[ She pouts at him, and he looks back at her surprised. He was being hard on himself again, wasn't he. She points it out so quickly now, and doesn't sugarcoat it with him either. It's...a breath of fresh air. It's what he needs. She's what she needs. Which is why the smile he gives her is both soft yet apologetic. It's true. And just like that, simple words lift him up one more time.
And this time? He's not coming back down. He knows what he needs to do next time. He's going to learn from last time. And the two of them are even better for it. ]
[ It is not bad to be critical of oneself. Ayaka is the same, after all. It is Cloud who always brings her back up whenever she is that way, too. It's only fair that she tries the same thing when she's on the other side of things. ]
Though, if it will make you feel better, it was the only possible shelter we could have had in that area. [ A beat. ] ... even if there wasn't supposed to be any settlements in that area.
We can discuss it further with the guild tomorrow.
Fair enough... Guess that's an offhand compliment to that house. [ He can say that now that the four of them have literally beaten it to splinters. asfdlkj ] It knew how to throw us off.
[ Cloud's closer to the bottle of shampoo and conditioner, and he'd be faster than her so... Reaching back, he grabs both bottles before handing them over to her. ]
[ Oh! Guess this is the sign to get a move on, huh? Ayaka takes the bottles, placing a good amount of shampoo on her hand first before she starts mixing it into her hair. She's going to have to put all of her hair up on top of her head for now, unless she wants to mix it in the bath water already. ]
[ After Ayaka finishes with the shampoo, he'll ask for it back so he can get some scrubbed through his hair too. Nice and soapy and suddy. Which works! That gives the two of them plenty of time for the shampoo to work its magic while they prepare to drain the tub and run hot water for a shower. He may be overtired, but the soak did help rejuvenate him a little. Enough that he can get through this. The second the two are dried off later and see a bed though...all bets might be off. One of them is flopping first.
Until then, he reaches back to pop up the plug for the tub, letting it slowly start to drain.
He shifts from sitting in the tub across her to his knees. He can get up just fine, but he wants to be there for Ayaka more. He won't force her or reach out and grab her, but he's close enough. ]
[ The warm bath was a nice way to relax. She's far too exhausted to do anything else, but it certainly helped soothe some aches and give her just a bit more energy to be able to finish cleaning up.
She pushes herself to get up, but she does hold onto Cloud's arm to make sure she doesn't slip.
When the tub is empty and the shower water's running, she starts to clean her hair. She'd normally offer to wash Cloud's back or something, but they can be cute and romantic another time. She just wants to get clean, wash her hair, soap up and down, and be done with it.
She does, at least, make sure Cloud gets his towel first once everything is said and done. Gotta take care of her beau somehow! ]
[ Yeah, romance is the farthest thing from his mind in this case. While Cloud exercises some bouts of modesty here and there, turning his back to her when it was his turn under the shower head after her. Soaped up, he doesn't even care about styling his hair after. In fact... ]
Thanks.
[ Accepting the towel from his girlfriend, before he can wrap it around his waist, he immediately covers his head with it and starts scrubbing furiously. Every spike. Every strand. From the front. To the back. To the top. The sides. Rolling some of the longer spikes in the towel. For a good minute he does this. By the time he's done and starts wrapping his towel around his waist? ]
There.
[ Oh. ... Oh no. His hair's still got a tendency to naturally spike, but...it's also really frizzy. And poofy. How does he look? ]
Ayaka barely has any energy but that gets a laugh bubbling out of her. ]
We should both be glad you aren't going anywhere else tonight.
[ Because you do not look presentable at all, Cloud. But that's enough of that! She dries herself up with a towel before putting a robe on, and then wraps the towel around her hair. She'll have to go to her room first to get changed, but she'll join Cloud in his soon after. ]
[ Not even going to argue against it. He knows. He also doesn't care. It'd be no different from if Ayaka were all frizzy or her hair was out of sorts in the morning. He'd be there to help her brush it. Once he's properly dried off, he takes a robe as well, parting ways with Ayaka for a brief moment to go to his own room. He's not even in the mood to get fully changed... Hang up his robe, neatly fold his towel, get into a clean pair of underwear and get some comfy pants and a loose sleeping shirt. He doesn't care if they match or not.
He barely takes a couple minutes before he's deliberately ignoring looking at his bed right now. Not until Ayaka gets here. Opening his door back up, he waits in the hallway for Ayaka to show up. ]
[ Ayaka's '-' blinking up at him now that she's all ready for bed. She would have thought he'd be in bed already, but why is he waiting outside his room? ]
[ Rubbing one of his eyes, he yawns before answering tiredly, ] No, no just wanted to wait.
[ Beau doesn't wanna admit that if he's going to flop over passing out, he wants to do it with her. ...tonight was scarier than he would like to admit. They got lucky. ]
[ Bed's nice and made! He has a feeling that despite taking a fresh bath and shower, he's going to just conk out completely the moment he hits a pillow. Hand in hand with her, he slides the door shut behind them. ]
Alright. Love you. G'night.
[ Cloud's turn to tug tug...in fact, he hardly remembers how they got into the bed, everything becomes a blur. But once the two of them were nestled in bed and under the covers, it was like a massive weight was being lifted off his shoulders. He's too tired to even think about what they had gone through with the giant Hell House. So for Cloud at least? His sleep was uneventful. Any dreams he may have had weren't anything to write home about either...
It's what happens when the two return to their Spring Guild the next day, however...that would feel like a dream. ]
The Next Day, at the Spring Guild . . .
Mind repeating that again?
[ "Um...you mean the 9,000 Moon Coins?" ]
[ See your beau, Ayaka? That's the sight of the bags under his eyes getting instantly sucked away, waking up. Listen. He was a merc at one point. But he was not prepared for that. ]
[ "That's right. These things have been cropping up in distant reaches of the region. And no one's been able to figure out the difference between 'em before it's too late. And since you're the first ones to claim you downed the one we found on morning patrol..." ]
[ It wasn't quite the best sleep Ayaka's ever had, but she definitely conked out very easily. Cloud really had to wake her up the next day, and even though she was still too tired, she got up the same time he did.
What would have been a quick trip to get rewards and to report something to the guilds turns out to be something more rewarding. Ayaka didn't do the "quest" with Cloud on purpose, but it seems they were able to check off two quests done yesterday!
... Funny that. ]
That's a lot of Moon Coins.
[ Yes, Ayaya. Thank you for stating the obvious. ]
I didn't even see it on the quest board before we left.
[ Lucky them! But she hopes what happened to them doesn't happen to anyone else. ]
[ The obvious or not, Cloud's just going to echo that sentiment. ]
[ "Now then. Seeing as the two of you were involved with dismantling that creature, I take it you two would like to have the reward money for both jobs split?" ]
Works for me. [ Cloud shrugs before looking to Ayaka by his side, giving her a knowing, calm smile. ] It all goes to the same place anyway.
[ Considering that Cloud was going to give Ayaka the majority of his own share, it just makes sense to him. Better kept and handled by the Kamisatos while he just takes what he needs. ]
[ What about Cloud? As the Guild staff member retreats to the back to go and get their Moon Coin reward, he slips his hand in hers, a little bit of reassurance as he gives it a quick squeeze. ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2023-12-17 09:11 am (UTC)And this time? He's not coming back down. He knows what he needs to do next time. He's going to learn from last time. And the two of them are even better for it. ]
Where would I be without you...
Thank you.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-17 01:06 pm (UTC)[ It is not bad to be critical of oneself. Ayaka is the same, after all. It is Cloud who always brings her back up whenever she is that way, too. It's only fair that she tries the same thing when she's on the other side of things. ]
Though, if it will make you feel better, it was the only possible shelter we could have had in that area. [ A beat. ] ... even if there wasn't supposed to be any settlements in that area.
We can discuss it further with the guild tomorrow.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-18 07:25 am (UTC)[ Cloud's closer to the bottle of shampoo and conditioner, and he'd be faster than her so... Reaching back, he grabs both bottles before handing them over to her. ]
Here.
[ She can go first. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-18 01:43 pm (UTC)[ Oh! Guess this is the sign to get a move on, huh? Ayaka takes the bottles, placing a good amount of shampoo on her hand first before she starts mixing it into her hair. She's going to have to put all of her hair up on top of her head for now, unless she wants to mix it in the bath water already. ]
Maybe we should just take a shower already.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-18 07:15 pm (UTC)[ After Ayaka finishes with the shampoo, he'll ask for it back so he can get some scrubbed through his hair too. Nice and soapy and suddy. Which works! That gives the two of them plenty of time for the shampoo to work its magic while they prepare to drain the tub and run hot water for a shower. He may be overtired, but the soak did help rejuvenate him a little. Enough that he can get through this. The second the two are dried off later and see a bed though...all bets might be off. One of them is flopping first.
Until then, he reaches back to pop up the plug for the tub, letting it slowly start to drain.
He shifts from sitting in the tub across her to his knees. He can get up just fine, but he wants to be there for Ayaka more. He won't force her or reach out and grab her, but he's close enough. ]
Grab me if you wobbly.
[ He hasn't forgotten about her foot. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-20 09:03 am (UTC)[ The warm bath was a nice way to relax. She's far too exhausted to do anything else, but it certainly helped soothe some aches and give her just a bit more energy to be able to finish cleaning up.
She pushes herself to get up, but she does hold onto Cloud's arm to make sure she doesn't slip.
When the tub is empty and the shower water's running, she starts to clean her hair. She'd normally offer to wash Cloud's back or something, but they can be cute and romantic another time. She just wants to get clean, wash her hair, soap up and down, and be done with it.
She does, at least, make sure Cloud gets his towel first once everything is said and done. Gotta take care of her beau somehow! ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-20 09:55 am (UTC)Thanks.
[ Accepting the towel from his girlfriend, before he can wrap it around his waist, he immediately covers his head with it and starts scrubbing furiously. Every spike. Every strand. From the front. To the back. To the top. The sides. Rolling some of the longer spikes in the towel. For a good minute he does this. By the time he's done and starts wrapping his towel around his waist? ]
There.
[ Oh. ... Oh no. His hair's still got a tendency to naturally spike, but...it's also really frizzy. And poofy. How does he look? ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-20 12:13 pm (UTC)Ayaka barely has any energy but that gets a laugh bubbling out of her. ]
We should both be glad you aren't going anywhere else tonight.
[ Because you do not look presentable at all, Cloud. But that's enough of that! She dries herself up with a towel before putting a robe on, and then wraps the towel around her hair. She'll have to go to her room first to get changed, but she'll join Cloud in his soon after. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-21 05:41 am (UTC)[ Not even going to argue against it. He knows. He also doesn't care. It'd be no different from if Ayaka were all frizzy or her hair was out of sorts in the morning. He'd be there to help her brush it. Once he's properly dried off, he takes a robe as well, parting ways with Ayaka for a brief moment to go to his own room. He's not even in the mood to get fully changed... Hang up his robe, neatly fold his towel, get into a clean pair of underwear and get some comfy pants and a loose sleeping shirt. He doesn't care if they match or not.
He barely takes a couple minutes before he's deliberately ignoring looking at his bed right now. Not until Ayaka gets here. Opening his door back up, he waits in the hallway for Ayaka to show up. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-21 11:03 am (UTC)[ Ayaka's '-' blinking up at him now that she's all ready for bed. She would have thought he'd be in bed already, but why is he waiting outside his room? ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-22 09:48 am (UTC)[ Rubbing one of his eyes, he yawns before answering tiredly, ] No, no just wanted to wait.
[ Beau doesn't wanna admit that if he's going to flop over passing out, he wants to do it with her. ...tonight was scarier than he would like to admit. They got lucky. ]
M'good.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-22 10:20 am (UTC)[ This rest is way overdue. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-23 01:42 am (UTC)[ Bed's nice and made! He has a feeling that despite taking a fresh bath and shower, he's going to just conk out completely the moment he hits a pillow. Hand in hand with her, he slides the door shut behind them. ]
Alright. Love you. G'night.
[ Cloud's turn to tug tug...in fact, he hardly remembers how they got into the bed, everything becomes a blur. But once the two of them were nestled in bed and under the covers, it was like a massive weight was being lifted off his shoulders. He's too tired to even think about what they had gone through with the giant Hell House. So for Cloud at least? His sleep was uneventful. Any dreams he may have had weren't anything to write home about either...
It's what happens when the two return to their Spring Guild the next day, however...that would feel like a dream. ]
Mind repeating that again?
[ "Um...you mean the 9,000 Moon Coins?" ]
[ See your beau, Ayaka? That's the sight of the bags under his eyes getting instantly sucked away, waking up. Listen. He was a merc at one point. But he was not prepared for that. ]
[ "That's right. These things have been cropping up in distant reaches of the region. And no one's been able to figure out the difference between 'em before it's too late. And since you're the first ones to claim you downed the one we found on morning patrol..." ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-23 10:57 am (UTC)What would have been a quick trip to get rewards and to report something to the guilds turns out to be something more rewarding. Ayaka didn't do the "quest" with Cloud on purpose, but it seems they were able to check off two quests done yesterday!
... Funny that. ]
That's a lot of Moon Coins.
[ Yes, Ayaya. Thank you for stating the obvious. ]
I didn't even see it on the quest board before we left.
[ Lucky them! But she hopes what happened to them doesn't happen to anyone else. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-24 10:38 am (UTC)[ The obvious or not, Cloud's just going to echo that sentiment. ]
[ "Now then. Seeing as the two of you were involved with dismantling that creature, I take it you two would like to have the reward money for both jobs split?" ]
Works for me. [ Cloud shrugs before looking to Ayaka by his side, giving her a knowing, calm smile. ] It all goes to the same place anyway.
[ Considering that Cloud was going to give Ayaka the majority of his own share, it just makes sense to him. Better kept and handled by the Kamisatos while he just takes what he needs. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-24 07:57 pm (UTC)[ It's not like it really matters who gets the Moon Coins... They have enough!!
Somehow, even if it was unintentional, Ayaka still feels like they did a good job. She flashes Cloud a small smile then. ]
I think that's enough excitement for some time for me. What about you?
no subject
Date: 2023-12-25 05:22 am (UTC)Think I wouldn't mind a break myself.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-25 04:21 pm (UTC)[ Taroumaru can take care of the tea house! ]
We will not do any work for the rest of the day, and instead, will partake of leisurely activities instead.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-25 10:05 pm (UTC)Tomorrow's another day.
[ And this one would belong to them. ]