lucetilogs | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Fayt Leingod, Albel Nox, and later Cliff Fittir, Okita Souji and Law.
What: A spar gone awry.
When: January 13th, afternoon
Where: Battledome
Summary: Fayt is tired of Albel avoiding them over lingering discomfort from the mistletoe shift, and tries to help him regain a sense of normalcy the only way he knows might work.
Rating: PG-15 for violence and heavy injuries.

Fayt had given it nearly two weeks. Two weeks of Albel sulking around, avoiding so much as talking to him or even looking at him. He'd barely seen the man, and even when he had it had only been for a second or two before Albel darted off.

He wasn't an idiot. That Albel seemed to be avoiding him was obvious enough, and he supposed he should have expected him to react this way-- Fayt had shrugged off the shift just fine, long used to the Malnosso messing with them by now, but Albel obviously didn't know how to. Albel avoided physical and emotional affection like it was the black plague, and shifted or not it had probably made Fayt's presence difficult for him to deal with.

It was more than a little awkward. Albel was eccentrically reactive at the best of times, but Fayt felt bad for making him so uncomfortable, even if it wasn't technically his fault. He had to do something.

A few messages sent Albel's way over the journals to try to smooth things over had gotten no response, though that wasn't surprising. Fayt finally just decided on the direct approach, heading to the battledome where he knew he'd find Albel training more likely than not.

When he finds the room the swordsman is using, he walks right in. There would be no running away this time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Cliff allowed himself to breath as Albel left the room, the tension leaving his form to follow its source, leaving only a certain hollowness of the heart behind.

"You don't have to go," he said, clearly worn down by the whole affair. "But, if that's what you'd prefer, then I won't stop you."

And he wouldn't. Both of the swordsmen were like cats-- they needed their space, and acted of their own accord. It was useless to fight either of them when emotions got in the picture...even if he would have preferred it if the both of them stuck around.

Edited 2014-01-16 15:02 (UTC)

He paused at the door and barely turned his head back toward Cliff, hair falling over his shoulder. He hadn't been certain if Cliff had even wanted him there in the first place. This was obviously a situation he didn't have enough intel on and one which was better left to those who knew each other, histories and camaraderies forged in a place that Souji only knew of in stories. How would he feel if Tetsu had been hurt by one of his own men somehow and Cliff wanted revenge on him?

Then again, the idea that anyone could or would hurt a comrade and friend (besides himself, for which he always considered himself the most dangerous and worthy of the title Wolf and Demon) never would have crossed his mind. It was inconceivable to him that anyone would consciously cause harm to someone with whom they fought side by side. And yet here, it had happened.

He was torn between his anger at being stopped and his worry at Cliff's tone, at just how tired he sounded in just a few moments. When he felt torn was when he shut down the fastest, and rather than react emotionally, he gave Cliff his assessment of what he thought should have happened. Albel the Wicked was a threat - one who could and would harm his friends in a pinch. He was like Souji in a way, and that made him more terrifying than anything or anyone else he had faced in Luceti so far. "I'd prefer to have driven my sword through that man's neck, but I promised you I wouldn't. He nearly killed Fayt-kun and you just let him walk out of here without reprisal. He's dangerous and should be put down. I know - it's what I would do if it had been me."

A nod at those words-- no truer sentiment had been uttered and, if times and situations were different, Cliff knew that he would have at least hospitalized Albel for what had happened. But, unfortunately, the infinite wisdom of space-age politics supported a very different outcome when it was applied to Luceti.

"But it's not you," he said, "and we're not in Japan. You of all people should know how death works around here. If you had killed him today, he would only be back in a week with something missing and more rage than I wanna imagine in it's place. He'd target you, and it'd be a never ending cycle." He shook his head. Clearly, he had given these moral quandaries plenty of thought during the idle moments when he didn't feel like sleeping. Such was the life of a man who had spent over a decade working on the opposition of the dominant political opinion in a galaxy populated by billions.

But, life was different in Luceti. He had forged bonds with people. At the very least, he realized, he owed Souji an explanation. It would pale in comparison to the reality, but there was always the chance that they could face more dangerous trials.

...above all, he didn't want to sacrifice any of his bonds.

"I know it's gonna be hard for you to believe after today, but Fayt really is the only person I've seen Albel show any loyalty too. This is a guy who is Captain as well, with troops following his orders and a chain of command to work with. We fought out there, and it was a bloody mess, so it really is saying something that he dropped everything and jumped off his planet with us.

...Odds are that he's kicking himself for what happened. Considering how he treats everyone? That's gotta be a bigger punishment than death ever could be."

"You say that as if I fear death or being hounded by it." He'd been a hunted man in Kyoto as well, fresh ronin from the countryside were always looking to make a name for themselves by killing the famed first captain of the Shinsengumi. The demon killer was a prime target, second only to the main commanders, and so having a target painted on his back would actually do little to change how he carried himself in Luceti.

It was a strangely normal part of his life that he almost didn't mind having back. At least until he heard Cliff's explanation. If Albel could harm someone he felt loyalty to in such an egregious manner, it had to have been from instinct. Raw, animal instinct and rage that led to this - and suddenly Souji felt an understanding that made him sick to his stomach.

"Then it won't be death that comes for him." He turned his head away again, looking at the blood in the hallway. He had to have dragged Fayt here, to the doctor, brought him in for treatment, waited until Cliff came. "So which will you go after? The bloody or the bloodied?"

"I think you already know my answer," Cliff said after a pause, angling his eyes toward Souji. There was a certain hollowness in the man's tone that he had come to recognize over the weeks, and he knew from that alone that Souji had understood even the words that he didn't say.

He nodded, turning off himself in the opposite direction. "I'll hold you to your word, Souji." He added those words for emphasis-- he knew Souji's ethic's and honor, but he also understood the chaos that could occur when emotions became unhinged. "And I'll be here in the meanwhile.

...Don't worry. You'll be kept in the loop of things."

"..." Be here, where he was needed. Souji would come by later with food and drink, comforts for both Fayt and Cliff as he counted down the minutes and hours to the next day. It wouldn't be long and he knew that Cliff might beat him to it, but Souji would find Albel next and take care of what was necessary.

"This is something among you and yours - just let me know how Fayt-- how he fares." His hand gripped into a ball again, teeth gritting at the thought of Fayt being hurt and there being nothing he could do. "I'll return later with something for both of you - you sound as though you need it as much as he."

Cliff smiled a little at the last comment.

"I'm fine, but I shoulda known a few days ago that this was gonna be a bad week." The incident in the Dome with Vegeta only days before still weighed on his mind, even after he had spoken with both of the parties involved. The metaphorical wall that surrounded the issue kept Cliff out almost entirely...

One of the harder lessons he knew he was going to have to learn was accepting the facts of the world that he simply couldn't change.

"It'll be all right in the end. The tech here is nothin' like what's on the Diplo, but I've seen the inside of it and I'm willing to trust the doctor. That's about all we can do right now. At least until we can go and see him."

'We.' He wasn't certain if that included him or if he meant Albel, but for the moment, he was willing and would have to give the men their space. He'd promised not to kill Albel until later at the very least, but he had an idea of what else he could do to motivate the man.

"I might not know you as well as your comrades, Cliff-san, but you sound terrible. Stay here, wait for the doctor because I know you won't be leaving until you hear from him." Souji slid one foot back and finally turned to look at his friend, carefully keeping his face encouraging rather than as tired and hurt as he felt. Still, no matter how bad he felt, he knew Cliff was worse and so he crossed the distance between them and put a hand on his cheek. "I'll return later with food and drink for you both. Just sit down and rest now."

The pain that lurked underneath the the the strength in Souji's tone was clear by the look in his eyes, but there was nothing Cliff could do about it in that moment. The words that they exchanged would have to suffice for the moment, even if the silences served as a reminder that his time of keeping certain details quiet was nearing an end.

One day he would explain himself in full. One day.

"Thanks," Cliff said, reaching out to ruffle Souji's hair in a quiet show of encouragement and gratitude. "Seriously," he added, "I'm really glad that we found a friend like you."

He simply smiled in response, not really certain if he could call himself a 'friend' so much as a potentially explosive situation at the moment. Cliff was trying his best to smooth the situation out when he was likely the most worried out of all of them. With the smile in place, Souji nodded and took a step back. "Albel has retreated for now - it's unlikely you'll find him again until tomorrow." Until after Souji had his say to the man. "See to Fayt-kun and send me a message when he awakens - I'll bring you both something."

He paused for a moment, wondering if he needed to say anything else, but decided to leave it at that. The implied "take care of him for me" was clear in his body language and he quickly bowed his head before taking his leave.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only