aerialassault | 001 [audio/action] backdated to the 18th

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001 [audio/action] backdated to the 18th

[accidental audio/action for CH 5]

--at's it. I'm gonna pulverize--

[The words, made audible through an accidental feed on the journal that Cliff threw aside, were cut off by the crack of splintering wood as his fist slammed into it at full throttle. Cliff had finally awoken from his shift-induced dream, and he was pissed. It was just unfortunate that the first person he saw that morning had to be the target for his frustration at the Malnosso.

He was going to crush their captors...after he crushed Albel Nox.

It wasn't going to be pretty.]

[very intentional audio]

Sorry 'bout the mess this morning. Technical difficulties. Won't happen again.

Now. What the hell was that last week? A shift? That's one helluva-- [He stopped and took a deep, calming breath.] Don't tell me that happens all the time.

I'm more than game if anyone wants to work off some stress. See ya at the Barracks. Or the Dome. I dunno.

Cliff Fittir. Over and out.

[action]

[True to his word, Cliff could be found at both the Barracks and the Battle Dome at various points throughout the day, as he restlessly wandered between the two facilities because neither actually fit his needs for the moment. A good spar was what he had in mind, although he wouldn't say no to company with someone that didn't know him and was actually sane.

Don't worry. He'll be cool.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nah. I go around getting people to work together for a bigger cause. It's kinda fun when you're not bashing heads together.

[Ah, a visionary then. Who punches.

Oh my gods, this guy is the alien version of Sakamoto Ryouma.

Souji blinks at being laughed at, then joins in.]

Ah, I see. Hopefully you can do less bashing and more talking then?

Depends on who's there.

But enough 'bout that. What about you, stranger? Got a name with all those questions?

[Always depends, doesn't it. Oh well. Souji smiles and walks over to the wall where several wooden practice swords are resting on a rack. He takes one and leans down to pick up a few weights to put on it.]

Captain of the First Squad, Okita Souji. I suppose the title doesn't mean much, however, not here. Not anymore.

[After slipping four or five weights on, he straightens and wonders again at how strange it is to be so open with his name even after all this time.]

What is the cause you fight for, Cliff-san? It must be important if you travel so far for it.

[Titles never amounted to much in his egalitarian ethics and morals. He watched Okita move with a curious eye. It was an old style weapon from earth, he figured, although he couldn't quite pinpoint the era or region. The only part that he could discern was that it was from before the industrial revolution.

Cliff chuckled. Funny, how all of those Earth history classes in college would pay off.]

I just work to get the little guys together so we can take on the big guys, but the fight doesn't always need our fists. Words do a better job of it.

Why isn't your title important anymore, Okita?

[Souji smiled, more and more certain that this man could almost be Ryouma's Western counterpart.]

I knew someone who thought much the same way.

[He died violently, or so said the history books Souji read. He wondered absently if the same fate awaited Cliff; or even someone like Tetsu.]

It's an honourable way to fight. Something I'm afraid I'm very poor at.

[He held the weighted sword in both hands and raised it over his head.]

As for my title...

[He swung the sword downward, a practised arc, a perfect stop - a twinge in his side.]

It doesn't much matter. Have you ever worked with swords before?

[Cliff paid attention to Okita as he moved and spoke, taking note of the practiced ease of his swordsmanship and the even tone of his voice. That, and his title of Captain, led Cliff to the conclusion that Okita was a soldier on some level...or, at least, part of a highly disciplined unit.

He always ran a solid, dependable ship while he was still captain, and he preferred to keep his people at ease.]

I don't use weapons like that. Just complicates things, and I like to keep it simple. Words can get like that too, if you're not careful.

That why you never found a way to work with 'em?

Edited 2013-02-22 04:53 (UTC)

[Straightforward then. Souji could appreciate that and he raised the sword again, trying to keep his breathing controlled and slow.]

Words can sometimes be the most powerful and most dangerous of all weapons.

[He dropped the sword in the same arc again, stopping it at the same point as before.]

It takes a strong person to be able to use them well, and I knew people who could use them better than I, so I left it to them. You prefer your fists then?

[The subtle struggle wasn't lost on Cliff, but he didn't comment. It wasn't something for him to prod at.]

It also takes a li'l patience, and not everyone's got that. [Says the man who punched a whole in the wall on a whim earlier that day. It was just a moment of catharsis. He was always a reasonable man.

He smiled at the question and held up a fist.]

It's why I like my hands. What did you think I had these gloves on for anyway?

Edited 2013-02-22 05:05 (UTC)

[He smiled faintly at the comment about patience. He had the patience for it, but it was the finesse and the actual understanding of other people that he lacked. He could pry into people's lives, but he couldn't fix them. He'd seen that first hand with Tetsu and Tatsu.

Raising the sword again, Souji turned his head to look over at Cliff and gave him a cheeky smile.]

You seemed like a very fashionable person to me.

[There were problems that wouldn't have been fixed even with a decent amount of social grace. It was a lesson that Cliff had learned the hard way, with Maria and the Invisible.

That lesson was part why he all but retired from the playing field. Politics were someone else's game now, especially since he had someone that he needed to keep both physically and psychologically safe.

The cheeky grin is returned in kind. Cliff liked this guy.]

Ya mean it wasn't my jacket or my earrings that clued you in?

Oh, but it's the gloves that make the outfit.

[Souji barely suppressed his laughter, remembering all too well how he hasn't cared about fashion since ever, but how Hijikata and the others always did. They paid attentions to trends - or they had before coming to Kyoto and assuming control of the Shinsengumi.]

You must be very popular with the ladies.

Eh. Maybe.

[He certainly joked about it often enough, but his actual success...?]

I think they like my refined sense of humor more than my gloves. Gotta make the ladies laugh, y'know.

You've probably got pretty good luck yourself, with that smile of yours.

[Luck. With the ladies.

....Pffffffffffffhahahahahaha. Souji pauses for a moment and then doubles over laughing, nearly dropping his sword. Give him a minute here.]

[Just. This look.]

Hey, if you're fond of the guys? That's cool too.

[He calms down and shakes his head, wiping a tear from his eye.]

No, it's less my preference and just the idea that I'm popular with anyone for that reason.

I never had time and even here it isn't a priority.

[Cliff grinned.]

It ain't a priority for me either, ya know. For similar reasons. There's not much time to take a girl out on a few dates if you're running around all the time, and even here I don't wanna lose my focus.

[He pointed at the punching bag in front of Cliff.]

The focus for beating inanimate objects?

[He shook his head.]

Nah. I've got people here to look after. Can't really do that if I've got other things on my mind.

[Souji looked up at Cliff for a moment, then tilted his head to the side.]

Do they require so much minding? That must keep you very busy then.

[There was a twinkle of fondness in his eyes as he smiled down at Okita.]

He's just a kid who's growing up in a bad situation. I promised I'd keep him safe, and that doesn't change a bit here.

[A kid? ...A child here. It isn't right.]

Oh. Is Cliff-san very good with children then? Do you like to play games?

pffft.

[He snorted-- mostly in wry amusement at himself for not being clear.]

This kid ain't exactly as small as you're thinking. I mean that he's...uh, growing into a man in the middle of a bad situation. A very bad one. But, that's not important here.

Not to say that I don't like kids! I just don't always get a chance to see them. Not really.

Edited 2013-02-27 20:24 (UTC)

[Oh whoops. Souji laughs at himself for his misunderstanding.]

Aaah, I see. It seems to be a theme, isn't it? Young people simply aren't allowed to grow up as they should - as unfair as that seems.

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