April Catch-All

[leatherdaddy]

who: Gladio and a lot of scrawny dudes YOU
what: Two missions, and a whole lot of bad decisions social interactions
when: April catch-all means... all of April!
where: Various
warnings: Warnings will be in subject lines!




Mission: Brownout (closed to Reaper, Sans, McCree, Gladio)

Mission: How to Train Your... (closed to Gladio, Sans, Gooeygetsu, Eichi, Sasuke, McCree)

I Never (closed to mission-goers; tag in with your I, Never and threadjack away!)
 
Training Sessions (OTA who wants to play out survival, weapons training, etc)

Comments

[bone_idle]

Welp.

[ Sans starts to get to his feet, shaking out his hoodie and pushing first one arm through it and then the other.

Y'know. For effect. ]

This is my cue to leave.

[finethanks]

[WHAT IS HAPPENING... He practically jumps to his feet in turn, very clearly swaying before he reaches for Gladio's arm to give him a tug back down.]

Wait, wait, is this really something you should be jumping to? It must be that your head isn't clear, so you should sit back down...

[He's flustered about nudity, ok!!]

[leatherdaddy]

[ ... ]

[leatherdaddy]

[ Gladio bursts out laughing after what is FAR too much solemn silence, heavy with anticipation and anxiety. ]

You should have seen the looks on your faces!! Pfffhahaha!!

[ He wasn't serious after all. ]

[finethanks]

[...Gladio u punk.

Eichi sighs and his shoulders droop a little, and both of his hands clap lightly over his own chest. He sways a tiny bit more.]

I nearly had a heart attack just now, so I hope you're satisfied.

1/2

[liquidate]

2/2

[liquidate]

So you're not gonna show us at all...

(stares up into the night sky, dejected.)

[eyeforaneye]

...

This has been too much upset over something as simple as a naked man. [ Really, Eichi. Really. ]

[leatherdaddy]

O-oi, what's with the mood plummet all of the sudden?

[ What is this tension in the air? ]

Sassy, get him to snap out of it.

[eyeforaneye]

[ ... ]

That's not my job. Giving me orders isn't your job, either.

[leatherdaddy]

[ Gladio makes a small exhale through his nose. ]

Easy, it's a suggestion. [ Didn't he say they were teammates? ] It's only because anyone can see he holds you in high regard.

Can I rely on you to help keep this from getting out of hand?

[eyeforaneye]

[ That's a question he didn't expect to hear. Rely on him? Sasuke's accustomed to being treated as a last resort option, not as someone particularly trustworthy. ]

... no one else would be as well-suited to dealing with him if it becomes serious. [ An almost reluctant concession of Gladio's point. ] I'll handle it.

[leatherdaddy]

[ Gladio doesn't have any friends from home here. He's alone. It means he's got to make it work. You don't just get there by shutting yourself away and not taking risks.

Gladio nods slowly, and knows it was the right call. These guys clearly have history, he doesn't stand a chance getting through to Suigetsu. ]

Thanks, Sasuke.

[eyeforaneye]

[ He straightens up with a shift of his cloak to draw it further over the sleeve knotted just beneath his left shoulder, the place where a missing limb should be. ]

Don't be that quick to thank me. Why did you choose to invite so many people out here for this?

[leatherdaddy]

Not much for crowds, huh? [ Gladio watches him shift his cloak about him, but to him it simply looks like a subconscious move to protect himself... or maybe just to keep out the chill in the air. Perhaps both. ]

...It was recommended by the Perimeter Guard. [ Gladio sits down in his chair, leaning with elbows on his knees. ] Apparently the area is particularly dangerous.

Besides, I wanted to make sure we didn't return empty-handed.

[eyeforaneye]

[ He leaves the first question unanswered, either because he doesn't want to admit to anything or because it's obvious what his response would be anyway. At the reply, however, there's the barest lift of an eyebrow, head cocking. ]

That makes it sound as if you don't have confidence in your own abilities.

Do you work for the guard?

[leatherdaddy]

[ His shoulders shake once as he huffs a laugh. Confidence? Yeah... maybe he does lack it from time to time, but he thinks he's doing pretty well lately. Even if he is a Shield without a King. But that's not the point he's trying to make. ]

Where I'm from, you ask the locals for their advice.

[ Gladio inclines his head toward Sasuke, his mouth turning at the corner in a smile. ]

Not directly. I'm an independent contractor these days.

[eyeforaneye]

And so you inferred from the "locals" that your best chances would be achieved with those here? [ There's something knowing about this line of questioning. Half of this group is incompetent, in other words, and he wants to make sure Gladio is well aware of that fact. ]

... either way, our situations are similar then. I was offered a position with them and chose to turn it down.

[leatherdaddy]

[ Another laugh, this guy reminds him of Noct in all his dour, judgmental glory. ]

Nah, I just took you all for your word. [ Did you think he had the locals -- or Perimeter Guard, as the case would have it -- check up on each volunteer? The thought hadn't occurred to him. ] Is that such a bad thing?

...What were your reasons? Not tryin' to pry, but caution ain't exactly a bad thing.

[eyeforaneye]

It's a bad thing. [ PESSIMIST ]

And my reasons aren't something I mind sharing. I'm not interested in conforming to the rules of an organization I know nothing about in order to do what I think is right. I'll act on my own.

[leatherdaddy]

[ Gladio knows better than to shrug, keeps his expression neutral. He doesn't think either is wrong, but he's just... not that kind of guy. Not in this case, anyway. Catch him dealing with Niffs? Whole different matter entirely. ]

Not a bad tactic. [ This has been an eye-opening trip, and not just for Gladio. Despite his joviality earlier, the game was a verbal jousting match - he swears he's seen them all take a turn trying to find the chink in their opponents' armor. It heightens the Shield's sense of being an outsider. ]

There's something to be said of being cautious, but then again... there's something to be gained by having someone else stick their neck out for you, am I right?

[eyeforaneye]

[ Silence reigns for a moment or two as Sasuke's gaze actually softens, eyeing Gladio for a moment or two longer before focusing on crackling flames. ]

So that's what kind of man you are. [ He hoists himself up onto his feet just to secure another log from their small gathered pile just a few feet away, effortlessly tossing it onto the fire to feed it before he's sitting back down. ]

Yes, you're right. When you find someone you understand, and that understands you. Trust comes at different levels of ease for different people... and you sound like someone who hasn't needed to question those next to you before.

[leatherdaddy]

Is that what you think?

[ That's not so, but Gladio doesn't feel the need to correct him. Instead he thinks on it, watches the fresh log crackle against the fire before he straightens up in his chair, watches the sparks fly up into the sky to join the other points of light above.

Those lights aren't there in his world, not anymore. Just looking at him reminds him of who he really is. ]

Question for you.

...If you reach out to someone, what's worse? To have reached out and lost your hand, or to have never offered it in the first place?

[eyeforaneye]

Hah. [ The uncharacteristic huff of quietly wry amusement is fast bitten back, Sasuke's head shaking. ]

What a question... It all depends on what you'd label "worse". One is more painful than the other, even if loneliness and distrust can feel like a more crushing weight. However...

People aren't meant to be on their own. If you cut yourself off from everyone because you're fearful, you'll lose sight of yourself. That erosion of your former morality and goals can ultimately do more harm than a betrayal by someone else. That's you betraying yourself.

1/2

[leatherdaddy]

Let me clarify for ya. I don't think there's really a right or wrong answer.

[ It's really about what kind of man you are. Gladio, for example... he's the kind of man who knows his place in the universe -- or did -- and had accepted it. Not everyone has that kind of reassurance (or restriction, depending on what angle you view it from).

What Sasuke says next has Gladio staring with amber eyes wide, a sound caught in his throat. ]

...