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Author Topic: ABS FIESTA REDUX  (Read 1210641 times)

Gus is quiet again. He watches his breath condense in the frigid air again before replying stiffly.

"I appreciate you telling me now. I wouldn't have wanted to learn later."

He stops walking and rubs his gloved hands together again, leave on his mind. Easier to stay silent. Walking for a little while longer will be nice.

"I'm not going to get between you and whoever else. It's not healthy and won't lead to anything good."

What he said and what he thinks differ despite a tone of finality.

Cualli stops with Gus, turning to face him. "You aren't getting between anything," she assures him. "Trust me. And I don't want this to come between your and my friendship."

Her eyes are intent on something about him, but she keeps quiet as to what. They're standing close, Cualli notes somewhere in the back of her mind. At the front of her mind, she mentally kicks herself again for ending up in this situation. She'd love to just reach out grab him and lean forward a bit and--

Her cheeks flush slightly despite the cold, and Cualli tries to tear herself away from those thoughts. Gods, she was a mess.

"What are your plans for leave?" she asks, still gazing at him.

Gus nearly laughs, remembering having heard - and said - the same statement near verbatim. Memories of his life before the war, distant now, come flooding back. He simply shakes his head.

"I have Yui and Caesar's funerals to attend," he says after a moment. "Then back home, maybe, to Havnenfjord."
« Last Edit: February 28, 2017, 04:45:10 PM by CypherX »

Cualli thinks back to the planes not coming back into the hangar. "Oh," she says quietly. She didn't know the pilots, of course, but she kept track of what came back and what didn't.

She gives a shiver. "Arkhip asked me to go out to Moratov with him. But if it's colder than this up there, I think I might end up freezing to death," she grins, pulling the bottom part of her face out of the collar of her jacket. "I don't know when we're leaving. I haven't talked to Arkhip since we landed. But I'll tell you when I find out."

The sky was growing darker. "We should head back," Cualli says. "We're a ways out and it'll be fully night by the time we get back, probably."

She starts to turn to head back to the base and stops. Again she looks at Gus' face. "Oh. In case I don't get to see you before I leave for some reason..." She hesitates. Was she going to regret this? Was this going to put her in an even worse situation than she was now? Gods, she hoped she wasn't going to get written up. She was taking too many risks lately.

She shuts up her internal monologue and puts a hand on Gus' shoulder, leaning in quickly. It looks at first as if she were going for the mouth, but instead Cualli plants a peck on his cheek. "Just in case," she says softly, her hand lingering on his shoulder.

I'll find out soon how much my impulsiveness is going to come back to bite me in the ass, I guess.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2017, 05:38:08 PM by carolcat »

The "whoever" evaporates at the sound of the masked Djuriskas pilot's name. Gus looks around the near featureless tundra blankly.

He turns to head back to the barracks with Cualli, but stops abruptly when her hand touches his shoulder and she leans in to kiss him. The two stand quietly for a moment before he collects his thoughts and gives a small sigh. "In case I don't see you." A dagger for the road, more like.

He nods towards the lights of the barracks, weariness from earlier in the day coming back all at once.

"We need to get back before they lock us out."
« Last Edit: February 28, 2017, 03:31:40 AM by CypherX »

She nods, a little disappointed that all she got out of the gesture was a sigh. "Yeah." Her hand on his shoulder trails down his arm briefly before returning to her pockets.

Her flashlight gets pulled out and switched on, casting a circle of light on the ground. She starts to walk back to the base. "You aren't mad, are you?" She asks after a long period of silence. "About... this whole ordeal? I mean... really, you have every reason to be, but..." She trails off, glancing at him nervously.
« Last Edit: February 28, 2017, 06:36:40 AM by carolcat »

"How can I be mad at the truth?" Gus asks rhetorically, quoting a philosophy principle he learned once. He doesn't elaborate for a moment, torn between explanation and silence.

"Cualli, I think you misunderstand me. I truly mean I won't get between anything because that's not what I want. I don't think less of you,-"

He rubs his gloved hands and takes a moment to gather his thoughts, sighing.

"I am 31 years old- nearly 32. I have been fighting this war for two years. I've seen enough for several lifetimes, let alone this one. I want nothing more than for this all to end, to head back home, start a family and live out the rest of my life in peace. I-,"

He goes quiet again to consider his position now. The cold north Aesthian air seems fitting, and he speaks again softly.

"Commitment is an unsure thing, our jobs considered. You are a remarkable person and I only want the best for you. But-," he turns to look into her eyes, "I'm not going between you and him."

Gus stands open and vulnerable in the near-empty airfield, feeling smaller than he ever had before. The cold never bothered him until now, and he shivers.

She listens to him, relieved that he at least isn't angry with her for letting him down like she did. The mention of wanting to start a family digs at her, though.

"I'm afraid I wouldn't be the best person to get committed to if a family is what you want," she says softly, sadness in her voice.

Commitment really is an unsure thing, she thinks to herself. I don't know how I'd react if Arkhip didn't come back after a mission, and now Gus. The sad expression on her face grows as she runs the thought through her head. She didn't want to lose anyone, but she feared that it was bound to happen eventually.

She buries part of her face in her coat collar again, muffling her chattering teeth. "For everyone's sake, I hope it's over soon."

"That's not what I meant," Gus says softly.

His reflections during his time down in Svirask come to mind. He rubs the large scar across his abdomen, remembering the fiery ejection from the plane.

"The sooner the better," he agrees quietly.
« Last Edit: February 28, 2017, 10:15:56 AM by CypherX »

She blinks and looks quickly at him when she hears his words. "You don't want...?" Cualli's voice trails and, despite herself, she feels relieved. "Oh. Sorry, I just assume when people talk about starting a family, they mean..." She seems unwilling to finish the thought and watches Gus' hand.

"You look bothered by something," she comments, switching off her flashlight and putting it back into her pocket now that they're in the glow of the lights on the base. Her fingers are cold and stiff despite wearing gloves.

"Oh." Gus stops rubbing the scar and blinks, not realizing he was doing it.

"Thinking about when I was downed in Svirask. Shrapnel from the exit." He rubs his abdomen again and frowns. "Gave me a permanent reminder."

Meanwhile in the recroom, Frisk attempts to get a VCR set up to watch an Imperial motoring show while Eremit starts reading his first letter.

"Who's that?" Jaakko asks.
"I don't know. I'm surprised anyone's alive to send me mail. Maybe Yukamos family."

Tippy inspects the sender's address if there is one

"Oh." Gus stops rubbing the scar and blinks, not realizing he was doing it.

"Thinking about when I was downed in Svirask. Shrapnel from the exit." He rubs his abdomen again and frowns. "Gave me a permanent reminder."
"I bet," she says, picturing what it might look like. "Bet it left a real nice scar."

She stops on front of the doors to the barracks and shivers. "Wish it were warmer out," she sighs. "I would've liked to be able to walk for longer. Can't be as open in the rec room."

Cualli admires his face once more in the dim light before getting the door open and heading for the rec room.

"No such luck this far north," Gus replies. He follows towards the rec room, looking for Jaakko.