aerialassault | Appointments

[He laughed and pointed to himself.]

Well, then how do you account for me?

[Because Souji knew he definitely wasn't a 'babe' by anyone's standards.]

[Cliff also pointed at Souji.]

Tough guy that could pass as a babe.

[Completely. Deadpan.]

...

[What.]

[The shock was evident on his face for a minute. Then a smile cracked across it, splitting it in two as he doubled over, laughing.]

Your vote is duly noted.

...

Huh?

[Congrats, Souji. It was Cliff's turn to be stunned.]

[He wiped at the corners of his eyes, chasing away the smallest of tears brought on by laughing so hard.]

Oh~ Nothing. It just reminds me of home, that's all.

[He ran a hand through his hair and gathered back some of his pride. Of course Souji would say something like that.]

Aah. Glad I could help?

[After a bit more laughter, Souji settled down and took a breath.]

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.

[Cliff grinned.]

Well, let's face it. You'd still make for quite the babe if you wanted.

That could explain why they keep changing me into a woman here.

[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.

I can see why they'd do that too. [Less work for them, and the unique chance to watch how no one reacts to it. He scratched his chin when he thought about it.]

...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.

I was hoping you'd at least pretend to be a little shocked.

[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.

Sorry, uh. [He didn't quite know how to explain this.] Klausians run kinda tall compared to Earthlings. It wouldn't be that much shorter.

'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.

Edited 2013-06-19 21:44 (UTC)

Yes, I'm sure they are. They don't seem to bat at eye at the talking horses, after all.

[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.

It's nothing like that. Telling a bunch of lies is just a lot harder.

[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.]

[Telling a bunch of lies is just a lot harder.

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.

[Once more there was a glimpse of everything that Souji wasn't saying. There was something that haunted him, and Cliff knew that there was no way he would get a straight answer unless he forced the issue.

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?

...Yes, I suppose I shouldn't take more of your time than I must.

[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?

[Given the nature of the illness and how far Souji had let his problem go, Cliff wasn't too surprised that something like this would have happened. But, Souji was still a terrifying combatant...and he didn't expect Souji to actually ask for help.

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.

[He laughed a little and shrugged, trying to be nonchalant.]

Usually, everyone is afraid of me, so I thought it best to put people at ease before I ask for anything.

Whenever you find time, I tend to train at the barracks by myself on days when I'm not teaching.

With that Sokka of your's, right?

[He still hadn't officially met Souji's student yet, but he figured that it was only a matter of time Luceti was a small town, after all. Everyone was bound to meet.]

I'm usually around the barracks anyway. It's right close to my apartment building, in sight of it. We can definitely meet up early and get breakfast after...or, something.

[He pauses for a moment and then nods, smiling.] Yes, he's growing so quickly that if I don't pick up the pace, he'll soon outgrow me.

And breakfast sounds wonderful. [He smiles, teasing a little.] You can even relax a little since Saizou doesn't come with me so early in the morning.

I ain't worried about that little pig. Between you and I, we might even be able to teach him a few things. [His tone slipped into an equally teasing echo of Souji's.] We'll make him a right good guard pig!

At least, one that's better than he is now.

[The playful lilt in his tone dropped for a moment, just for a moment, so he could level with Souji. Pride was a huge thing that was painfully delicate at times.]

And don't worry. We'll get both you and saizo up to beating this kid's ass when he gets outta line.

[He laughed.] You mean one that doesn't just attack anyone who walks through the door, yes?

[His mirth was tempered by Cliff's promise, but he smiled and nodded anyway.] I think he'd much rather just eat Saizou at this point, but thank you, Cliff-san. [He bowed deeply, closing his eyes.] Your help is appreciated.

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