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

[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. ]

...

2/2

[leatherdaddy]

[ Gladio sighs. ]

You're right. I don't have confidence that I can do this alone. It's why I reached out.

[ A pause filled only with the creak of leather as Gladio balls his hands into fists and then relaxes them again. ]

...You tellin' me I got a reason to snatch my hand back?

[eyeforaneye]

Maybe my answer was too broad in regards to what you were looking for. [ He has a penchant for philosophical ramblings, however, something he could say he picked up from his older brother. Itachi would've worded it more gracefully, probably. ]

I'll just blame you for not being specific enough. [ This is said less seriously, at least, another hint of what little sense of humor he possesses. ] Are you asking me if you can trust me, or us?

[leatherdaddy]

[ He watches the fire for a moment, considering his words. He's come to find, particularly with guarded types like Cor, that he has to choose his words wisely while keeping an open mind. It's... really complicated, so Gladio takes his time in formulating an answer. ]

Obviously, I can't ask you to speak for the group.

[ He doesn't make it clear whose blame that lies upon. And in all fairness? Tonight alone made it abundantly clear that blame could fall on anyone this night. ]

...I'll settle for your opinion on the people I've chosen for those mission.

Myself included.

[eyeforaneye]

[ And now he wants his opinion? This gets more and more unexpected, with Sasuke feeling idly for the weapons pouch on his thigh in order to withdraw a kunai, looking to fill his hand. He's antsy; the mood itself is relaxed but the conversation has veered too much back and forth. ]

Sans is the type that doesn't stop speaking, but he's sharp. I think he's hiding something behind his jokes. Eichi is similar, though in place of jokes he has his flowy speech. He's too focused on crafting his outer exterior; someone that obsessed with control lacks stability.

Reaper makes himself intentionally difficult to get close to, the personality of someone that's been betrayed before. He's the kind of person I understand, so I'd be less concerned about him plotting anything; he'll stab you in the front, not the back. Suigetsu is the same way, but for different reasons that are his own to disclose. His ambitions don't involve hurting others unless they get in his way, he just enjoys killing for its own sake.

As for you... You seem at ease with yourself, personable and talkative, but the questions you're asking me make me believe you're out of your depth here. I couldn't say if it's due to being brought to this dimension unexpectedly or it's something else you've been going through recently, but you're not as stupid as you seem. You just seem like the type who'll get himself hurt quickly anyway.

1/3

[leatherdaddy]

[ Don't worry, Sasuke. You're not the only one he's asking. This game alone has been an eye-opening encounter, and Gladio's already thinking he misses his support from home - here he's got no intel, no maps or dossiers or news, nothing to help him stay informed as to the threats to his King.

Sans, yeah. The dumpy skeleton struck him as easy with a joke - often bad ones at that, but seemed harmless enough for a monster. But maybe there's something else too...

But Sans or Eichi lacking stability though? That has the man flattening his mouth to a firm line of skepticism. Suigetsu seems more like the unstable sort, but hey - he asked. ]

[leatherdaddy]

[ Gladio begins to nod slightly at the mention of Reaper's prickly exterior. That much is obvious. And he has to hand it to him, Suigetsu seems to lack subtlety for sure. But Sasuke has lined them all - himself included - up behind Reaper... and his enjoyment of killing.

Yikes. ]

...

[leatherdaddy]

[ HEY EXCUSE YOU ASSHOLE ]

-- 'stupid as you seem'? [ Did he just get called stupid-looking? THIS GUY... ]

Do you seriously take me for some kind of wet behind the ears rookie?

1/3

[eyeforaneye]