aerialassault | Appointments

[Why wasn't cooking important? Souji was also just as dumbfounded as Cliff was for a moment, then laughed away the ruffling of his hair.]

When you find someone who is a good cook, you'll understand. I would have liked to introduce you to my friend if she were still here. I think she could have changed your mind.

[He could cook, but he was nowhere near as good as Ayumu. Not that many were. Souji let his head roll to the side, his temple resting against his arms again, and thought for a moment on the absurdity of their situation. He smiled at Cliff and his optimism, heartened by his words even if the weight of his future hadn't fully lifted.]

I'll have to take lessons, I guess.

Yeah. Well...

[He didn't really need Souji, or anyone, to cook for him. It wasn't his fault that no one else appreciated his art!]

You can take whatever lessons you want. I'm not gonna complain about getting free food out of it if you need someone to test it either.

[Headscratch. Cliff looked away, clearly pondering the strangeness of the situation himself. Souji was a friend, but he didn't deny that there was more affection than there was before.

Maybe he could fill Souji in on a few details. Someday.]

Then why don't you and Fayt-kun come by for dinner sometime? Kohaku-chan doesn't eat save for milk and honey, but she appreciates the company.

[Saizou snorted and Souji lifted his head to look at him. The pig was staring, wondering why they were still here if they were no longer hiding. That was a good question, of course, but Souji tilted his head back, considering his options. When he spoke, he was still looking at Saizou, even if his question was directed at Cliff.]

Have you eaten yet?

No, I haven't.

[Cliff was still looking out the window as he spoke, watching the clouds move by on the currents that carried them. It was funny. The sky was always the same no matter what world he travelled to. Distant, and filled with clouds that lazily watched the world like it was some kind of tv drama.

He wondered what this counted as.

Souji's suggestion was the basic idea of a family dinner, complete on a sunday evening with some kind of meticulously prepared but homey entree and pie for dessert. Just like those old dramas he occasionally heard Earthlings talk about.

It sounded like it could be fun.]

...We'll need to include Nel in this too. She's one scary lady when she's left out.

[Then family dinners or not, it was decided. It would be good to have people over again. The house could get quiet with just the two of them there and maybe Kohaku could bring some of her friends, too. Souji always felt better when he was surrounded by people, especially at meal times. He smiled at Saizou first, then turned his gaze to Cliff.]

Oh, I assumed she'd be coming with Fayt-kun. Or were they not together in your world either?

[Cliff also liked the idea of it. He missed the loud, boisterous camaraderie of his fellow Klausians on the Diplo, or even the misadventures in the inns during his travels through Aquaria and Aeriglyph.

Cliff tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, as if in askance at Souji.]

Together? No way! She's one tough lady back home. An intelligence operative, if you will.

[He paused. Perhaps that was too modern a term to understand.]

Uh...wait. You'd probably call her a Ninja.

[He laughed openly at that, feeling more like his old self now as he rocked back a little.]

Oh! Yes, I told her that once and she was very confused. She's very cute, even if she could probably kill me in my sleep.

[Not that it was likely to happen what with how lightly he slept, but he recognized talent when he saw it.]

They made such a cute couple though. ...I wonder how they are holding up.

Knowing the two of them? They're both fine.

[Cliff didn't need to check in on them to know it was true. You travel around unknown territory in the 'custody' of an imposing runologist and spy for long enough to fight dragons and survive a war...and you become very familiar with eachother's methods and ways.

It was like how he was becoming with Souji, and the return of that old smile was a flag for him to investigate.]

...how 'bout you? Feeling better?

[Fine, huh? If Cliff seemed so sure about it, Souji wanted to take his word for it. He knew he could trust Cliff, but at the same time, he wouldn't be completely reassured until he saw them himself. He didn't know Fayt and Nel as well, even after playing pretend as family for a week, so he was naturally worried about them.

When Cliff asked after him, he paused and looked over. Cliff was still concerned and Souji didn't want to worry him any longer. Even if he wasn't 'better' per say, he no longer needed to hide so he smiled back at Cliff as if nothing were wrong.]

Once I sleep, I'm sure I'll be fine. Before that, would you like to get something to eat?

Once you sleep, huh?

[He lifts an eyebrow, not believing Souji was telling the entire truth for a moment but also not verbally calling him on it. He had gotten Souji to think, and that was enough of a success for him.

Cliff laced his fingers together and stretched, easing out the tension in his shoulders and neck from sitting like that for their entire conversation. He paid no mind to any cracking joints. It was just the normal reward for knocking heads and being knocked back for twenty-odd years. It was simple, like his mentality on the shift itself.

There was never a reason to hide because there was nothing to be hidden.

Groaning as he worked out tight muscles, Cliff pulled himself to his feet and shot a mischeivous glance at Souji.]

I'm always up for getting something to eat. [He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.] Let's go.

[--but, instead of heading directly toward the door, he moved to bodily grab Souji.

It was all in good fun. Don't flail too hard.]

[Those cracking joints made Souji raise an eyebrow of his own. For a fighter, it made sense for someone to have a few kinks here and there, but the way Cliff's shoulders popped, it sounded like he hadn't relaxed or had a massage in far too long. As he climbed to his feet, Souji made a move to follow.]

I could help you tak--

[But was cut off mid-sentence as Cliff suddenly grabbed at him. Even when it was just between friends, Souji had never been very good when it came to sudden movements and when Cliff grabbed at him, he instinctively twisted to get out of the way. Maybe it was his fatigue or maybe it was just that Cliff caught him by surprise, but he felt arms grab him around the waist and hoist him up as he made a very undignified sound of surprise. He almost hit his head on the ceiling as he rose up and over the Klausian's shoulder, still trying to find a foothold in the increasingly strange reality going on around him. Down below, he could hear Saizou grunting and oinking up a storm as he ran around Cliff's feet, looking for a place to bite him.]

Whoa-ho~~

[Cliff laughed as he danced around the agitated little pig and struggled to hang onto the flailing Souji.]

Hey. Hey now--!

[A sidestep. He placed his free hand on a wall to maintain his balance as Souji kicked fruitlessly at the air and scrabbled for a hold on his shoulders, his shirt. Another hop to dodge Saizo. He was glad he was wearing his boots that day...]

Edited 2013-08-26 22:43 (UTC)

[The momentary panic passed and Souji began to settle down, having found a place to grab onto Cliff's shirt in the back so he didn't slide one way or the other. Unfortunately, Saizou didn't seem to be getting any less agitated and as Cliff dodged, the pig kept attacking. It wove in and out between his feet, nipping at his heels.

Meanwhile, having calmed down, Souji finally laughed a little.]

He thinks you're kidnapping me.

Oh, I'd say he's got the right idea.

[Cliff laughed and whirled around the little pig until he saw an excellent opening to take. He tightened his hold on Souji.]

'Abduction' is on my rap sheet...not that he cares. You holding on tight back there?

Apparently he cares a little bit. [If his biting at Cliff's heel is any indication. Souji tightened his grip on the back of Cliff's shirt and tried to turn his head to look at his friend a little better.]

Yes, but where are we going?

Out!!!

[Sidestepping the Saizo once more-- and still glad for his boots-- Cliff took a few steps back before he launched himself down the hall, clear over Saizo and next to the door.

He flashed the pig a grin.]

Haha~ See ya!

[A sharp kick sent the door down and he bolted down the hall. He could only maintain the speed for a brief charge, but he would find an escape.]

Well, I cou--

[Anything else he could have said was cut off by the sudden movement and the bolt to the door and down the hall. Despite his bumpy ride, Souji could see Saizou squealing and tearing off after them in a dead-heat chase. It was all he could do to keep from laughing in between trying not to fall off and also trying not to hit his head on the ceiling as the Klausian fled to make good on his escape. Saizou was kicking up puffs of lint and dust as he ran after them and squealing bloody murder.]

Aw--damn that pig!

[He could feel the pig's murderous intent boring into him as he fled, leaping down the staircase level by level until they reached what Cliff would define as a 'safe' height.

There was a plan. There was always a plan.

Cliff rounded a corner into the hallway on the third floor, using the frame as a pivot to further his momentum.]

Don't be--

[They suddenly leapt down the staircase, hooking a steep turn onto the third floor with Saizou barrelling down after them, and Souji had to duck his head to keep from hitting it on the other side of the frame. He could hear Saizou's hooves scrabbling down the stairs and he hoped that his pet didn't go plummeting down them by accident.]

--rude.

[Souji highly doubted that Cliff could hear him as he hung precariously over his shoulder like a sack of rice, but it was the thought that counted. He also could have stopped Saizou if he wanted, but having Cliff in a dead sprint to get away from a medium-sized pig was just too much fun. Only a few moments behind, Saizou thudded into the wall of the third floor and took off after them again, squealing and snorting as he charged forward.]

[Souji's chiding admonishment fell on deaf ears as Cliff barrelled down the hall, heeding only the cries of an enraged pig that was only steps behind them. He tossed a glance behind him...and sped up in, but not out of fear. He wasn't particularly fond of Saizo, and he could have taken it on any day, but the pig was no monster that was found in the field.

Saizo was a pet, and Cliff needed to treat him as such.]

Aw, shit.

[The death glare was enough to keep him moving-- toward the wall at the end of the hall, with only a window...]

I hope you don't mind being airborn for a bit--

[That was all he said before he broke the window open and dove out, carrying Souji along with him.]

Airborn? [He barely had enough time to wrap his mind around the word before there was a crash and he had to cover his head from the glass flying by. He could see Saizou skidding to a stop just before the pig disappeared from view as he and Cliff fell from the window. Then, as his stomach rose into his throat, he remembered that they had been on the third floor. He turned his head, watching as the ground rushed up toward them and thought:

Why were all his friends insane?

Probably because it was fun.

Souji turned slightly and braced for the impact of the landing, not wanting to absorb all of the shock with his stomach reconnecting to Cliff's shoulder.]

[Cliff just laughed as the wind rushed past them in their descent, clearly not near as traumatized by Saizo's wrath as his flight would have attested. This was old hat for him, like the many other misadventures he's had out in the field. A landing from thirty feet in the air?

It was nothing for a Klausian.

He braced for landing as well, but took the brunt of it himself. It was basic physics. Instead of fighting against the combined forces of kinetic motion and gravity, Cliff rolled with them. Literally. Spring board landing launched into a roll over his shoulder, keeping Souji as safe as he could manage. It wasn't perfect, but he knew there'd be no broken bones from the encounter.

They rolled to a stop and Cliff flopped over in the grass, head whirling from the momentum. That was.....

He burst out laughing like a rowdy kid, thoroughly enjoying the craziness that this encounter had devolved into.]

[The jolt that came was expected, but it seemed that Cliff had absorbed the brunt of it and as they rolled, Souji let go and let himself relax so he could more easily turn with the motion. The world eventually stopped trying to scramble itself inside a barrel and Souji came to a stop, lying where he was as his senses restored themselves.

Up above, he could hear Saizou screaming up above as he raced back and forth across the hall, not quite sure how he could make it down. Next to him, he heard Cliff laughing, carefree and infectious. He lifted his head and regarded Cliff for a brief moment as his vision cleared - for all the weight on the man's shoulders, he was doing such a good job of simply moving past it. He carried it with him, that was for certain, but he was strong and still kept his head high. Souji remembered a time when he was better at doing that, or at least, a time when he thought he was.

Dropping his head back down, he laughed along with Cliff, rolling over onto his back.]

Congratulations, you've successfully avoided my pig.

And pissed him off too, from the sounds of it.

[The laughter lingered in Cliff's amused reply. Saizo's enraged squeals were a detail that was as loud and formless as the buzz of the cicadas in the waning summer, existing only as a backdrop to the calm of the encroaching evening. Cliff glanced over at Souji, noting the sincerety in his tone and smile during those moments, and sighed in contentment.

That was enough. Souji had his problems, and he would deal with them as he needed. Hopefully the old wounds would heal enough for him to stop hiding behind a smile, but Cliff would try to be there while he could until that point was reached.

Cliff rolled over, frowning like a playful dolt, and poked Souji in the side of the head.]

You're gonna need to make him cool off, yanno. I don't want the pig using my own techniques on me again.

[Saizo did Aerial Assault him on their first meeting...]

[He let his head roll slightly to the side as Cliff poked him, laughing again.]

It's going to be hard to get him to 'cool off' now. He thinks you just tried to kill me.

[Rolling onto his side, Souji brushed some glass from his hair and clothes, then started picking them off Cliff.]

I'll see what I can do, but since he knows you'll run now, he may keep chasing you.

Appointments

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