aerialassault | 006 [Action/Audio]

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006 [Action/Audio]

[Action: Locked to Souji Okita]

[Consciousness crept upon him slowly, like a migraine. It slipped in through the window panels with the sun and stung his eyes, but for once Cliff did not want to awaken. He instead rolled over with a groan, burying his face under his arms and promising himself another ten minutes.

But a nagging sensation in the back of his mind kept sleep at bay. He knew in his gut that it was something important, something that was blue and white...

...Fayt.

His eyes snapped open as he crashed into the memories. The dogs and the cultists were all a blur, but the spear stood out in his mind. It was only when he sat up that he registered the not-entirely familiar surroundings and the warm body lying by his side.]

[Action: Locked to Fayt Leingod]

[He messed up, and there was no way to fix and forget about the mess that he had left for everyone to deal with in the battlefield that was once Zompania. It was afternoon by the time he returned to his apartment in the ground building, wearing a fresh set of denim jeans and a comfortable tee-- both of which fit because of some miracle. The dark shades he wore were new, as was he bag he carried by his side that contained the clothes he borrowed off of Souji and yet another set of loose white pants to add to his small collection.

Entering as quietly as he could manage, Cliff did a once-over of the apartment to make sure that things were still mostly as he left it. The Vac whirred and hummed patiently as it made a pass over the carpet, and Cliff found himself smiling.

At least that was still functioning.

After throwing his belongings into his room, he made for Fayt's. A quiet knock was the only warning he gave before he nudged the door open...]

[Audio: Open to All]

Yo. It's Cliff.

[It was dark by the time he reached for his journal, but he didn't care. There were plenty of other people that he wanted to see, but there was no way he could go visit them all in one day.

This was the next best thing.]

Can I get a headcount of who all's here and a tally on the damage? And, is the bar open?

[He'll be heading there later if he get's confirmation. For once, he plans to drink unil the damage doesn't look so bad.]

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Raine-sensei and Ami-chan fixed it. It was broken, now it's just a sprain.

[She hefts the crutch, looking at him with a drained, tired look. Honestly, Cliff. Why did you have to go and get yourself killed? And then be so flippant about it?]

And how are you feeling, hmm?

[Because, out of all of his friends, someone needed to be the adult about things and keep it together. That look in her eyes was all that he needed to confirm what he had already suspected: somehow, she had figured it out. He didn't know the extent of it, but he hoped that certain details remained fuzzy for most of the people in Luceti.]

...Tired, [Cliff confessed, knowing that hiding was pointless.] I feel like I could eat a cow and take a hot shower for days and still not really be happy 'bout it all, but life keeps moving no matter how you feel.

Edited 2014-06-03 04:09 (UTC)

[Rei looked at him, and then at the crutch, and then back to him.

And then, with all the might and bluster of a teenage girl, she slammed the apparatus into Cliff's shoulder. Admittedly she isn't very strong, and she's swinging with her off-hand, and not really trying to hurt him. But...all the same it needs to be done. She's got to get her anger out somehow, her frustration at his flippant attitude about something so serious, and her desperate desire to just have something to hit.

It's childish, but that's what happens when she feels helpless.]

You...jerk. Going and doing something stupid, getting yourself killed. And not even having the dignity to be sensible and sad about it.

[But there's no heat there...]

[No attempt was made to dodge the blow-- he had noticed it too late, there was no room to maneuver, and he knew that the frustration he read in her eyes needed an outlet--

This was for the best.

He closed his eyes and let her get her words out of her system. They rang in his ears like a glass shattering on the floor, and they stung as much as those sharpened little edges.

There was no denying the point. There was no denying anything-- so, he did the next best thing.

Reaching out, he wrapped an arm around her slim form and pulled her in for a tight hug.]

...I know. All that's true, I'm not gonna lie. But, so long as I've got those guys depending on me, I can't let 'em down.

[Fayt, Souji. The two people he was closest to...he saw everything in their eyes. He knew he had a mess to clean up, and there was no way that he was going to shirk his duties.]

[The hug surprises her, and she lets out a muted squeak as she feels herself pulled against him. True, she hadn't expected him to be angry, but hugging her? It's...enough to make her tear up just a bit and turn as best she can with her injured leg to hug him back. ]

Cliff-san...you...are such an idiot.

[A big, fat, weird, space idiot.]

I count on you too, you know. Not just Fayt-kun and Souji-san. I...figured it out when I didn't hear from you in the clinic. I didn't want to believe it at first, and I...don't want to know what happened. I'm just...I'm glad you're...I'm glad you're here. And that you're okay.

[He was grateful for her high regard for him, her understanding of the situation, and her lack of judgement regarding him and his actions. Few others would be willing to be like that and, understanding that he had people who looked up to him for guidance, he hadn't expected anyone to react like this.]

...Yeah, I know. I'm also Fayt's bodyguard, and I was doing my job....back home, that'd be the only thing that counts.

[And this world wasn't like home, he reminded himself. Different rules applied.]

I'm glad you're here too, Rei. You're something else.

And you aren't back home.

[A casual reminder of that as she curls up there.]

You're here, stuck with the rest of us. That counts for something too.

I know -- I know.

[He frowned into her hair, knowing that there was no way to deny any of her words. He could have blamed it on habit. After all, watching over the same guy for the better part of a few years has several unforseen consequences, especially if that person is someone who could potentially tear the fabric of this entire world.

But, despite all of the problems he had found in Luceti, it had been a break from a far harsher environment back in his home. There were shifts and invasions, but they all had seemed so small in comparison to the threat of universal deletion...

He chuckled bitterly, realizing his own folly.]

Guess this means that vacation's over, huh?

Vacation?

[Rei huffs a hoarse laugh and shakes her head, tilting her head back to look at the much taller individual. When had Luceti ever been a vacation? It wasn't all misery and death, certainly, but the trials here? The threats? They made the worst of the Dark Kingdom seem childlike by comparison. After all, Beryl just wanted to rule the world, not murder everyone.]

I've never thought it was anything of the sort. It has it's positive qualities, like Souji-san, or Fenimore, but the war...well...you know about that now, don't you? TERRACE wasn't anything like this, or the draft where I was sent to the moon.

[Hadn't that been weird? Her eyes sweep around the booth, settling on the beers he's had.]

Can I...ask you to get me a drink? I would...but my leg. It's such a pain, and after that ordeal I think it may be time to try something new.

[She was right. TERRACE hadn't been anything like what the draft in Zompania had been. And, if TERRACE had truly been the oddity, then Cliff knew that he had entirely underestimated the craziness of this world.

While all of the Shifts and the strange war was still preferable to the battles he knew he had to face back home, he knew now that he shouldn't have been so relaxed about things.

It was time to fix that.]

Yeah, no prob. [Falling back into casual tones, he made to grab his glasses while he spoke.] We don't wanna think too hard 'bout what future drafts will be like just yet, right?

[Instead of touching the smooth, cool glasses that he had gotten from the bar while he spoke, his fingers instead touched-- nothing. Just air. Chagrinned by the silly mishap, Cliff tried again--

And instead caught them too roughly, and the glasses chimed in complaint when they bounced against eachother.

He glanced over at Rei, grinning in embarrassment.]

Heh. Is it obvious yet?

Edited 2014-06-04 01:53 (UTC)

Not at all.

[She smiles at his ready acceptance, but that fades into a worried frown as he has trouble with the glasses. He has that stupid grin back on his face that he always does when he's done something embarrassing...but...he shouldn't have misjudged things that badly.

Unless...]

Did you lose some of your vision?

Bingo.

[He reached for the glasses again-- carefully this time-- and actually got them without too much fuss.]

Not all, obviously, but focusing has gotten to be a problem, the sun just aggravates that, and now it looks like my depth perception's off.

[Sighing, he stood and booted his chair out of the way.]

It could'a been worse, Rei. They could'a taken my voice....and I know you'd miss all the jokes.

[She pursed her lips at that, watching him carefully. Of course, she has to give him grief.]

What a tragedy that would've been.

[Another snort, and she shakes her head.]

I'd like to try something...fruity...if that can be arranged?

Already ahead of ya, [he called, already heading for the bar. So long as he moved carefully and kept track of the chairs in his venture, he'd be fine...

At least, that was the plan.

He returned not long later with two large, cold glasses filled with an amber, sweet liquid. Setting one before Rei, he took his seat once more.]

Here-- it's cider. And be glad that they didn't turn back to apples on the way here.

...those whacky Shifts are still a thing, right? I don't wanna find a wooden bucket where the shower should be again.

[He sets it slightly off center, to her left, but she doesn't mind. Smiling at him, she moves the drink closer and just...stares at it for a long moment. It smelled okay, a lot different from the wine she'd had before, but after the draft and the smell of all that death...it was a welcome change.]

I...don't think so. I wonder what that was all about, honestly. It went on too long, and it was a little different than the usual nonsense.

[Still eyeing the drink, she frowns, not picking it up just yet.]

Is this...something you sip? Or drink all at once?

[How does she cider, Cliff? ]

[Cliff hummed thoughtfully at the question, peering into his own glass. Cider, in general, was a tad too sweet for his normal tastes, but he saw no shame in switching things up. Especially if the drink in question was as crisp and sweet as the barkeep had promised him.

He mulled over the cider for a moment, staring at it as if daring it to turn back into an apple on him, and finally glanced back over at Rei when he felt reasonably sure that his drink would stay a liquid that night.]

I dunno. It's a drink, same basic grade as beer. It's nothing really that special.

Oh...

[Not having a great frame of reference for this, she hesitantly picks it up and turns the glass around in her hand, studying it like it was some sort of mutant bug juice. Was this really a terribly good idea? Drinking something she didn't know anything about?

Swallowing thickly, she raised it up to her lip and took a sip. Sweet was right. A hint of bitterness to it too, but not unpleasant. Not what she'd expected at all, in truth.]

Hummm...

[Another sip, this one slightly bigger than the first. How...odd it tasted. Different, and a bit warm going down too.]

What did you say this was called?

It's an apple cider, [Cliff repeated, carefully taking a grateful sip of his own.] I dunno the brand, but it's definitely from Earth. I think it's name was... [something close to the Federation standard trade language, but that was too many words.]

...English. I think that was one of the old languages on Earth.

Cider. [She takes another sip, setting it down with a frown before looking at him.] English is a language, yes. Not mine, but it's definitely a language. What...does that have to do with the drink, though?

I mean, if we somehow make it home with our memories, that you might have a tricky time finding it in Japan. Maybe. I dunno exactly how alcohol imports work in your era.

Oh. That...shouldn't be a problem.

[She stifles a little laugh.]

Unless I go back with memories and the body I've grown into, I'll be fifteen again.

--oh. Right.

[Embarrassed, he downed more of his drink and tried to recover.]

Once you get old like me, it gets easy to forget how much growing up young people do in such a short time. Sorry 'bout that.

Well I've grown up quite a bit. Not...taller, but a bit more mature.

[She picks up her drink and takes an actual drink of it now, having gotten a bit more used to the taste.]

I'm honestly not sure I'd rather go back to what I was like when I arrived.

[He believed it. Sometimes the difference that only a few years could make was truly amazing.]

Yanno....after being here for over a year, I don't think I'd want to either. I've met too many cool people, and even learned a couple things. It'd be a shame to lose that.

[She expells a breath and nods.]

I'm not sure I really want to give up all this. I'm stronger, certainly, and older. But I've changed. I know I have. Harry-san and Pa...[She catches herself from saying Papa...] Helios...have been good for me I think. I feel like I can actually interact with men, and not want to just...ignore them entirely.

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