Cliff Fittir (
aerialassault) wrote2012-01-07 11:57 am
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Entry tags:
Appointments
Cliff here. Looks like we've missed eachother, so drop a note and we'll talk soon.
[please note date/time/type of interaction.]
[please note date/time/type of interaction.]
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[Souji spun away, pivoting on the ball of one foot, and started for the living room. He'd seen a table in here earlier, pushed just slightly out of the way, and he went toward it,]
We were renowned in Kyoto - the protectors of the Shogun, his private army and the enforcers of his law, protectors of the city. Young men wanting to uphold samurai values would often join our ranks and I would help teach them.
[Once at the table, he turned his back to Cliff and pulled a small pouch out from where it hung at his obi. The bag made a soft thud on the table when he set it down, but Souji's hands paused as he pulled the strings to open it and his voice darkened.]
But, we were also hated. They called us wolves and murderers - demons, they said. Mothers would pull their children away from us when we walked down the street. We had to hide our names and pretend to be ronin when not in uniform.
[He finished opening the bag and then turned around, keeping the bag hidden behind him. When he faced Cliff, he was smiling and his voice was lighter, more like his usual self.]
Is that sort of what you mean?
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Wolves, murderers, and demons were far more dramatic than anything the Federation called them, but he had a suspicion that there wasn't a single word for 'terrorist' in Souji's era. The rest of his explanation fit into an echo that had become far too familiar to him.]
Yeah, actually. The words have gotten less fanciful and more streamlined over the years, but it amounts to the same. I see no reason to hide, but I can't travel freely as easy as I used to. Stuff happens, and it's not always good. We just try to do our thing and clean the messes that we can.
[He folded his arms and glanced away from Souji.]
You know, if there's one thing I do regret its not being able to let her have a normal life. But, we had no choice. There's a lot of things like that anymore.
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[The mention of a girl has him searching back through his memory. Cliff rarely seemed to mention women and when he did, it was usually about his partner.]
I'm sure she didn't mind. When following someone who has a vision of the future, normal lives are an easy sacrifice.
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She's my boss, and a tough girl. She's younger than you, but really? I haven't met another person I'd be more willing to follow.
[There was a little pride in his voice as well when he spoke of her. She was both his Captain and Quark's little girl.]
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Cliff-san seems to make a habit of hanging around younger people, doesn't he?
[He suddenly dropped his fist into his palm, as if the discussion had jogged his memory.]
Oh! That reminds me!
You said before you wouldn't mind a friendly spar every so often, yes?
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[He grinned, unafraid of subtly teasing Souji about his manner of addressing people. Cliff would never get the '-san' thing. It was one of those wierd quirks of Japanese people, just like Souji's playful evasions were a special 'quirk' of his. The Klausian chuckled at Souji's question.]
Yea, I do like having a sparring partner. What's on your mind?
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Well, then how do you account for me?
[Because Souji knew he definitely wasn't a 'babe' by anyone's standards.]
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Tough guy that could pass as a babe.
[Completely. Deadpan.]
1/2
[What.]
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Your vote is duly noted.
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Huh?
[Congrats, Souji. It was Cliff's turn to be stunned.]
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Oh~ Nothing. It just reminds me of home, that's all.
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Aah. Glad I could help?
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My best friend from home thought I would grow up to be a pretty bride when he first met me. Admittedly, I was a child at the time, but the teasing has never stopped.
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Well, let's face it. You'd still make for quite the babe if you wanted.
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[Or other things. No one ever seemed to notice when Souji was crossdressing under the influence of the Malnosso, though, which always made him wonder if they even knew he was a man.]
But I think I would be a very bad wife. I'm very competitive and I prefer swords to cooking.
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...Huh. I wonder what they'd do to me if they decided to make a woman of me.
[Regardless of how, he didn't like the idea of wearing a bra.]
But it really depends on the guy you end up married to. Some might prefer a sparring partner over a domestic, homey cook.
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[He really couldn't understand why everyone was so nonchalant about him being turned into a woman. Sometimes, he wasn't even sure if some of the people he made friends with here knew if he was a man or not - but then, it didn't really bother him either way.]
Perhaps in your day that would be true, but where and when I am from, women had very few roles. Aside from shinobi, but they were rather rare.
And if you ever become a woman, I hope you shrink. Otherwise I'd be at your chest and that might be a little awkward.
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'Course, we're pretty open minded about things back home. Guys with cat ears aren't rare, remember? Gender diversity isn't a problem. But, it is what it is, right?
I'm pretty sure that the people here are open minded too.
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[Souji laughed and wondered how he could ever explain the system in his own country. It was feudal, but more open than it used to be and, most importantly, it was indelibly broken at its core and it was his job to uphold a broken system. So, rather than try, he just laughed good-naturedly and nodded his head.]
Cliff-san is very honest, isn't he? I was just teasing you.
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[And he preferred to keep a level of transparency, despite the fact that there were many things that he would never publically divulge. They were details that no one else needed to know about, and among those were details that he never wanted to speak of because of the circumstances surrounding them.
Knowing the pieces of information that were relevant and irrelevant were important to any meeting between parties, especially in complicated negotiations. He just preferred to keep everything simple.]
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Souji took those words to heart for a moment and his smile flickered, like a record skipping on the tuner. It was hard to tell lies, certainly, but when everything you were and would become were built on those lies, it was even harder to let them go. White lies, little lies, withholding the whole truth - these were things he did on a daily basis.
In a second, barely noticeable, the flicker was gone and Souji laughed again.]
It just requires practise, I guess.
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It would never happen.
Information filtering was a trick he learned quickly. Just like Souji, Cliff had a few problems that he never wanted to bring to light. Pressing for details would ruin the strange little thing that they had.]
Eh. It's just not my thing. [Cliff shrugged. Those were the facts, and he wasn't going to deny them.]
But, I don't think that this sorta thing is why you wanted a private visit. There's something on your mind, isn't there?
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[It was time to get to business and he couldn't put it off any longer.]
My. Problem from before - it has left me less than I was. I was hoping your offer to spar sometime was still open?
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He chuckled, and smiled.]
It's always open. There's not much else to do 'round here...but, you know, you can always have my time. You didn't need to go through all this fuss to ask.
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