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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[Luckily for Cliff, Fayt was in at the moment. He hadn't really felt like eating lunch out today, and instead had grabbed a lunch at the convenience store to eat in private. He probably wouldn't have lingered long if it wasn't for the knock at his door, and he tenses almost imperceptibly from where he's seated on his bed, watching Cliff enter his room for the first time in a week.]

Cliff....?

Edited 2014-06-03 01:38 (UTC)

[It was strange how he knew the days were passing even if he rarely left the house. Since returning from the draft, he'd holed himself away. It wasn't the right thing to do, but he also hadn't been able to do much else. By his account, nearly a week had passed, although he could have been missing a day or two in there.

It was strange to be lying in bed at this hour of the morning. Normally, he'd been just coming home from training Ginia, or, in the past, Sokka, and would have been up and cleaning the house. Now, he just lay on his side, listening to the sounds of the village and his pets waking up. Saizou would be around soon, pawing at his door, hoping to be let in. Sometimes, Souji would let him in; other times, he just wanted to be left alo--

Something was in the bed with him. There was a subtle shift in the pressure on the futon, the way the cover rose next to him, and the added sound of someone else breathing. Souji stiffened, keeping his back to the thing that had just appeared and slid his hand under his futon for the small dagger he kept there.

It was a person, judging by the size and the sound of the breathing. It sped up and then the person moved, sitting up suddenly. Souji rolled from the bed, bringing the dagger up, ready to fight if necessary - and froze when he saw who was there. He'd almost been afraid that, like a few others here, he wouldn't return, but there he was, looking panicked? Confused? Probably a bit of both. Souji lowered the knife and hesitantly moved forward.]

Cliff-san?

[Normally, Rei wouldn't be caught dead in Good Spirits, or any establishment like that. Even though she was legally of age now, in her time at least, it wasn't proper. But tonight was special. She'd seen the broadcast, and she'd noticed just how casual he was about the whole thing.

Which could only have one real reaction from the dark haired girl, of course.

Hobbling on her crutches was a pain, but she makes it to the tavern just fine, shouldering her way inside. Her eyes flick around the room for a moment before settling on Cliff, seated in a booth against a wall.

She approaches as quickly as she can, plunking down across from him and rests the crutches within easy reach. She adopts a friendly, cheerful "glad to see you" tone when she speaks up.]

Hello, Cliff-san. It's nice to see you.

[Out of all of the possible conversations that he knew would come in the future, this was the one that he couldn't quite calculate. Emotions were too close for the both of them, and their last meeting...

He remembered the blood streaking down the young man's face, the bright look of fear in those green eyes. The same eyes were clear that afternoon, if wary and confused.

...the reasons were understandable.

Cliff sighed; there was no good way to enter into this conversation. He unconsciously fiddled with the shades, scratched at his ears that were, for once, clear of the chunky earrings he hoped were in his bedroom.]

...What, there's another guy who'd come to you like this?

[Fayt musters a small smile in response to Cliff's casualness, setting the paper wrapped sandwich down on his side table as he shakes his head.] Not really. Albel doesn't knock, he just breaks in.

[He pushes himself off the bed, looking tired and, though it might not have been apparent to anyone but Cliff, a little uncertain. It wasn't every day someone died protecting you.... and then came back afterwards, and he was at a loss when it came to what to say.

What could he say, to make up for something like this?]

Welcome back.

[The sun was too bright. Rubbing his eyes with the back of a big hand in an attempt to clear them of sleep, Cliff blearily looked up when he heard that familiar voice.]

...Souji.

[There wasn't any question-- he would recognize that boyish voice no matter the distance that separated them. Cliff shook his head with a huff, giving up on trying to force his vision to focus for the moment, and found himself smiling wryly over the familiarity of this.]

Yanno, this is almost like deja-vu. I had a dream that was similar to this last fall-- where are we?

[It was easier to practice maneuvering at night. The sun wasn't threatening to blind him with his every movement, and the streets were less crowded. But, while he didn't need to worry about accidentally tripping over anyone, he still wanted some space to himself in the bar that evening-- just in case.

He was in the middle of his second beer for the night when Rei came up to him on his blind side. Setting his glass down, he shifted position to look at her fully.

She seemed well, but the crutches did bring up a few questions.

...he hoped that she hadn't figured out too much about his current predicament already.]

It's good to see you too, Rei. I'm glad you're alright!

[She looks down at her leg and then back up at him, an amused smile flickering across her face. Was he really that thick? Thinking she hadn't worked it out?

Honestly, Cliff...]

And I'm glad you're back.

[There's a dangerous glint in her eyes at she casually picks up the crutch.]

Fayt-kun helped me out. My leg's just sprained now, but it was in much worse shape.

[He wasn't an illusion or a hallucination, and in fact, he looked completely normal albeit sleepy. Souji felt the tension drain from his shoulders bit by bit as he moved back to the bed, tucking his legs under himself. He was shaking his head like he had something in his eyes besides the usual sleepiness.]

I didn't realize you dreamt of being in bed with me already.

[Souji motioned to the cover Cliff had thrown off when he sat up.]

This is my room.

[Regardless of the impossible odds, Cliff was grateful to have this chance. It was more than some of the men and women who worked under Quark had gotten. It was more than Commodore Whitcombe and the crew of the Aquaelie had gotten.

...It was more than what Dr. Robert Leingod had gotten.

Cliff took a few steps toward his companion, groping around for something-- anything that would break the awkward tension in the air...]

Thanks, it's good to be back.

[He stopped, and took a deep breath.]

Fayt, I--

[...

...there really was nothing that he could say.]

Yeah, well...

[That little gleam in her dark eyes raised he hair on the back of his neck. The other women in his life had adopted similar looks on occassion, and those instances rarely meant anything good for him.]

Just a sprain, huh? You got someone to use some healing spell on you?

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?

--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.

[He chuckled softly at the small jab Souji had made with his words.]

Not like that, [he said, grinning in boyish chagrin.] It was actually more similar to all of this...

[Blinking, he found that his vision had cleared somewhat. Something was still off but he could function like this until he figured out what the problem was.

Cliff pulled at the cover, bringing the warm fabric closer to the both of them, hopefully covering the thin white trousers he was wearing in the process.]

I just never talked about it 'cause it seemed weird, [Cliff added, returning his gaze to his companion.] That's all.

Edited 2014-06-03 04:37 (UTC)

[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)

--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.

[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.

[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.

[Ion hadn't heard it directly, but it had been easy enough to figure out who was lost during the draft. And even though the battle had ended, he knew it wouldn't really feel like it was over until everyone was back in the village again. He was still waiting to hear from some people, but even still, hearing Cliff's voice was such a relief that he practically speaks without thinking.]

Cliff, thank goodness! Are you... all right? [It was a weird question to ask someone who died. Which he only seems to catch halfway through asking it, oops.]

[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.

[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?

[It was an odd question-- one that caught Cliff off guard, and had him scrambling back to his composure. He was hoping that too many people hadn't figured it out...but, Luceti was a small community. He had a hunch that he could bet on word travelling.]

I'm alive[It was a joke...but, it was also a very silly question.]

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.

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