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]

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."

[innatelunacy]

Saix looked at Apache for a moment, and then turned his attention to Yylfordt. His Al Bhed wasn't good enough for him to pick up on the conversation they were having, but he caught the Al Bhed looking at him, poisonously.

Saix came to a decision.

"His loss," he said, taking a couple of steps closer to Apache so he could tilt his head down and tell her in a low, smooth voice, with a flash of predatory fangs, "For what it's worth, I think you're prettier in daylight." He paused for a brief moment to check if the Al Bhed was watching before he leaned in closer to Apache and purred, "Though you looked best sprawled on the bed."

[cierva]

Apache, despite the enmity between her group's leader and Saix, didn't cringe, shy away from him or withdraw at his approach. She stayed exactly where she was, entirely unafraid. He might have had a long-standing argument with Grimmjow, but that didn't extend to her. There was no reason why it should.

When he spoke, she raised her eyebrows and, despite herself, felt her cheeks go a little warm. She knew that it was partly to wind Yylfordt up, but that didn't much matter. It made her feel better, anyway. Ryoka or not, Saix wasn't somebody she regretted.

"Least somebody does," she said, a small grin on her face. "Your pick-up line was still corny, though. Cute, but corny."

[jawmask]

Grimmjow listened to Yylfordt, but watched Said. He didn't expect him to try anything here, but he was still protective over his team-mate, whether she was Yylfordt's Fracción or not.

With the way Yylfordt was being, he wouldn't trust him not to throw her under a bus, regardless of their relationship.

He heard what Saix said, though. With a sigh, he waited for Yylfordt to kick off. All the same, he didn't blame Saix for it. Yylfordt was being an ass.

[gotitmemorised]

It was like Aerith to call truce. The others would grudgingly agree not to try and kill each other, but it seemed right for her to want to make that amnesty official, whether it was temporary or ongoing.

"How's the bike?" He asked, half to alleviate some of the tension.

[raindownhell]

Fang stood and watched the girl, half critically, as Aerith offered truce to her more sensible ally. Lea seemed to get on well enough with him too, so they'd obviously met outside of an antagonistic situation at some point.

She didn't much want her to try anything, but she doubted she would. She was riled by the apparent friendliness between her teammates and some of theirs, but she wasn't foolish enough to cause an actual fight somewhere with guards on hand to put an end to it.

She could understand a long-standing tit-for-tat argument between the two sides, but eventually a time had to come when either somebody was killed or they called an end to it. The latter seemed to be preferred by some who had participated and that was definitely a preferable alternative to losing a friend.

[joinmyreunion]

Kadaj looked at Aerith, and at the hand she offered. He gave a snort of amusement before he took it, agreeing, "Yeah." They shook, which made Kadaj feel silly, and he smiled. He did like Lea, because he'd been friendly, easy company, and Kadaj hadn't met many people up to then that weren't out for favours to be repaid somehow.

He liked Aerith, too. She was pretty, and nice, and she hadn't charged him a total fortune for the flower he'd bought.

"It's fine," he said, and then gestured in Yylfordt's direction. "That's my normal mechanic," he said, and then, more quietly, "maybe I should introduce him to Winry so she can hit him with a wrench." He could certainly do with a smack right now. "Tayuya's my best friend," he pointed at her, by way of introduction, "Apache," he pointed to her, adding, "who Saix seems to know," in both senses of 'know', at that, "and," he hesitated a little before pointing at Grimmjow, "my boyfriend, Grimmjow."

It always felt weird calling him that. He didn't have call to do it often, and he wasn't sure if he was happy for that fact or not.

[hearstheplanet]

Aerith shook hands with Kadaj with a bright smile on her face. Kadaj had some volatile friends, from the look of things. She half wondered why he'd been traveling on his own when they'd met him.

She also still wondered why a self professed Hollow Hunter was hanging around with Arrancar. Let alone dating one.

She turned to Tayuya when Kadaj introduced her, and offered her hand out to her, too. "We don't want to hurt you," she said, when Tayuya eyed her hand with a curl of her upper lip, "and we don't want you to hurt us, either. Please?"

[soundfivebitch]

Tayuya regarded Aerith's hand with disdain, sucking on her cheeks sourly when Aerith spoke. Kadaj had introduced her as his best friend, and that was barely the half of it. She'd been his only real friend for a long time.

She eyed him, and saw the look he gave her that silently pleaded with her to just give him this one. She rolled her eyes and huffed before she snatched Aerith's hand, shook it briefly, and then quickly let go again.

"Whatever," she said, before she rounded on Kadaj. "You fucking owe me," she told him. "Sentimental little fuck."