aerialassault | Appointments

[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.

[So the homicidal pig would keep being homicidal? Cliff grinned. He could handle that without a problem.

He reached up and ruffled Souji's hair once more, thoroughly amused by the other man's attention to all of the little details. The glass meant little to Cliff, as it would just be a nuisance later, but...

Well. They were married.]

I think I can keep running from him if that's the case. Gotta sacrifice a few things sometimes, right?

[Cliff ruffled his hair again and Souji smiled, tilting his head to one side. He hadn't met anyone who did that as often as Cliff since Harada, but he knew it was meant as a sign of affection rather than as an adult would often do to a child. He tossed a few more shards of glass from Cliff's clothes before he laughed easily and turned his head to look back up at the broken window. He could hear Saizou snorting and stomping about up there still.]

You'll have to make nice eventually if you ever hope to come over for dinner though.

[Speaking of which. Souji pushed himself up into a sitting position, tucking his legs to the side and called up to his irritable pet.]

Saizou~ My geta! I left them upstairs!

[The grunting stopped for a moment, then the pig snorted and the sound disappeared. Souji looked down at Cliff and smiled.]

I suggest we go eat before he comes back.

[The pig was definitely going to be an obstacle he would have to overcome at some point, but that was an incidental problem. He's had to adapt to bigger over the years, and he could handle it if it was for a friend.

Cliff sat up too and tossed his hair out of his face as Souji made his request. It was getting longer, but not uncomfortably so. It would need cut at some point....later.

He returned that smile, with all of it's boyish warmth and humor.]

Yeah, that might be a good idea. I really don't wanna run from him again for a while.

Ah, wait. [Before Cliff could stand, Souji reached into the top of his kimono and pulled out a small pouch. From this, he took out a red woven hair tie before he put the pouch back. He scooted over and behind Cliff and, with practiced hands, gathered the longer strands of his hair together, tied them with the woven thread into a low ponytail. Satisfied that it would hold for a short time, he stood up and dusted his kimono off at the knees.]

There we go. If you ever need it cut, you can come see me. Or for those shoulders of yours. You're far too tense.

Aah. I'm fine, Souji.

[Although the strange attention to detail was a nice surprise, he simply wasn't used to playing gentle. He always played rough, and loved it when others do the same.

...but, he could play nice if the situation called for it.]

[He shrugged a little and smiled as he held his hand out to help Cliff up. He couldn't help the habit, his nagging need to take care of someone. He'd been assistant and friend to Hijikata for so long, it was just second nature.

He'd have to remember to keep that barrier up then. He couldn't let himself fall into old habits here, even if they were friends, he didn't think Cliff would understand.]

Habit. Shall we go?

[Cliff understood the sentiment better than Souji realized. Although the situation was different, he was in a stable, mutually trusting and respectful relationship with his long time friend and sister-in-training, Mirage. Although their personalities were drastically different, there was an understanding there that Cliff missed.

Souji was by no means like Mirage, but it was clear that Souji wanted something.

Whatever it was, Cliff could try to accomodate.]

Aah. Sure thing.

[Cliff took his hand and let Souji help, although he was more than capable of doing so on his own. It was the thought that was important in this situation, and it was slowly becoming apparent that Souji had some tendencies that were almost motherly.

A grin spread on Cliff's face as he recalled the woman Souji had been only days before. He reached over and brushed a few stray blades of grass off of Souji's clothes, returning the gesture.]

So. What sorta thing are you in the mood for?

[He helped the taller man to his feet and smiled. He knew he was being selfish and Cliff was only catering to his childish whims, but even that was enough for now. Even if he would never again feel what he felt during the experiment - a sense of home, of being loved - it was nice to have friends who didn't turn him away or leave.

Still, he would have to remember.

Cliff was not Hijikata.

He could not make one man the surrogate for the other, no matter how much his heart ached being away from him. It wasn't as if anything could ever be returned in either case, so it was better to simply smile and play along for as long as he had.

He laughed at Cliff brushing the grass off his clothes and then tapped one finger to his cheek as he thought.]

Mmmmm.....waffles! With syrup and fruit.

[There was something holding Souji back behind that cheerful smile, like there always was. In a few ways Cliff recognized a little of it in himself-- a reluctance, of sorts, to let someone get that close to him. Mirage was always his right hand, his best friend, and the one who was privy to his most important secrets and emotions...but, that was her and her alone. They understood eachother with little more than a look and a touch, but that was all Cliff ever needed.

Anyone else could potentially compromise his ability to lead, and it would only put them in danger. Cliff couldn't allow that to ever happen.

He had a hunch that his reasons were far different from Souji's, but he wasn't going to press for more details. That was Souji's business. If Souji ever wanted to tell him, then Cliff would stay and listen.

But, it wouldn't ever be a moment before Souji was okay with it.

For now, Cliff just laughed along with Souji.]

Waffles? Well, I never expected that one!

[It was their little game, for better or for worse. Cliff was content to enjoy the hell out of it until the board shifted one them, one way or the other.]

You missed the time when I ate all the pies and cakes in Luceti because someone asked me which was my favorite and I couldn't decide. I promise not to eat the waffles in the same way. Let's go.

[He laughed, linking his hands behind his back, and gave Cliff a smile that usually brightened most people's days. He didn't want Cliff to worry about him, or think he had to worry about him. He just wanted them to stay like this until the day when Cliff had to leave. Everyone left, in the end, and that was something he knew he'd have to prepare for the closer he felt to anyone here in Luceti. It would be a secret he'd keep along with how he felt, for as long as his friend was here.

Even without his geta on, he could still walk and Souji motioned for Cliff to come with him as he started walking. He knew that Saizou would find them eventually, so he'd have to save some fruit.

And for now, that was all that could be done: save things and wait.]

Appointments

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