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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[There was always something that lurked behind that gentle smile of Souji's, especially after a crisis like this, but Cliff let it go this time. They had other concerns to think about, and a lot of heavy details that needed to be sorted through in the coming days and weeks.

He smiled in return, and for once felt like he understood some of Souji's reasons for always doing so.]

Sound's great. And, I hope you don't mind the company after I get everything on. ....I think I just wanna be around people today.

[He paused and then nodded.] Of course I don't mind.

[Then he slipped out of the room. The house seemed empty still, even though Saizou was sitting on the couch, looking at him curiously. He gave his pet a smile as well, then let the expression fall away as he went to the other room and found a kimono that worked. It was a dark green, unpatterned, and game with a black obi - to him it was plain, but this was Harada's favored style. He'd gathered a few upon living here, but it still felt strange to be loaning his things out.

Souji fingered the fabric quietly before closing the box it sat in, then headed back to the room. He knocked and opened the door, sliding the long wooden box inside before heading to the kitchen.]

[It had to be Japanese manners that threw him, he decided, because even after associating with all of these people from Japan, Cliff found that he still wasn't used to some of the distant and polite mannerisms he saw in his friends. He pulled the contents out of the box, admiring the way it was folded and the comfortable weight of the natural, unaltered fibers. That quality of fabric was rare in the era of space travel, and it was a luxury that many people didn't even know existed until they found themselves holding such a fine garment.

He slipped it on, unsurprised by how the sleeves were a little short on him, and fumbled to tie the the other piece around his waist.

Odds were that he did it wrong, he knew, but it worked well enough.

Comfortable in the clothes, he went out to go join Souji. He knew he would be safe enough from tripping over any wandering animals if he stayed close to the wall.]

[The dagger he'd been holding and had slipped into his sleeve once Cliff had focused on him was set on the kitchen counter when he arrived. He knew it would take Cliff a few minutes at least to put the borrowed kimono on, so he gave him a moment to close his eyes and breathe. Cliff was alive again, he was missing vision in one eye, and he was putting off dealing with what had happened. Souji still saw it in his nightmares and so he knew both Fayt and Cliff both had to be dealing with twice if not a thousand times more.

Which meant Souji would have to wait, give the man time and pretend until then that he himself was fine, too. Fayt had seen Souji react poorly, but that had been a day after, when he'd relatively calmed down. As long as Saori never spoke to Cliff about him, perhaps he would be safe from his partner ever finding out.

Souji slipped the dagger into a drawer as he heard the door behind him opening and busied himself with other tasks; cracking eggs and getting the late evening's rice heated up again. He tried to keep his voice light as he worked, in contrast with how he felt.]

It isn't too small, is it?

[Though the tone was light, he understood Souji well enough by this point to catch the underlying worry that he didn't openly voice. It was with reason too-- but, until he saw Fayt for himself and knew that the young man was okay, Cliff knew that he had to keep on moving forward like he always did.

Afterward, though... he couldn't remember the last time he had slept well. The enormity of the situation weighed heavily on his shoulders, and he had a lot more to think on than just his revival. The entire battlefield of Zompania, littered with the bodies of the people who were sacrificed in what had to be some kind of arcane ritual, and the thing that lurked underneath the fabric of existance still needed to be reconciled in his heart. Although he had seen planets be destroyed, his course of action at that point was still clear. This time, he had no idea what the next move was.

...it bothered him.

Cliff padded across the cool, wooden floors in bare feet, fingers trailing against the firm lines of the wall, and joined Souji.

He was grateful for his partner's discretion.]

Nah-- fits better than I thought. I probably goofed on the tie, though.

[He swiped his fingers on a nearby towel and turned to examine Cliff's attempt at an obi. He smiled, noting how Cliff felt his way along the wall and forcing his expression to remain unchanged. Souji reached out when Cliff made his way to him and quickly loosened then retied the obi, slipping the loose ends into a neatly tied knot.]

If you had been perfect the first time, I might have worried that something was wrong with you.

[He leaned slightly to the side, examining the length of the sleeves.]

I'll have to see about getting one made to your size. And Fayt-kun's. I don't know if I should have one made for Albel-san. He might shred it in a fit to get back at me.

I dunno, man. That guy likes wearing skirts.

[He said it in a joking tone, but he carefully watched Souji's movements all the while. It would take some time to get used to but, out of all of the possible losses he could have taken, this one was relatively mild.

He could still see. It was just a off.]

But, seriously. I'd appreciate that-- these clothes are comfy, and I like your friend's taste. It's simple, but still classy.

...He must have been an interesting guy.

I think he gets mad if you call it a skirt, doesn't he?

[He tugged at the sleeve for a moment, then paused as Cliff mentioned his "friend." Souji would have to get Cliff one of his own someday soon, if only so that he could shut this one away again. Maybe it was strange of him to keep their old clothes when he had a feeling none of them would ever return, but he couldn't bring himself to give anything away either.

His fingers lingered a moment and pulled away as he turned to go back to cooking. He could hear Saizou grunting in the living room, chewing on the pillows in agitation.]

Harada-san is a very interesting person, yes. They all are.

How do you like your eggs?

That's just all the more reason to keep using that word.

[The joke was short-lived when he saw Souji still when the topic turned to the absent Harada. It was as if a wall went down, and once more Souji closed off a part of himself to the rest of the world. No one could follow him once he went there, Cliff knew-- all he could do was be supportive and patient.

Besides, he realized bitterly, this time it was partly his fault.]

Honestly, I don't know much about what you did back in your world. One day I'd like to hear more...whenever you're ready to.

[Cliff followed, and relaxed back against the counter to watch Souji cook without being in the way.]

For now, could ya do 'em scrambled? With some salt and pepper?

There isn't much to say really.

[He did at Cliff asked, putting a dash of salt and pepper into the bowl as he mixed with a pair of long wooden chopsticks.]

We are the Shogun's personal police force and are charged with protecting the capital and enforcing his laws. My country is on the brink of civil war since the foreigners came, between those who wish to reinstate the emperor and dissolve the old ways and those who wish to uphold the government and protect them. It's more complicated than that, I suppose, but it boils down to that in a way.

[He finished whisking the eggs and turned on the stove, waiting for the pan to heat.]

We have different ideas of how to defeat the foreigners who are trying to flood onto our shores and change our way of life. The Joi think that by reinstating the emperor, they can force them out with a war. The Shogunate thinks that we can only defeat them by first opening our doors to learn from what they have so we can later turn it on them.

[Souji shrugged slightly and slid the egg batter into the pan, listening to it sizzle. Everything he said was detached from his reality now. This was the textbook answer, the things anyone could find from what Souji had left in the library. Books about the Shinsengumi, the people, and the outcome, however, he'd carefully picked out and removed, destroyed or obfuscated enough that no one could read them.]

It's a difficult time for my country, but our lives are relatively dull. We patrol for the Joi rebels and ensure that no harm comes to the Shogun, his retinue or the Emperor while we are in Kyoto.

[Cliff leaned back and closed his eyes, carefully paying attention to the details without having to worry about the visual filter for the moment. Although the story, simple as it was, sounded almost distant and detached from what must have been the reality, Cliff didn't persue it. All he did was focus on the information offered, plain and simple...

He could smell the eggs start to sizzle in the pan when Souji took his pause.]

That still sounds rough, even if the day-to-day was boring. Having to deal with people coming in like that is always a pain.

...actually, it sounds sort of like what people in my grandfather's generation had to deal with. There's never an easy, clean way to deal with situations like that.

Eventually, we will have to go to war. [He swirled the chopsticks through the cooking egg, breaking up bubbles.]

Although yes, it's likely what your grandfather went through. Does that make me as old as him then?

[Cliff chuckled at the little joke.]

I hope not. That'd be a little weird, don't you think?

[Opening his eyes once more, he crossed the few steps that separated the two of them and snuck up behind Souji, pulling him into a careful hug.]

But, really. I don't care how old you are. Just don't vanish on me this time.

But I'm getting used to being--

[His joke cut off as Cliff hugged him from behind. The simple gesture made him stiffen instinctively, not used to having anyone at his back, let alone being on the receiving end of affection. He lowered his eyes, relaxing slightly and managed to force a smile onto his face even if Cliff couldn't see it.]

...I wasn't the one who vanished.

[His laugh was more bitter this time.]

Yeah, you're right. I guess I really did vanish on you this time.

[He rested his chin atop Souji's head, just taking comfort in the scents of Souji's cooking and the proximity that they shared.]

I'll be more careful next time...I just pulled a papa bear on Fayt. I couldn't help myself.

I don't blame you for it, or anyone really. [Other than the cultists, and Souji had made them pay dearly for taking both Fayt and Cliff from him. Even after he'd discovered Fayt alive, he hadn't been able to rein himself in from trying to destroy the enemy so thoroughly, he almost killed himself to do it.

Cliff didn't need to know that though, and Souji pushed himself to relax, swirling the chopsticks through the egg as it began to cook thoroughly.]

I'm sure if I had been there, I would have done the same thing.

But I've been here for too long to vanish now, so you don't need to worry about it.

[It was a good thing that Cliff didn't have that detail-- he would have been more concerned about everything that had happened in the aftermath than he already was.

The tightness in Souji's shoulders was obvious in their closeness-- Cliff idly lifted a hand to try to smooth the muscles out while he watched the egg from his vantage point.

All he wanted, truly, was the closeness.]

Hah. Good. I don't wanna have to go chasing you down again. You're a tricky guy to find when you wanna be.

It comes from having people want to kill me.

[He finished off the egg and turned off the heat, transferring the eggs to a plate. The rice was warmed by now, so he opened the automatic rice cooker (and amazing invention if there ever was one) and scooped out two paddles of rice into a bowl. He set both of them down on the counter and turned his head slightly to look up at Cliff.]

I promise not to go anywhere if you do.

[Heedless of the eggs and rice, Cliff stared down at Souji with confusion plain in his eyes.]

...who says I'm looking to kill you, Souji? [He understood the first part easily-- having experienced murder attempts himself, he knew how useful the art of vanishing was...if it could be pulled off. But, the second part was simply baffling.]

You've got it backward. I don't wanna let you go.

[Souji laughed a little, shaking his head.]

I meant it was a skill I learned back home. It's simply proven useful here, time to time.

[He twisted slightly in Cliff's arms, turning around so he was facing him and patted the Klausian on the chest.]

Honestly, if I thought you were ever going to try to kill me, I'd never have let you this close.

[Relaxing, Cliff found a smile spreading on his lips despite himself.]

Then I'm honored. There can't be that many people who are allowed to get this close to the handsome and dashing Okita Souji.

[It was a small joke, but one that felt necessary at that point. There was so much that needed to be said...

But he had Souji, hot food, and his focus was a little better now. This was more than he had hoped for.]

[That earned an honest laugh from him and he turned away, getting a plate out for pickled vegetables.]

I've been called girly before, but never handsome. That's new.

Well. You said before that you wanted to be handsome instead of pretty.

[Headscratch. He watched Souji gather more materials, testing out his focus once more while he pondered all of Souji's layers.]

Handsome...pretty. Like I said before, hot is hot.

[Souji shook his head and finished preparing the meal.]

You remember the strangest things.

[Turning his head, he looked up at Cliff, trying not to be too obvious as he watched the way Cliff's eyes focused.]

You should eat, then go see Fayt-kun. He needs you.

[However much Souji tried to hide it, Cliff knew him well enough by now to notice the not-entirely subtle concern in both his actions and tone. He huffed in bitter amusement.]

...I know, and I will. He's the first guy I plan to see.

[Fayt was the most important person too. Although it was a long time ago now, Cliff still clearly remembered the battle in the Kirlsa Training Facility. It was a trap...Quark lost several good members that day...

And Fayt lost his father.

He shook his head, shoving away the memories of all of the people who had died for Fayt's safety and trying to forget about how he now counted among that number.

Instead of dwelling on it, he offered Souji a tired smile.]

Thanks Souji. For everything.

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