006 [Action/Audio]

[aerialassault]

[Action: Locked to Souji Okita]

[Consciousness crept upon him slowly, like a migraine. It slipped in through the window panels with the sun and stung his eyes, but for once Cliff did not want to awaken. He instead rolled over with a groan, burying his face under his arms and promising himself another ten minutes.

But a nagging sensation in the back of his mind kept sleep at bay. He knew in his gut that it was something important, something that was blue and white...

...Fayt.

His eyes snapped open as he crashed into the memories. The dogs and the cultists were all a blur, but the spear stood out in his mind. It was only when he sat up that he registered the not-entirely familiar surroundings and the warm body lying by his side.]

[Action: Locked to Fayt Leingod]

[He messed up, and there was no way to fix and forget about the mess that he had left for everyone to deal with in the battlefield that was once Zompania. It was afternoon by the time he returned to his apartment in the ground building, wearing a fresh set of denim jeans and a comfortable tee-- both of which fit because of some miracle. The dark shades he wore were new, as was he bag he carried by his side that contained the clothes he borrowed off of Souji and yet another set of loose white pants to add to his small collection.

Entering as quietly as he could manage, Cliff did a once-over of the apartment to make sure that things were still mostly as he left it. The Vac whirred and hummed patiently as it made a pass over the carpet, and Cliff found himself smiling.

At least that was still functioning.

After throwing his belongings into his room, he made for Fayt's. A quiet knock was the only warning he gave before he nudged the door open...]

[Audio: Open to All]

Yo. It's Cliff.

[It was dark by the time he reached for his journal, but he didn't care. There were plenty of other people that he wanted to see, but there was no way he could go visit them all in one day.

This was the next best thing.]

Can I get a headcount of who all's here and a tally on the damage? And, is the bar open?

[He'll be heading there later if he get's confirmation. For once, he plans to drink unil the damage doesn't look so bad.]

Comments

[etherealblast]

[Luckily for Cliff, Fayt was in at the moment. He hadn't really felt like eating lunch out today, and instead had grabbed a lunch at the convenience store to eat in private. He probably wouldn't have lingered long if it wasn't for the knock at his door, and he tenses almost imperceptibly from where he's seated on his bed, watching Cliff enter his room for the first time in a week.]

Cliff....?

[aerialassault]

[Out of all of the possible conversations that he knew would come in the future, this was the one that he couldn't quite calculate. Emotions were too close for the both of them, and their last meeting...

He remembered the blood streaking down the young man's face, the bright look of fear in those green eyes. The same eyes were clear that afternoon, if wary and confused.

...the reasons were understandable.

Cliff sighed; there was no good way to enter into this conversation. He unconsciously fiddled with the shades, scratched at his ears that were, for once, clear of the chunky earrings he hoped were in his bedroom.]

...What, there's another guy who'd come to you like this?

[etherealblast]

[Fayt musters a small smile in response to Cliff's casualness, setting the paper wrapped sandwich down on his side table as he shakes his head.] Not really. Albel doesn't knock, he just breaks in.

[He pushes himself off the bed, looking tired and, though it might not have been apparent to anyone but Cliff, a little uncertain. It wasn't every day someone died protecting you.... and then came back afterwards, and he was at a loss when it came to what to say.

What could he say, to make up for something like this?]

Welcome back.

[aerialassault]

[Regardless of the impossible odds, Cliff was grateful to have this chance. It was more than some of the men and women who worked under Quark had gotten. It was more than Commodore Whitcombe and the crew of the Aquaelie had gotten.

...It was more than what Dr. Robert Leingod had gotten.

Cliff took a few steps toward his companion, groping around for something-- anything that would break the awkward tension in the air...]

Thanks, it's good to be back.

[He stopped, and took a deep breath.]

Fayt, I--

[...

...there really was nothing that he could say.]

action;

[ahappylie]

[It was strange how he knew the days were passing even if he rarely left the house. Since returning from the draft, he'd holed himself away. It wasn't the right thing to do, but he also hadn't been able to do much else. By his account, nearly a week had passed, although he could have been missing a day or two in there.

It was strange to be lying in bed at this hour of the morning. Normally, he'd been just coming home from training Ginia, or, in the past, Sokka, and would have been up and cleaning the house. Now, he just lay on his side, listening to the sounds of the village and his pets waking up. Saizou would be around soon, pawing at his door, hoping to be let in. Sometimes, Souji would let him in; other times, he just wanted to be left alo--

Something was in the bed with him. There was a subtle shift in the pressure on the futon, the way the cover rose next to him, and the added sound of someone else breathing. Souji stiffened, keeping his back to the thing that had just appeared and slid his hand under his futon for the small dagger he kept there.

It was a person, judging by the size and the sound of the breathing. It sped up and then the person moved, sitting up suddenly. Souji rolled from the bed, bringing the dagger up, ready to fight if necessary - and froze when he saw who was there. He'd almost been afraid that, like a few others here, he wouldn't return, but there he was, looking panicked? Confused? Probably a bit of both. Souji lowered the knife and hesitantly moved forward.]

Cliff-san?

action;

[aerialassault]

[The sun was too bright. Rubbing his eyes with the back of a big hand in an attempt to clear them of sleep, Cliff blearily looked up when he heard that familiar voice.]

...Souji.

[There wasn't any question-- he would recognize that boyish voice no matter the distance that separated them. Cliff shook his head with a huff, giving up on trying to force his vision to focus for the moment, and found himself smiling wryly over the familiarity of this.]

Yanno, this is almost like deja-vu. I had a dream that was similar to this last fall-- where are we?

action;

[ahappylie]

[He wasn't an illusion or a hallucination, and in fact, he looked completely normal albeit sleepy. Souji felt the tension drain from his shoulders bit by bit as he moved back to the bed, tucking his legs under himself. He was shaking his head like he had something in his eyes besides the usual sleepiness.]

I didn't realize you dreamt of being in bed with me already.

[Souji motioned to the cover Cliff had thrown off when he sat up.]

This is my room.

[Action at the bar.]

[faithfulflame]

[Normally, Rei wouldn't be caught dead in Good Spirits, or any establishment like that. Even though she was legally of age now, in her time at least, it wasn't proper. But tonight was special. She'd seen the broadcast, and she'd noticed just how casual he was about the whole thing.

Which could only have one real reaction from the dark haired girl, of course.

Hobbling on her crutches was a pain, but she makes it to the tavern just fine, shouldering her way inside. Her eyes flick around the room for a moment before settling on Cliff, seated in a booth against a wall.

She approaches as quickly as she can, plunking down across from him and rests the crutches within easy reach. She adopts a friendly, cheerful "glad to see you" tone when she speaks up.]

Hello, Cliff-san. It's nice to see you.

[Action at the bar.]

[aerialassault]

[It was easier to practice maneuvering at night. The sun wasn't threatening to blind him with his every movement, and the streets were less crowded. But, while he didn't need to worry about accidentally tripping over anyone, he still wanted some space to himself in the bar that evening-- just in case.

He was in the middle of his second beer for the night when Rei came up to him on his blind side. Setting his glass down, he shifted position to look at her fully.

She seemed well, but the crutches did bring up a few questions.

...he hoped that she hadn't figured out too much about his current predicament already.]

It's good to see you too, Rei. I'm glad you're alright!

[faithfulflame]

[She looks down at her leg and then back up at him, an amused smile flickering across her face. Was he really that thick? Thinking she hadn't worked it out?

Honestly, Cliff...]

And I'm glad you're back.

[There's a dangerous glint in her eyes at she casually picks up the crutch.]

Fayt-kun helped me out. My leg's just sprained now, but it was in much worse shape.

[Voice]

[distressedude]

[Ion hadn't heard it directly, but it had been easy enough to figure out who was lost during the draft. And even though the battle had ended, he knew it wouldn't really feel like it was over until everyone was back in the village again. He was still waiting to hear from some people, but even still, hearing Cliff's voice was such a relief that he practically speaks without thinking.]

Cliff, thank goodness! Are you... all right? [It was a weird question to ask someone who died. Which he only seems to catch halfway through asking it, oops.]

[Voice]

[aerialassault]

[It was an odd question-- one that caught Cliff off guard, and had him scrambling back to his composure. He was hoping that too many people hadn't figured it out...but, Luceti was a small community. He had a hunch that he could bet on word travelling.]


I'm alive[It was a joke...but, it was also a very silly question.]

[Voice]

[distressedude]

[His response may have been intended as a joke, but Ion hasn't been in a very jokey mood as of late. It probably doesn't help that his head is still a bit fried from draft-induced insomnia -- even through the small picture in the journal, he looks awful.]

Ah, I... I'm sorry, that was a strange thing to ask, wasn't it? [Probably not something he needs to apologize for, though.] But it's... good to hear your voice again, Cliff.

[Video]

[misterbrief]

Well? Are you able to function or what?

[He cuts right to the chase, yep.]

[Video]

[aerialassault]

Well, gee. Ain't that a nice greeting? Now why don't ya just go and announce that very private piece of business to the rest of town?

[Showered and dressed comfortably now, Cliff felt more like himself than he had since that morning. He glared into the feed from above the pair of shades that he still wore out of concerns about losing them, an irritated gleam in his eyes.

Hi, Vegeta. He missed you.]

[Video]

[misterbrief]

[TOTALLY IGNORES the curtness from Cliff, continuing on-]

That still hasn't answered my question.

[Video] Private

[windandrain]

[Well...she'd...sort of figured out things went south when she hadn't seen him return. She owes him something, too. For that first night.]

Cliff. It's nice to see you.

[Video] Private

[aerialassault]

Saori.

[He leaned back, brows lifted in surprise when he finally focused in on the video feed. This was...unexpected.]

It's good seeing you, too. What's up?

[Video] Private

[windandrain]

[Should it be odd? They did have a moment, a few days ago.]

I...wanted to say thank you. For the other night. Also, I have something for you.

[Video]

[spellfeather]

If it wasn't open, I think I'd be in a bit of trouble right now. [Karis smiles sheepishly, somewhat lifting her glass of Going Merry, which was barely even touched.]

[Video]

[aerialassault]

[Cliff grinned, pleased with this reply.]

Hope ya don't mind some company, Karis, 'cause I'm on my way.

--just, tell me you've had some water since everyone got back? Nothing wrong with doing a fish impression, but water's important too.

[Video]

[spellfeather]

The more the merrier I say, especially when it comes to drinks. [She nods.]

Don't worry, I've had plenty of water, as well as sleep. Well, maybe too much sleep actually.

[Action at the bar]

[theideaguy]

[So admittedly, Sokka isn't much of a drinker. He technically came of age several years ago after passing the "ice dodging" test with Bato, but he never really had much opportunity or need to start reminiscing over a pint of anything. So while the Celsius' Tear wouldn't be Sokka's typical hangout, one thing that he knew was that taverns and inns were always good places to meet perfect strangers willing to tell you their entire life stories. And, well, Sokka's still such a New Feather at all of this (at least to him), so it made sense.

He tries to come in as nonchalantly as possible, acting cool and suave but in reality being almost anything but. He takes a seat up near the bar and starts glancing over the unofficial "menu"--because he certainly didn't know what was there--and would have done a spit-take about halfway down.]

Cactus juice? You guys honestly have cactus juice here!?

[The exclamation isn't excited but instead totally incredulous. Because seriously, why? Was this previous Sokka's handiwork?]

[Action at the bar]

[aerialassault]

[Cliff wheeled around his in his seat at the bar when he heard the interjection and, after a brief look, flipped open his own menu and peered at the listing in apparent confusion.]

Wait. You mean it's not some kinda funny cocktail?

[Because, cactus juice. It had to be a funny cocktail.]

[Action at the bar]

[theideaguy]

[Sokka really should get an inner monologue one day. He really wasn't expecting anyone except maybe the bartender to actually address the comment, perhaps as if no one else would've been able to hear it. He looks to Cliff with a little bit of surprise before finally addressing him.]

Well, they do have a cocktail version of it. [He walks over and points it out, right there, just a few entries higher.] But they have the REAL stuff? Real cactus juice?

I mean, I'll admit that it was very tasty, and I was a little desperate at the time. But I don't know why someone in their right mind would choose to drink it! Then again, it doesn't have that much of a description now does it...