Portgas D. Ace (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
burnt_offering) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
genessia2019-04-04 01:20 am
burnt_offering) wrote in genessia2019-04-04 01:20 am
Entry tags:
[Video]
[Ace is sitting and staring, brows furrowed a little. This whole situation has really gotten him frustrated. He went from either dying, or being damn close to it, to this. And while he's absolutely fine with not having his life ended, there's no amount of questions that are unanswered and he's worried for the people left behind. He really did screw up, there was so much he could have done differently, so much trouble he could have saved for those who had to suffer because of his choices and convictions. He's not even sure that his attempt to save his brother worked, and he's not certain he can handle not knowing if those left behind will be okay or not.
It's easier to live without regrets when death is actually the end and you don't have to experience any further consequences.
And now, he's got this second chance but it's overwhelming somehow. He's not going to take for granted a round two at life, but where to go from here when everything is so new and different is exhausting to think about. And somehow exciting too. He's got an idea of what he needs to do, but he's still a little in shock about the whole situation.
After about a minute, he realizes that he's been filming himself, and actually decides to speak.]
Okay, so I'm-[Ace stops mid-sentence, and his head rolls back at an awkward angle. And he starts to snore, while the camera just keeps recording. This goes on for quite a while, unfortunately. And then as suddenly as he passed out, he jerks upright again and blinks. It's a confusing day as is, and narcolepsy doesn't help with that.] Damn. Happened again. Anyway, I'm Ace. If you've got any good information that might help a guy out, I might make it worth your while. [He probably won't.]
It's easier to live without regrets when death is actually the end and you don't have to experience any further consequences.
And now, he's got this second chance but it's overwhelming somehow. He's not going to take for granted a round two at life, but where to go from here when everything is so new and different is exhausting to think about. And somehow exciting too. He's got an idea of what he needs to do, but he's still a little in shock about the whole situation.
After about a minute, he realizes that he's been filming himself, and actually decides to speak.]
Okay, so I'm-[Ace stops mid-sentence, and his head rolls back at an awkward angle. And he starts to snore, while the camera just keeps recording. This goes on for quite a while, unfortunately. And then as suddenly as he passed out, he jerks upright again and blinks. It's a confusing day as is, and narcolepsy doesn't help with that.] Damn. Happened again. Anyway, I'm Ace. If you've got any good information that might help a guy out, I might make it worth your while. [He probably won't.]
[Action]
Wait, another world? Besides this one? But that's so great that Pops got the preform the ceremony! Seriously, that's the best wedding one of us could ask for. [He bites at his lower lip a little then, because he wants to ask. Needs to ask.] Look, I don't know what happened after I died. And I wanna know everything important, but for now, just let me know if Luffy made it. I dunno if I can handle the rest without some booze in me. [He's assuming that Pops is fine somehow because he obviously performed the ceremony. You can't do that dead, right? ] Marco? You okay? You're... leaking a little. [He can't stop Marco from crying but he can worry about it.]
Re: [Action]
There's worlds all over. You can connect to a lot of them from here. Just don't take that pendant off. Ever. [Not because you'll instantly disappear, but you're Ace, and you might lose it and get locked and trapped in one place until they find it. So you know.]
Of course he did! [Gently whaps Ace upside the skull.] No faith in your nakama, I swear, yoi. You were right. He's even more of a pain in the tail feathers to keep alive than YOU are. And I didn't think that was possible. But he's carrying your will. Like hell we'd let anything happen to him.
[Just themselves. PLEASE DO NOT ASK ABOUT THE WHITEBEARD CREW NOW. MARCO WON'T ANSWER. Ditto about Blackbeard.]
Aye. Drunken Monkey. Booze and food.
[SHOVES ACE'S HAT DOWN.] It's sparkles, yoi. I'm happy. [He is too. He always loses Ace, and like he admits, holding onto Ace's threads of life is like trying to hold literal fire. Even if Marco can manage for a time, it's not going to be forever, so he'll just make it last.]
Strawhat and your other brother were here for a bit. I'm sorry you passed each other by. If I had control of it, obviously, you wouldn't have, yoi. [Shrug. If Marco had control over it though, this place would have 1600 pirates and no marines or superheroes.] Jinbei even joined your brother's crew, after getting him out alive from Marineford -- well, two years after, stuff happened in between. ["Stuff." Yanno.] And your brother's making himself more of a nuisance on the world stage than Roger even dreamed of. He's an absolute terror, it's great.
[Action] unless noted otherwise!
He's not gonna ask about the crew, not right now anyway.] If he was more of a pain to keep alive, you wouldn't have succeeded at it. I kinda set a standard for that. [Ace just pulls the hat off, and lets it hang on his back. He's down with it being shoved down and squished.] Sparkles, sure. [There's a bit of a smirk then.] Hey, as long as they're-Wait, other brother? [This is something that actually takes him by surprise. What is Marco talking about? Ace's brows furrow a little, and he tilts his head while waiting for an explanation.]
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[Tugs Ace in a rough hug around the shoulders with one arm, knocks the hat back and noogies him hard.] You didn't get yourself killed. We failed you once. Never again. ["Never" except all the future times you die. Whatever, Marco does his best, all right?] Memorize it, yoi.
Sabo??? [Head tilt.]
[.... ?????????]
[Marco briefly wonders if HE was the one duped, but... no Sabo was PRETTY fucking broken up, and it was not the kind of thing to fake, and he clearly paid really hardcore respects to Ace's grave.]
What did I miss???
1/2
Things get more serious though, quickly.] Let's get this clear, and now, okay? No one failed me. Marco, I-[Ace's breath comes sharp and fast, he's already spent a night alone just crying it out, trying to get all of the painful moments out of his system, but it's coming back to him fast. He just feels so shitty, he blames himself for everything.] I chose to go after Teach! I got my ass handed to me, and I got caught, and everyone else just got dragged into it. Because you loved me, you all chose to love me and it was my damn choice and my fault. And you all came to save me, so I put you through that! No one failed me, I just couldn't-[Fuck, he can't deal with this right now. And he just buries his face against Marco and tries to hide the sound of his tears.]
2/2
[Ace wipes the tears off of his face, and his mind is focused on Sabo and Sabo alone now.] What was he like? Was he happy? Strong? I wanna know more!
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We'd all do it again. We wanted to be there more for you. Idiot. [Gently fingers through Ace's hair and if this gets any gayer he will start singing a lullabye to Ace in public, fuck your manhood.]
[But then Ace catches up to Sabo and --]
[Huh.]
Aye. Well, not that happy, you died. But other than that. He's the second in command of Dragon's Revolution. If I'd known he cared, I'd have asked him to join forces, even if it's not their style. If they'd been aggressively attacking a lot of the bases --
[Rolls his eyes and mutters something in avian.] Not the point.
Ace, when you got newspapers... did you ever read them, or only look to the bounties?
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I mean, happy enough! He really got that far? Shit, he's amazing. I wish I could have seen him.
[Yeah, Ace looks a little sheepish then. He was raised by bandits, and was way focused on almost everything that had to do with getting stronger and not anything along the lines of education. Although he's not illiterate, it's not his strongest skill.] Yeah. Just the Bounties.
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Yeah, he's dopey like you. Acts all overly cheerful with strangers so he can stab them in the gut with a smile as needed. [Gently pokes Ace's cheek.] But none of the rage and "I'll murder you!!!" you had with Pops, but I don't know him when he's with the Revolution. He's got to be ambitious to take on the World Government, so maybe he just directs it at them instead.
Oh, I almost forgot, yoi. He picked up your devil fruit too. To carry on your legacy with it.
If he comes back, I wonder if you'd both still have it??? I don't know if that kind of thing's ever happened before in another world.
All right, Sparky. I'll keep an eye on the network and point you to text posts you might like. [Chuckles.] And the newspaper here. You might turn up in it. Never know.
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And some that's beyond what's reasonable because he owes his brothers and he loves them, so they can get away with a lot.] He sounds amazing, and I'm damn sure that he is. It's kinda hard to imagine him surviving what happened, but... [Ace sighs.] Anyway, I'm damn glad he did. And if he shows up, we'll both have it, and we'll torch anyone who gets in our way.[He's not going to go on about mushy things, but he's so glad that if anyone got his fruit, that it was Sabo. There's something that screams out family and fated brotherhood in hearing that. And it's comforting in a way he didn't expect.] Yeah, thanks. I'll try to keep my eyes open for any good information. [Ace's stomach makes a very unflattering sound.] So about that food?
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[DRAGS FOR FOOD and right into a seedy dive and when asked what they're ordering just deadpans, "Everything. Seriously, yoi. We'll stop when he passes out." Which actually might be a lie, depending on Ace's narcolepsy!]
Sounds like you've had a rough day. Need me to murder anyone?
[HE WILL MURDER ALL OF THEM FOR YOU!!!!!]
[NO ONE TOUCH HIS FIRE FRECKLE BRO.]
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Nah. I'm okay. [As long as he gets to eat, he'll be good.] So when do I get to meet Mrs. The Phoenix? [He's already forgotten Grell's last name, sorry.]
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She's met you before, eh. So I don't know how she'll be this time. She knows how important you are. [One or two of the Ace's hated sleeping alone because nightmares, so Marco and Grell kept him in their bed like a giant housecat.] Oh, and she's not human, yoi. So she doesn't sleep much. And she's a total workaholic. Even worse than me.
[DEBATABLY Worse than Marco. Maybe just his equal probably. But Marco had brothers to drag him away from a billion projects, and Grell mostly had Marco and then whoever else she let in, often via Marco. Except for:}
She's best friends with Namur's girlfriend, Rip. Rip's a lot easier to get ahold of.
[Because vampire not shinigami.]
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[Because the fact that his bros are absolutely popular with women, but he's not surprised at that at all.]
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Aye.
Thatch's been here, but isn't. Sometimes I can grab him, but threads. Yours is the hardest to hold onto. No idea why I've got Namur's. I'd kind of expect Jozu. [Looks up. Let's see who else.]
[What else?]
[Oh right.] Changed mine, Namur's, Thatch, and Grell's tattoos in the world Grell and I met in. I didn't even find Thatch and Namur. They'd been hiding on the other side of the world from me for years, and I thought I'd scoured the whole planet looking for 'em. Time is like... cloth. It has pockets. We're in one now. So, that's how you can be here away from it all. And it can get scrunched up and folded together, letting space and time that wouldn't normally intersect, crossover like that.
If you didn't fall asleep, it just means, I've got this as best as I can, and you don't have to worry. Just enjoy yourself. Live. Be free. Be your wildfire-iest self, eh?
People might recognize you even if you don't recgonize them, but if you don't want to deal with them, they won't pressure you. [Thinks...]
[LAUGHS.] Unless Ikkun comes back. Then he'll punch you and profess he loves you even if you don't know who he is. He's another phoenix, like me, but not exactly. He's met you... at least two other worlds I know of. [Taps finger to chin. Threads.] Although an entirely other Ikki could show up who doesn't know either of us, and then we'd just kick him together to show him he's one of us again like it or not, eh?
And Kitten -- That's Grell, maybe Rip, know some of your past, and they've all got messed up history of their own, obviously. But otherwise here, no one cares what happens off-world, it's a pretty fresh start. Some exceptions if your first post is a declaration of war. Or -- [SLY SMIRK. HE MIGHT HAVE ALSO KIND OF THREATENED A CITY ONCE??? GRELL WAS KIDNAPPED AND HE WAS NOT A HAPPY PHOENIX.] Even if you've been here a few years and then do it.
The ocean is only in one city and it's limited but --
[... Fuck.]
I have a gate to Pops' island. You can come visit it. Hang out with the sphinxes. But don't go too far on that ocean, all right? And wear a shirt and keep your head down. Isolated or not, word reached everywhere. No point freaking people out, and... you probably wouldn't enjoy being treated like a ghost after it wore off the first dozen times.
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He'll be able to sort this out better with a full stomach and a nap, anyway. And his first plate is here too, and he's shoveling in bite after bite while the information just goes in one ear and out the other, and he's trying to catch bits of it as his stressed out brain keeps cranking. He does note, after a moment, that he's usually not this slow and he should be picking up more than this. But he just keeps eating, and a second plate is handed over and this one isn't as amazing to him as the first but he's not slowing down in his efforts to cram his stomach full.
He does pause at the gate bit, and he's trying to process this better.] So just be subtle, right? [Ace isn't the best at subtle as a rule, but he knows how to lay low.] So I wanna know-[All of the sudden Ace is face first down onto his plate, snoring away against his potatoes and the remainder of his pork roast. Food and mental stress is a great trigger combination for his narcolepsy.]
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[But then he wakes up, and the dream is still better, so whatever, he'll take it.]
[He gently makes sure Ace won't suffocate.]
[As dumb as this would be to anyone else in any other universe; this is exactly why Marco loves him, and misses him, and is always happy to even have one more minute with the dumb brat. EVEN JUST DOING THIS.]
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For a bit at least, he's going to snore away. It's a deep sleep that hits hard and doesn't really produce dreams for him. So it's probably a good thing in the scheme of things.]
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[Marco will have to remember to teach Ace Pops' trick for dealing with nightmares, and also to tell him that Marco adopted a son running around the mansion and getting lost, or living very very happily on Sphinx island.]
[When Ace wakes up.]
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After about 5 minutes, Ace jerks upwards suddenly, wide eyed and staring in confusion. He's also got a face covered in mashed potatoes.
Thankfully for the waitstaff, there's an abandoned apron on a chair near them. And that gets washrag duty instead of someone's shirt or the aprons they're wearing.] Eh? Again?
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[Deadpan lying of course.]
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[MARCO IS EVIL. HE'S NOT EVEN SORRY.] More food?
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[He looks down at what's left on the plate, and starts eating again.] Yeah keep it coming.
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[Mashed potatoes on Ace's.]
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