Make my way back home

[palehornedprince]

Their foray into the Vile Peaks had been fruitful and frustrating at the same time. Yylfordt had got the time the day after their encounter with the stupidly overpowered-for-what-it-was Hollow to go and mooch among the old ruins left there. He'd wanted to bring back a lot more than he'd been able to, in the end, partly because of the bulk of things. He'd got some very flat looks when he'd suggested just leaving some people behind so there was more room on the Ragnarok; fortunately, they'd known he was joking.

Or had thought he was, anyway.

They'd brought back what they could, and Even and his scary Aeon level ice powers had gone off to his laboratory, and Nel had gone back to doing whatever she did all day, and Yylfordt, Apache, Tayuya, Kadaj, and Grimmjow had been left to their usual devices again.

They'd got bored after two days, and Yylfordt had got round to wiring up their coffee machine. He'd been tempted to just steal it and wire it up in his workshop and then lord it over Szayel that he had one, but he hadn't wanted to annoy Apache and Grimmjow any more than he usually did by existing, so he was working on connecting in to the Palace's electrics, and running a cable to the Sunhouse.

Which was about when he'd decided he could really do with some more insulated wire, and connector pins, and another socket adapter wouldn't go amiss, really. He had things, of course, he was Al Bhed, he'd never not have things. But that was why he needed more things, because if he used these things then he'd be running low, and something about machina and the associated gidgets and gadgets brought out the hoarder in him. He could never allow himself to get down to his last thing, because then what if he needed to use that, and ended up with no things?

He'd got some funny looks when he'd tried to explain his reasoning for wanting to trip into Rabanastre, just to pick up some basics, even though he already had the basics. It was only Rabanastre, and it would only be a day. They'd proven they could go out and come back without getting in trouble. Anyway Nel had apparently told Aizen she'd been impressed with Grimmjow's leadership ability while she was out with them.

They'd been allowed to go to Rabanastre. It was only a short hop of a journey, a shorter hop than Nel usually made to get groceries, which was probably some of the reason they'd been allowed to make it. The Arrancar overall were being given that little bit more freedom, one outing at a time.

The girls had come, because Tayuya and Apache jumped at any chance to get out. Yylfordt had, if he was honest, taken a bit of pride in showing Apache around the Al Bhed quarter. Then he'd burned with jealousy when he'd seen Kadaj give an absently friendly wave to a cute Al Bhed girl in folded down dungarees and a bra, working in the Rockbell repair shop, and getting it returned cheerily. He'd been even more jealous when Kadaj, after being asked, had said simply that she was Winry, which caused a minor meltdown on Yylfordt's part.

He'd not been allowed to backtrack and talk to her, though, as much as he'd wanted to. Kadaj had refused to take him back and introduce him, too, on the grounds that they weren't here for long enough for Yylfordt to fanboy the Rockbells.

"Bro, can't we just--?" He asked again, as they were leaving. The intention was to get something to eat, but Rabanastre Al Bhed food was a little too authentic for some. You had to go to the peripheries if you wanted something everyone found palatable, funny as it would be to try and get Kadaj or Apache to try Desert Oysters.

Comments

[innatelunacy]

Saix had, despite the current situation, felt a little bubble of smug satisfaction arise when Apache had referred to him as the 'hot Selkie'. It had come out of him in a predatory smirk when she'd amended that assessment only to remove the 'Selkie' aspect.

Then the Al Bhed had started talking, loudly, most of it in rapid Al Bhed. Saix had never paid him much heed before; he wasn't on Grimmjow's level, and Saix tended to dismiss him as a potential threat.

He still didn't see him as one. Which was why, when he caught a particular word in the Al Bhed's tirade, he said, firmly, "Watch your language."

He liked Apache. They'd had a good night together, and there was no need to be using words like that about her.

[jawmask]

Grimmjow had half expected him to go for Saix and was slightly relieved when he hadn't. Instead, he'd opted to make a scene, loudly, in a language that was widely spoken by the general population of both the city and the country the city happened to be located in.

He turned to Yylfordt, eyes narrowed, looking more annoyed at him than he did at their favourite enemies.

"Watch your mouth," he snapped, at almost exactly the same time as Saix did.

It had grated on him when he'd berated Apache for what had happened in the immediate aftermath of it and he wasn't going to let him start over now, just because he happened to have found out the unfortunate identity of the "Selkie" it had been.

[cierva]

Apache stood, quite dumbfounded, at Yylfordt's outburst. He'd been annoyed before, but he'd seemed to have gotten over it, but now he was starting this again, just because she now knew who the "Selkie" was? How the hell was that her fault?

She folded her arms, glaring, but her expression softened somewhat when both Saix and Grimmjow gave him a brief yelling at.

[gotitmemorised]

"Whoa whoa whoa," Lea said, holding up his hands as the Summoner got a bit aggressive about the potential for a fight. "I don't want to fight anyone."

He'd join in a fight to defend his friends, but he wasn't about to try and make enemies of his own on the opposing side. As far as he was concerned, their feud with Saix was pre-existing. He didn't have a quarrel with them, no matter what went down in a battle.

[raindownhell]

"Maybe everybody should calm down a bit," Fang said, stepping forward with the rest of them and speaking up.

She, of all of them, had no history at all. She didn't know what they were fighting over or what had come before. She certainly didn't want to inherit any long-standing enmity just by association.

[joinmyreunion]

"You need to learn to lose a fight better, Tayuya," Kadaj said, with a sigh. She'd always been a bad loser, and Kadaj didn't doubt that was at least half of what was behind this, now.

That and a few other things. Tayuya didn't like getting emotional, she didn't do well with affection, and her idea of friendliness was picking on you and the occasional punch. Seeing Grimmjow come away from scraps with the berserker sucked. It bothered Kadaj, and Kadaj knew it had to bother Tayuya as well.

Kadaj was responding to it by deciding enough was enough, and that he wasn't going to bring fights on them if he didn't have to. Coming back home to find Grimmjow had a massive scar across his chest now had shocked him, and he didn't want Grimmjow to go picking up any more if it could be helped. Tayuya, conversely, had apparently decided that she was going to help prevent Grimmjow getting hurt again by trying to kill people before they got the chance.

It was counterproductive at best.

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya nearly spat with indignation. "You weren't there," she hissed at Kadaj. "You'd fucked off to go and befriend the fucking Ryoka that are trying to kill us, so go fuck yourself trying to tell me to lose better."

She was seething. Kadaj had gone on his grand gallivant, without so much as a word, and they'd been hurt, and she could have just told them to leave that last time and she hadn't and Grimmjow had ended up with a massive scar. She was supposed to be the tactical one, and she'd miscalculated, and if Kadaj had fucking been there, it wouldn't have gone down that way.

She turned to look at Fang when she came, sticking her oar in. "Who the fuck are you?" She asked. They'd never seen this one before.

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt glowered at Grimmjow, but he wasn't out to pick a fight with his mate.

The berserker, on the other hand, was one of the two people he was most pissed with right now.

"You butt the fuck out," he snapped, pointing at the berserker, aggressively. "Just because you dicked her doesn't mean you get to interfere now." She was his damned Fraccion, after all.

Fuck, his Fraccion had shagged an enemy Ryoka. That was embarrassing.

[innatelunacy]

A number of remarks came to Saix's mind. Among them was the statement that he'd done rather more than merely 'dick' her, but that was too crude to make it past his teeth. He considered telling this Al Bhed that unless Apache was supposed to be exclusively sleeping with him, it was none of his business who she did sleep with, but that would only exacerbate the situation.

"You're right," he said, after a second to consider his options. "If anyone should punch you for that comment, it should be her." He glanced back towards Apache as he spoke, a flicker of amusement twitching the corner of his mouth upwards.

If she anything like the person he'd met that night, she was more than capable of handling this idiot herself. She was feisty, and stronger than she'd looked.

He had fond memories of that night.

[raindownhell]

Fang looked down at Tayuya. She didn't look aggressive, but her resting expression was definitely that of somebody you didn't typically mess with. The scars and undeniable battle-hardened look helped, of course.

"Fang," she said. "I have no idea who any of you are, but none of you look quite daft enough to pick a fight in the middle of a city, no matter what history you have."

She wasn't being entirely truthful, of course. The girl she was addressing looked more than ready to start a fight and the Al Bhed looked almost as furious as his ... girlfriend? But even so, calling people idiots to their faces only exacerbated situations.

[gotitmemorised]

"It's not like I wanted to inherit an argument with any of you," Lea said, mentally blaming Vexen for the problems almost more than Saix. It was easier. He had to spend time with Saix, he didn't have to ever see Vexen again and he didn't like him anyway.

Vaguely, he wondered what had become of him and where he'd gone, but he didn't dwell on it. The situation at hand was more of an immediate concern.

"But obviously I was going to fight back," he pointed out.

[jawmask]

Grimmjow, despite himself, agreed wholeheartedly with the Berserker on the matter. Apache did have every right to smack him if she wanted to. He was still surprised she hadn't done it last time, when he'd first made the matter of Apache's sex life his own problem.

"It's nothing to do with you, man," he said, addressing his friend instead of his enemy. "She can do what she wants, with who she wants. It ain't like she knew who he was."

[cierva]

"I don't even know what he said," Apache pointed out, giving a shrug, but still looking furious at Yylfordt's presumption. "Don't speak Al Bhed."

What he'd said afterwards, in the Common language, she'd understood though and, as Saix suggested, she was rather tempted to give him a smack.

"But if you say shit like that again, Yylfordt," she snarled, rounding on him, "I will smack you because I'm sick of your jealous, petty bullshit."

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj looked at Lea, and then at Fang, who he was currently having a hard time not mentally calling 'Ryoka Nel'. She reminded him very strongly of Nel, right down to the no nonsense attitude, and the weird sense that, even though she showed no outward signs of it, she could kick your ass if she wanted to. She might not even be a Ryoka, he had to remind himself. They hadn't seen her before, she might just be someone they'd met.

But she was still slotting into the 'Ryoka Nel' slot in Kadaj's brain.

"This all started because we got hurt, and Grimmjow lost it," he said, looking at Tayuya. "Our fight isn't with them," he waved a hand towards Lea, Fang, and Aerith. "It's never even been our fight, we've just tagged along. It's always been about Grimmjow and Saix. Whoever Saix is with, against whoever Grimmjow is with," he frowned, and shrugged, "we're all just looking out for our friends. And unless it's to protect you, I'm not going to fight them now."

He put his hand on Souba's hilt again, looking down at the zanpakuto with a frown. "I'm sick of the people I care about getting hurt because none of you know when to walk away instead."

[soundfivebitch]

"That is some seriously pussy sentimental bullshit, Kadaj," Tayuya snapped, and she glowered at him, and then Lea, and then Fang.

"But you're right about fighting in a city," she admitted, snappily. They had attracted too much attention for her to consider their options, now.

"But just so you know," she hissed, taking a step closer to Lea and pointing at him as if she might stick her finger straight through his throat, "I can fuck you up without spilling a drop of blood, and if you or your blue haired dickhead friend over there come after any of us again, that's exactly what I'll fucking do."

[innatelunacy]

Saix couldn't help the rise of an eyebrow as he listened to Grimmjow, and Apache, give the Al Bhed a dressing down.

"So he's not your boyfriend?" Saix asked, looking at Apache.

He hadn't been sure, mostly because of the immediate reaction, and the aggressive nature of Yylfordt's response to finding out Apache and he had slept together. On the other hand, he also had slightly more respect for Apache than to think she'd date, or even sleep with, anyone that spoke to or about her like that.

He could only conclude that Yylfordt was either a bitter ex, for good reason, or desperately wanted to be her boyfriend.

[palehornedprince]

"Like vilg am I her boyfriend," Yylfordt snapped, even though Saix hadn't been talking to him.

He turned to Grimmjow, still very, very pissed. "Cra'c so vilgeh' Fraccion pnu, yht cra cmabd fedr dra ahaso. Medanymmo. Cra haatc du gaab ran vilgehk makc lmucat."

And she'd gone and brushed it off when he'd been annoyed then. Well the joke was on her, because she'd gone and fucked a Ryoka. That shit was why you didn't sleep around with people you didn't know.

[gotitmemorised]

"Look," Lea said, looking down at Tayuya with a weary look on his face. "The only reason we ended up in a fight with you last time was because we didn't want you coming after us. I got the impression you always wanted to pick a fight, so it was safer to meet you head on than turn our backs on you and give you the advantage."

He put his hands on his hips. He didn't doubt that the girl was dangerous, she did have a knack when it came to Saboteur tier spells, but he also got the feeling that most of her posturing was mostly bravado. Even Saix and their blue-haired idiot didn't seem interested in starting a fight at the moment.

"I'm happy to never fight any of you again," he said, entirely truthfully. "I don't care what went on with you in the past, that isn't my fight unless you make it my fight, got it memorised?"

[raindownhell]

Fang, upon listening to Kadaj, decided she liked him. He spoke sense when it came to the apparently ongoing enmity between the two sides and what he said explained a lot about what had lead up to this point.

Evidently the group had gone through a few additions and subtractions between the initial starting point and their current state, but the feud had been passed on because the friends of either instigator joined in when they did. It was obviously a good thing that somebody was finally trying to put a stop to that nonsense.

"Well," she said, looking at Kadaj more than Tayuya, "at least somebody here has his head screwed on right."

[jawmask]

"Aqlabd cra teth'd ghuf dryd, palyica oui hajan duug ran fedr ic frah fa fahd uid." He pointed out, giving Yylfordt a bit of a Look. "Ruf dra ramm fyc cra cibbucat du ghuf fru ra fyc? Ed yeh'd mega sa yht res yna dra uhmo pmia-ryenat yccrumac uid eh dra funmt, syh. Mayja ran ymuha, cra lyh vilg fru cra fyhdc."

He was getting sick of Yylfordt acting like he could control what Apache did with herself while simultaneously and vehemently denying any attraction to her whatsoever. It didn't make sense to him and it pissed him off. Either he wanted her, or not.

[cierva]

"No," she said, folding her arms and rolling her eyes at the renewed wave of unintelligible Al Bhed that erupted from her bickering team mates. "He likes to go out of his way to point out how unattractive Hume chicks are pretty often."

Unless they were scantily clad and blonde, Yylfordt apparently had no interest in them. What was it he'd said..? That she can't have been the only one who was hammered? If that was the case, she didn't see why he got so fucking jealous all the time.

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj looked at Fang. He hadn't been expecting a compliment. He'd expected Tayuya to call him a wuss, in her own way, but he hadn't expected anyone to comment positively on what was, he had to admit, a slightly sappy point of view.

He really hoped he wasn't blushing when he looked away again, unable to say anything because 'thanks' sounded wrong.

[soundfivebitch]

"Then keep your blue haired dickhead under control," she said. She failed to add that they'd have to keep theirs under control. She didn't know how easy that would be.

Weirdly, right now, him and the berserker seemed to have found some common ground in calling Yylfordt out on his bullshit.

"Ugh," she groaned, "I can't believe Apache fucked him." And given him a good review, too. That was all manner of horrifying.

She rubbed her face with one hand, trying to scrub out the thought of it.

[hearstheplanet]

Aerith had let the more combative ones do the talking up to now. She came forward now, smiling at Kadaj, but addressing him and Tayuya.

"Saix is a bit of a law unto himself," she said, and it was true. If he really wanted to fight, she doubted any of them would be able to stop him. It was scary just how much he seemed to enjoy it. "But I don't think even he wants to keep fighting like this." The last fights had scared him. He'd nearly lost Lea in them, and if she hadn't been able to step in with Great Gospel, he would have done.

"Truce?" She asked, holding her hand out to Kadaj, and giving him a small smile of encouragement.

[palehornedprince]

Yylfordt hissed in rapid Al Bhed at Grimmjow. "Cra lyh'd, palyica dra kio cra ybbynahdmo fyhdc du vilg ev dra pycdynt dryd dneac du gemm oui ajano desa oui saad."

He eyed Saix, still angry at that bastard's continued existence. "Ev ra't ghufh fru cra vilgehk fyc..." He began, and then trailed off, snorting. "Ev cra't pudranat du ghuf fru ra fyc fa fuimth'd ajah pa ryjehk drec luhjancydeuh."