s especially suspicious that she goes from scolding Sabo for wasting time with eating - now, another time she yells at him for eating too fast, which is it, woman?! - to abruptly loosening her death grip on his arm with a suddenly more lenient attitude as Sabo’s body already instinctively follows the delicious smell of the next food stall.

Sabo needs a second to understand that Koala has actually just given her permission to get a snack, he hasn’t really been listening since it’s always the same kind of nagging he has to endure and, seriously, by now, she should already know that he won’t listen and could save her energy instead. Not being held back anymore, Sabo almost stumbles when he uses more force to move towards the stall than necessary. Catching himself, he looks back at her in puzzlement.

“For real?” Normally, he doesn’t question a stroke of luck like this, but the element of the surprise reflexively made him ask anyways. Sabo looks from Koala to the food stall with those candied apple things, but he can’t find a trap. Sure, there is an awful amount of sellers with sweet products out in the market today, the different smells have been invading his nose for a while, luring him in to have a taste. Sabo isn’t a picky eater and, yes, maybe you could say he has a bit of a sweet tooth, too, at times, so he really can’t be blamed for his interest in anything edible.

Sabo isn’t dumb, he has noticed that there are a lot of couples out and about today, many finely dressed. The food stalls couldn’t be more obviously decorated in red and pink hearts and the amount of flowers everywhere was almost ridiculous. He can’t recall what this day was called but Sabo thinks he remembers a day for lovers also being celebrated like that when he was a child. Well, it doesn’t matter, since it has no relevance to the revolutionaries’ mission.

Making use of his chance (but still with the explicit mention not to waste any more time), Sabo quickly strides over to the vendor, where he asks for two of those candied apples on sticks. He balks at the price he is told and accuses the man of overpricing his ware but the guy stays painfully friendly with a practiced smile on his face, nodding towards Koala while explaining that these are not just candied apples but so called ‘love apples’, telling Sabo not to be such a tightwad in front of his girlfriend.

No way in hell will Sabo accept those ridiculous prices for such a simple snack, he laughs, ready for the verbal fight in his aim to beat down the price. “She is not my girlfriend-...” Sabo makes the mistake of throwing a glance at Koala over his shoulder when he mentions her. She looks impatient as always but also almost eager for something, even though her expression is carefully schooled in neutrality. He sighs and turns back to the vendor. “Alright, listen, I take just one - give me the big one over there!” He hands the money over to the man, who complies with his customer’s wish, pointing at the biggest apple, in his opinion, still convinced that this stuff is way too expensive. Sabo initially wanted to beat the price down to a reasonable level but Koala’s repeated warning not to waste more time made him give in after all.

Pouting, he returns to Koala with his love apple, it feels as if his pride has taken a beating instead. With vicious vigor he takes a big bite out of the apple, not minding the hard candy crust that he cracks with his teeth. Chewing loudly, he enjoys the treat. He can’t deny that it’s deliciously refreshing. Over the good taste, Sabo almost immediately forgets his wounded pride and extents his hand holding the love apple to Koala, offering her the still unmarred side of it.

Still tired from the exertion of the previous day, Sabo grumbles and attempts to shrug away the annoying, poking finger and hands shaking him, trying with all his might to cling to sleep from which Ace aims to rip him. The only thing Sabo manages to cling to, though, is the thin blanket around his shoulders as he comes into wakefulness.

Ace's words register in his brain without meaning. Sabo sits up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and greets his brother with a jaw-cracking yawn. "Ngh, what's all this ranting about today?"

With his brain slowly waking up as well, Sabo finally remembers why Ace seems to be so excited about a random day where adults decide to put all their money into fast dying flowers and big boxes of sweets, trying to out-do each other as they do with any other status symbol, only to have the decadent women of the city throw away all the gifts they deem unworthy. The crazy play of the crazy rich and nobles. Which means...

"FREE CHOCOLATE!" Sabo joins in with Ace, jumping up right as realization hits. He grins at his brother with mischief already glinting in his eyes. Competitions that involve food are always the most fun ones, especially if the food in question was unhealthy amounts of chocolate!