006 [Action/Audio]

[aerialassault]

[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.]

Comments

[etherealblast]

--I'm sorry. [He ends Cliff's sentence with an apology of his own, said quickly and tensely. It didn't fix anything, and he knew it, but it needed to be said. He'd failed Cliff and himself a week ago, and Cliff had paid the price.

Words wouldn't fix that, but hopefully his actions in the future would at least prevent something like this from happening again.]

.....I screwed up. [He glances away, running a hand through his hair in a slightly unsettled gesture.] It shouldn't have gone down like that.

[aerialassault]

--Quiet, you.

[The reply was instant, and unintentionally harsh in his own irritation.]

...It was my bad. We should't 've been there in the first place, but what's done is done.

[Sighing, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and stood there in the silence. It was a bad situation all around. Everyone was tense, but he hated seeing Fayt like this.]

I made my choices, [He added, now in a gentler tone.] And they're my responsibility, not your's. Don't apologize for it.

[etherealblast]

[His responsibility. It was almost irritating to Fayt, that Cliff was trying to take the blame. They'd been there for a reason, and Cliff had saved his life, taking an attack he should have stopped before it happened. He mutters quietly, to himself as much as to Cliff.]

Idiot...... I made choices out there too, you know. Bad ones.

[He sighs, sitting back down on the bed.] At least let me take responsibility for those.

[aerialassault]

[Cliff shifted on his feet at Fayt's words, pondering over them carefully. As his bodyguard, Cliff wanted Fayt to quiet down and move onward...but, as a friend, another approach was needed.

He crossed the distance and flopped on the bed near Fayt, sinking into the cushions of it as he stretched his legs out in front of him.]

...Alright, [he conceded, sighing heavily at the realization that he couldn't win.] But it's on the both of us, not just you. We clear?

[etherealblast]

Clear. [Cliff can try to downplay it all he wants, but Fayt knew he could have done better out there. That was the bottom line, and something he planned to improve on. For his friend's sakes, and for his, he had to own up to his mistakes.

He didn't want something like this to happen a third time.]

Just... [He couldn't say 'don't do that again', because he knew Cliff would, as much as he hated it.] .... I'll be more careful next time. I promise.

[aerialassault]

[It wasn't downplaying as much as it was being practical. He could whine and complain about the situation all that he wanted, but it wouldn't get a damn thing done. He knew he could do anything as long as he kept his focus clear...but, it was hard watching his friend struggle with the responsibilities of adulthood.]

So will I, [he said, because Fayt was right. He knew that he would act on what was right by him regardless of the consequences. There was no way that he would have been able to sit with himself if their positions were reversed.]

...Let's both be more careful and be smarter about a few things. War ain't my specialty either, yanno. We've gotta figure out a way to work with it.

[etherealblast]

[And Fayt wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he let something like this happen again because of him. Regardless of if people came back to life here or not, it was still dying, and he didn't want anyone else to lose their life for him.]

Yeah, we do. [He nods, then grimaces. The mention of war and inexperience with it dug at something he knew he had to tell Cliff.... but he wasn't going to enjoy admitting it, either.]

Listen.... there's something else I need to tell you.

[aerialassault]

[Cliff looked up from behind his shades, suddenly attentive. There was something in that tone that worried him...]

What is it?

[etherealblast]

[He glances up at Cliff, gripping the edge of his bed between his fingers. His reaction to Cliff's death definitely wasn't something he was proud of, but it needed to be said.]

After you fell. [Died.] ......I reached for my power.

....Well, more like I met it halfway.

[aerialassault]

...

[Cliff sighed heavily after a beat, almost weary for once.]

I'm not surprised. [In fact, he had seen something like that coming.

Without any warning or hesitation, he reached out a hand and rested it on Fayt's shoulder. The grip of his fingers was firm, but not enough to leave a bruise later on.]

Honestly, I'd be more surprised if you didn't. And...

...I'm glad you're safe.

[etherealblast]

Vegeta stopped me before it could get out of hand and dumped me at a shelter. [He reaches up and grips Cliff's arm with his fingers, taking a breath. This was.... unusual, to say the least, when the last he'd seen of Cliff had been his dead body.

But it was kind of reassuring, too.]

Though... you should probably get a heads up, He's pissed. More at me though.

[aerialassault]

Thanks for the warning. I might get some flack too, if he's pissed enough.

[...It wasn't the most pleasant thought to have on his first day back, but it was better than not being able to think that at all. And, rough as he knew it was going to be, it only proved that the Saiyan did care about the people he associated with, in his own strange way.

That was good enough for him.

Sighing, he sat there in the awkward quiet for a second, feeling as lost as he was certain Fayt did, before he gave in to the need he figured they were both trying to contain--

he pulled Fayt in for a tight hug.]

Go ahead and be upset if you want. There's no shame in it, yanno.

[etherealblast]

[Fayt stills in surprise at first, having not expected that particular move, before slowly wrapping his arms around Cliff. It was an odd position to be in when he couldn't exactly remember the last time he'd had a hug, but that didn't make it uncomfortable by a long shot. His voice is muffled a bit in Cliff's shoulder as he shakes his head, though if it wasn't there might be a slight tinge of tightness in his tone.]

Isn't that what I should be saying to you?

[aerialassault]

[Cliff huffed --typical, he thought-- and shook his head in responce to the muffled question.]

I'll be fine, [he said, though his own tone had grown tense underneath the lightness that he tried to cultivate.] This'll be a frustrating season, but we'll manage. We've dealt with worse, haven't we?

[etherealblast]

Yeah, we have. But just because we've dealt with worse doesn't mean you aren't allowed to be upset, you know? [He won't pursue the topic further than that, though. If Cliff didn't want to talk too deeply on it right now, he could have that time.

He hugs Cliff a little tighter, because really, he feels like Cliff needs it just as much right now.]

We'll get through it though. We always do.

[aerialassault]

[He chuckled bitterly at those words, all but feeling the sting of them with how closely they hit him. Cliff knew he was allowed to be upset-- but, he was more pissed about it than anything else. He would need to calm down some on his own before he dared to approach the topic with others. It was heavy, but he needed to grasp it first.

Cliff mimicked the gesture, lips quirking into a wry smile.]

I know. And, yanno, it's strange being on the other side of this advice thing. That's gonna take a little getting used to...but, we'll do it.

It's just patience, right?

[etherealblast]

[Pissed was one way to react upset, and if Cliff wanted to be pissed, he had every right to be in Fayt's opinion. he grins a little himself, shaking his head.]

Well get used to it. I'm allowed to worry about you too, you know. [He pats Cliff's back before pulling away slightly to look him in the eye at his phrasing.]

Patience?

[aerialassault]

[Cliff fiddled with his new shades uneasily as he pondered how to answer that direct a question.]z

Yeah. Patience with eachother. We're both gonna need to learn to do a few things different, and I've got a hunch that Vegeta's gonna come after me too.

...I think our vacation's over, kid.

[etherealblast]

Yeah, I think so too. [if they were being called back to war again, and it was getting as bad as it had been out there....

They needed to work on shaping up for it.] I hate to say it, but I don't think it's going to get less brutal out there in the future. We need to be prepared.

[aerialassault]

We will be. [His tone was oddly sober while he spoke.] Don't worry about the details at all-- 'cause, I can tell ya right now... we will be.

[etherealblast]

Yeah, we will be. [He nods, leaning back on the bed and glancing towards the ceiling.] One way or another we will be. It'll just take some work.

[aerialassault]

Some work and patience.

[Again, that word.]

I've got a few things to figure out on my end...and, I dunno. Diversifying might be a good idea at this point. Without Nel, we've gotta be a lot more careful than we are.

[etherealblast]

You keep saying patience a lot..... got something in particular on your mind? [He rolls his head, glancing at Cliff questioningly.]

You're right though. For one thing, I need to work on my Symbology more than ever.

[aerialassault]

And I need to work on diversifying, period.

[It would be a helluva thing for a guy like him to accomplish, too.

But jokes would come later-- he took off the shades and looked at Fayt, tried to focus around blur that was distorting everything.

He sighed.]


Yeah, patience. Ya see...whatever it is that makes this world word decided to screw with how I see things. It's gonna be a pain till I figure a way to work with it.

[etherealblast]

[Surprise filters into Fayt's gaze, and he shifts on the bed to face Cliff fully after that confession. He'd wondered over the past week what his screw up had ultimately cost Cliff but....] Your vision? How bad?

[He leans over a little on his hands, trying to get a good look at his eyes.]