[ He looses a soft sigh at the sight of her, a smile forming on his face when she closes that space between them. He's already there, waiting with open arms, like he just knew exactly what she wanted. And Cloud is there to give it. With her hair not fixed up, it made it that much easier for his hand to thread through the back of her head, drawing deep of her scent before he breathes out contently. He can feel her nuzzling into him, and for the moment that can last for as long as Ayaka needs, Cloud closes his eyes and simply holds her there in the hallway, just shy of his own front door.
The only thing he says as a hand rubs up and down her back comfortingly, ]
[ There he is. Her mindreader, her best friend, the person who makes her feel so free, the boy who brings her so much happiness... ]
I feel so safe with you, my love.
[ Her home. ]
I missed you today.
[ But she's here now. And she does take a moment, squeezing him even more and basking in his warmth, even letting out a soft sigh from how content she feels being held in his arms like this. ]
[ She gives him a tighter squeeze, just as he tilts his head more to kiss the top of hers. Cloud didn't really give a lot of active thought to it, but in this moment, frozen in time...Ayaka gives really good hugs. Like they're the warmest, softest out there. He's the one comforting her, yet he can't help but feel that he's falling right in with her. Being consoled; but for what? ]
Missed you too.
[ He silently yawns then, unusual for him but that didn't mean he was ready to go back to bed. It wasn't every day the two of them had a late night to just talk and have tea like this. It's well past midnight now. ]
... in a minute.
[ There he goes. The mindreader. She hasn't moved? So he won't move. In fact, he closes his eyes one more time, gently swaying with her. He's not counting the seconds or anything, just letting this moment be what it needs to be for both of them. But when it's finally time to take things inside, he gives one more squeeze of his own before loosing his grip.
Yet he doesn't fully let go either. Instead, hand in hand, it's Cloud's turn to give hers a tug tug. ]
[ She is tugged, but she'll be the one to prepare the tea, unless Cloud really wants her to just sit back and relax. She probably won't have a lot, just a cup or two. And she likely won't really talk much for now, more keen to just sit with Cloud, ask about his day, listen to his stories, and hear about what she missed.
Her troubles... they never seem like troubles when Cloud is around. That's how powerful he truly is.
And so, once inside, she looks for the tea leaves so she can begin steeping the tea. If he lets go, it's fine, but she would still like for him to be close by while they're in the kitchen. ]
[ He does let go, but he keeps close while they're both in the kitchen. Leaning against the counter behind her, he loosely folds his arms as he watches her work. He'd told Thoma and Ayato before that he was starting to find cooking to be therapeutic. He was nowhere near good at it yet, but still. He at least knew that it was Ayaka's happy place to do so. She'd find the kettle hot already, waiting for her to finish blending and preparing the sencha. ]
No. [ A white lie. But he was sleeping lighter than usual due to not hearing from her so late at night when he texted her. ] You had good timing, actually. Was just getting up to use the bathroom when you texted back.
Not really. [ A beat. ] I knew you'd be out for a while.
[ Cloud's trusting her, too. She's a fully responsible woman, and he also wanted to make good on his own commitment to her growth. They didn't live in the same space, but just having separate apartments next door made the world's difference. He can see it in the way she carries herself. ]
Really now. [ She's getting a little smirk. ] So you had a lotta fun.
[ Little drunk Ayaya. He trusts her to be in good company as well. ]
It has been some time since I painted, so it was rather exciting to draw and colour. When we were in Nippon, I'd only been sketching, and in Inazuma, due to the festival preparations, I did not have much time for myself.
[ So it was a lot of fun, Cloud! :D ]
I had difficulty standing up, however. I'm very fortunate Ayato was there. He carried me home, hehe. I did not know he would still do that!
[ The last time he carried his sister was when she was still babby u_u ]
[ Oh, so the tender princess carry, then. He's visualizing it, and while the amusement from earlier washes away, Cloud looks relieved nonetheless. As a kid, his Mom would piggyback him if he was too tired. But when he was little, he also got tucked into bed the traditional way if he fell asleep before getting under his sheets. ]
Good.
[ He was glad. Really glad that she still had her family. Even if her parents were a memory, the fact her brother was with her now left him feeling a sense of contentment. ]
[ He knows that something's wrong. Or at the very least, something's keeping her up tonight if she's suddenly wishing to see him so late. Not that he would have minded it if all she really wanted was him. But he's patient. If Ayaka even wanted to spend the night with him and return back to her apartment to prepare breakfast for Ayato after? She needn't ask. She's right where he wants her to be, yet the door on this bird's cage is never closed. She can fly as she sees fit. ]
πΈπΈπΈ
[ Sitting with a cup of sencha in hand, he indeed shares how his day went with her. Stories of various training exercises in the simulator at the Guild. How something really antique and expensive looking was accidentally knocked over; just before it could shatter and hit the ground at the Guild however, instinct took over and Cloud was able to cast wind magic beneath it to cushion its fall and stop it from breaking. Little things here and there.
He also touches upon the fiasco that occurred at the end of last month, with the rampaging stone statues and the imps that were responsible for it. They were both well aware of it all, having touched base to make sure the other was alright when it was said and done. But something Cloud didn't touch upon before...! ]
βturns out Squall's world has a lotta the same stuff mine does.
[ He'd talked of running into the younger Gunblade wielder as everything was going down! ]
But you do not belong to the same world, do you? It sounds like you and him get along quite well.
[ How odd! But when there are two parallel realities of Teyvat, where Lumine travels the world searching for her brother, while Aether travels in another. . . is something like this really ridiculous? ]
I am happy hearing all these stories. [ Listening to all this. Hearing Cloud's activities, him doing things he wants to do, and not because he has to. ] Hehe... Wasn't there someone in Nippon who also had Chocobos where they were from?
[ Prompto, she thinks was his name. But she doesn't say it, because she's not sure. ]
He doesn't have a lot to say. [ A beat. ] Kinda like it that way.
[ They'd only just begun working together, so he really couldn't go around saying, "oh yeah Squall? my buddy". But he'll shrug and roll with the punches if they did wind up friends. Ayaka was one of the few exceptions to the rule; he liked talking to her. Listening to her. It lends into just how relaxed and content he was to be around her that he didn't feel any exhaustion talking so long. ]
Oh yeah... Noctis. And Prompto. [ So she was right! ] Never woulda thought Noct was a King by looking at him...
I have never met a King before. [ There's Ozymandias, but he's a Pharaoh! At least, that's his title... Still a King, but she wants to use the proper term.
She tries to look back at all the other people she's met, but no one really comes to mind. And as soon as she sets her tea cup back down, her lips curl into a small smile. ]
[ Cloud would need time to mull it over to figure out just exactly who was royalty or not. ... Did Fischl count? Yoimiya was a Queen of Summer- ]
...
[ There's that smile of hers. Catching him off guard without the need to say a single word. And yet she does. This would normally be the part where he had a comeback line. Something about how it's cool that they both know royalty. And that they're both so closely associated with royalty. How he knows a certain Princess.
But as the warmth of the teacup gently rolls up his arms, his heart feels lighter as he can't help it. His lips curl into a small smile. ]
[ That gets her shaking her head. Charming? She does not think so! But it is never a bad thing, especially when it's Cloud calling her as such! ]
You are the charming one, Cloud.
[ She really can't say anything bad about him. Ayaka adores everything about Cloud. ]
My heart does not feel as heavy now that I am with you. [ But saying that out loud? Ayaka lets out a sigh as she looks away, both hands still around her tea cup. ] Ayato is in pain, you see. And. . . I do not know how I can be of help.
[ But there it is. He knew there had to be another reason for coming. She knew that she was always safe and welcome. It didn't matter the time of day. The time of night. His door was never closed off from her. But he also knew that she would still feel bad for waking him or interrupting anything. Not unless she had a good reason to... So his brow furrows some as she holds her teacup in her hands.
"Ayato is in pain,"
It's all he needs to hear before he feels his heart get a little heavy. Even though his expression remains relatively neutral on the surface. They may still have their own problems to sort out, but...he still cares for the man. He's had a lot of time to think about where he wants to be. What he wants to do. If he has it his way? He'll be able to do right by everyone. But if he can't...if he's forced to decide...
He made his decision. And it's sitting across the table from the Shirasagi Himegimi tonight; it's telling enough. ]
I... [ She shakes her head, unsure of how to even begin. Ayaka does not know the full story, because Ayato wished to keep most of it to himself. That, she respects. All she is able to share with Cloud are parts of it that she thinks it is okay for him to know.
Asking for Cloud not to judge anyone needs not be said. She believes he won't. So... she also believes she can speak freely. ] I was told by Ayato that someone had confessed to him.
And this person is someone that he likes, as well.
[ That should be a happy occasion! And Ayaka's eyes meet Cloud's as she gives him a small smile. Yes, he should be happy for Ayato, too. Butβ ]
Given his title as the Yashiro Commissioner, and the head of the Kamisato Clan, he... is troubled. I would always wish for his happiness above all else, but he said that pursuing this may... be used by his enemies against him.
[ She tries not to speak too loudly towards the end. Ayaka has always talked about the brighter side of things. While she isn't oblivious to the fact that there are people out there wanting to take advantage of her family, or others, for that matter, she's also never talked about the politics of it with Cloud before.
Would this make him see her and Ayato differently because of this? She hopes not... ]
[ He doesn't say a word. Hands on his own cup of sencha, though he looked concerned before, the matter perhaps still warranting it... His mako-infused blues are solely on her. Expectedly. Hanging off every word that may fall from her lips. But it's not excitement or anticipation. There's patience. He doesn't lean forward in his seat or anything- nor is there a smile on his face. His expression is soft though. As if to silently tell her to take her time. Just like she waited for him so many times before when it came to expressing his feelings.
When expressing what was wrong.
Then she finally comes out with it. Ayato... He fell for someone too. He almost wants to ask who it is, but when she smiles back at him finally, he decides to hold his tongue and listen to her further. Ayato finding someone wasn't the problem. And yet...Ayato finding someone was a problem. It's true, she never really talked a lot about the politics her family were deeply ingrained in. Yet Cloud always suspected that they would have a lot of involvement with Inazuma's various workings. Ayaka didn't just report to her elder brother, after all. She worked for the very people of Inazuma. The Kamisato Clan held a rather lofty position as controllers of the Yashiro Commission. A position that no doubt could be upset with the right circumstances.
But he can tell now... He knows exactly why this troubles her so much. Someone who is so used to looking at the brighter side of things. He knew that Ayaka wasn't naive; and yet... ]
...
[ How did Ayaka protect her brother? How did she protect his happiness? And with a more furrowed brow and determined look in his eyes, Cloud remembers a vital talk he had with her older brother. All the way back in Nippon, before he even thought of confessing his feelings to her... To look after his sister. A little voice deep in the back of Cloud's mind couldn't help but want to ask, and yet he never did...
If Cloud was watching over Ayaka when Ayato couldn't...then who was watching over him?
He has that answer now. ]
So we protect him from them. [ Protect that happiness. Fight for it. He nods, as if resolute in such a simple statement. ] If there're those that wanna take advantage of him and the clan?
[ Ayaka does not know what it was that Ayato asked Cloud, that her beau could not articulate himself well. Hearing him speak now and give her this much conviction? She really can't think any less of him.
Cloud's never been to Inazuma, nor does he know what truly lies ahead, but his words mean more to Ayaka than he could ever know.
He asked her once if she thinks he would fit in Inazuma, and she said it may take him a while. Right now, though? He's never been any farther from being a member of the Kamisato Clan. Family. And Ayaka's devotion for her family, for her loved ones, runs so deep that it is in her blood. It is why she would never hold anything back from Cloud. It is as she's told him before, too: he's had all of her right from the start.
So his troubles, his fears, his enemies? They're hers, too. His moments of triumph, moments where he is at his happiest? She wishes to be there to witness it all with him, to be part of his everything. And as she bares more of herself to him now, her whole heart served openly, she knows he would catch her as she speaks freely. That he would feel this, too. ]
Ayato has worked so hard to restore honour back to our family name. I do not wish to do anything that would set his work back.
[ So... they would have to be strategic about the whole thing, if they did something! Ayaka honestly wants to ask for advice from Yae Miko or even the Raiden Shogun herself, but given that they aren't here? She likely won't be able to ask her questions any time soon... ]
When you made my dreams come true, Cloud, I knew anything was possible. [ That he could make anything possible. The way she admires him is so different from how she admires her own brother. ] You've given me so much happiness, that I know now that I could never have elsewhere. Nor with anyone else.
[ Ayaka is smiling, but she is also beginning to tear up. Quickly grabbing a napkin so she could catch her tears with the corner of it, she ends up sniffing and she has to blow her nose, too. So undignified... but normal girls do this, don't they? ]
I do not wish for my brother to lose this same feeling now that he has it.
You think that- [ He was just about to call her Ei again. And if the time were to come where they met again and they were amicable, he may very well still do that. But for Ayaka's sake, he tempers himself. There's only a brief pause as he finally lifts his cup of sencha to go for a sip. But not before finishing his sentence. ] -that the Shogun could help? S'all a ways down the road still, but...
[ Better to have more allies, especially with how integral the Yashiro Commission, let alone the Kamisatos, were to the nation of Inazuma. Taking a sip of his tea, he quietly listens to her. At first, he thought it was the tea that left his chest warm. But it's her words, the longer she continues, the more praise she gives and the more she pours her heart out for him. If such simple words gave her that much of a newly envigored hope, than he needed to speak his mind more often.
It was critical moments like these where Cloud would prove his worth. Prove that he wanted to give Ayaka anything and everything she deserved. And that includes her support as she starts tearing up. She's starting to cry, sniffling and blowing her nose once too. But he simply smiles, confidence brimming when she states her wish from the bottom of her heart.
So Ayato found someone...he has to wonder if they were also from the same world. Cloud and Ayaka had come to like one another at a decent clip, but it'd taken nearly half a year since meeting her to actually finally come out and tell her that he loved her. For Ayato...was he a fast faller? Or were they from Inazuma in kind? ]
We'll protect that feeling, too. Just gotta take things step by step. And make sure he knows this isn't something he's gotta do alone.
I do not know if Her Excellency could do anything, though... her advice would be something I would find very important at this time.
[ It would serve as guidance, both from a god and as her leader. But she would honestly prefer to speak with Yae Miko first, seeing as she's closer to her on a personal capacity. ]
I think... Ayato is more worried of what would happen once we are back in Inazuma. And pursuing it here in this world would do more harm than good because of it.
[ In this place? It matters, still, but there's less burden to uphold the values that the citizens of Inazuma see them have. It is why Ayaka can be free in this world, and in the one they were previously in. How she conducts herself in Inazuma is different, so much more different.
As for her own life and her romance? She doesn't see a problem-- noble lineage or not, he is an admirable person, traits that one would find in a hero, and shouldn't Inazuma's princess deserve the best? He may not have calmed the storms that ravaged the nation, but he is someone special in his own right. And to him, she smiles, one filled with hope and gratitude, despite the tearing up just a few moments ago. ]
I truly am fortunate... [ To have him. ] You would really stand with me to protect my brother?
[ They don't need to come up with a plan now, but... just knowing she has his support, that her family has his support... it means the world. ]
For a guy like that? [ To be happy while going forward in life? ] It's gotta be worth fighting for.
[ So of course. Of course his answer couldn't be anything else. Cloud's story still feels so young, but accolades weren't the reason why Ayaka fell for him. Nor was it her status that he found himself making this decision to want to stay with her. She's close enough to him where they sit at the table that he need not reach far, a hand settling over hers wherever it be resting. ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2023-04-19 07:44 am (UTC)The only thing he says as a hand rubs up and down her back comfortingly, ]
Heya.
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Date: 2023-04-19 10:55 am (UTC)I feel so safe with you, my love.
[ Her home. ]
I missed you today.
[ But she's here now. And she does take a moment, squeezing him even more and basking in his warmth, even letting out a soft sigh from how content she feels being held in his arms like this. ]
Shall we go inside?
[ ... she isn't moving yet, though. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-04-20 06:19 am (UTC)[ She gives him a tighter squeeze, just as he tilts his head more to kiss the top of hers. Cloud didn't really give a lot of active thought to it, but in this moment, frozen in time...Ayaka gives really good hugs. Like they're the warmest, softest out there. He's the one comforting her, yet he can't help but feel that he's falling right in with her. Being consoled; but for what? ]
Missed you too.
[ He silently yawns then, unusual for him but that didn't mean he was ready to go back to bed. It wasn't every day the two of them had a late night to just talk and have tea like this. It's well past midnight now. ]
... in a minute.
[ There he goes. The mindreader. She hasn't moved? So he won't move. In fact, he closes his eyes one more time, gently swaying with her. He's not counting the seconds or anything, just letting this moment be what it needs to be for both of them. But when it's finally time to take things inside, he gives one more squeeze of his own before loosing his grip.
Yet he doesn't fully let go either. Instead, hand in hand, it's Cloud's turn to give hers a tug tug. ]
Hope sencha's alright.
no subject
Date: 2023-04-20 01:27 pm (UTC)[ She is tugged, but she'll be the one to prepare the tea, unless Cloud really wants her to just sit back and relax. She probably won't have a lot, just a cup or two. And she likely won't really talk much for now, more keen to just sit with Cloud, ask about his day, listen to his stories, and hear about what she missed.
Her troubles... they never seem like troubles when Cloud is around. That's how powerful he truly is.
And so, once inside, she looks for the tea leaves so she can begin steeping the tea. If he lets go, it's fine, but she would still like for him to be close by while they're in the kitchen. ]
Did I wake you?
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Date: 2023-04-21 04:42 am (UTC)No. [ A white lie. But he was sleeping lighter than usual due to not hearing from her so late at night when he texted her. ] You had good timing, actually. Was just getting up to use the bathroom when you texted back.
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Date: 2023-04-21 05:51 am (UTC)[ Two minutes. Ayaka sets the timer on her phone so that the loose tea can steep in the water. While waiting, she brings out the cups for serving. ]
Mister Kaveh had so many kinds of wine served earlier. I had to try them all and see what the difference between each one was.
[ You know... just in case he was wondering why she passed out early. ]
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Date: 2023-04-21 06:06 am (UTC)[ Cloud's trusting her, too. She's a fully responsible woman, and he also wanted to make good on his own commitment to her growth. They didn't live in the same space, but just having separate apartments next door made the world's difference. He can see it in the way she carries herself. ]
Really now. [ She's getting a little smirk. ] So you had a lotta fun.
[ Little drunk Ayaya. He trusts her to be in good company as well. ]
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Date: 2023-04-21 06:28 am (UTC)[ So it was a lot of fun, Cloud! :D ]
I had difficulty standing up, however. I'm very fortunate Ayato was there. He carried me home, hehe. I did not know he would still do that!
[ The last time he carried his sister was when she was still babby u_u ]
no subject
Date: 2023-04-21 06:55 am (UTC)[ And now here in Ellipsa, it felt like the second act. ]
...did he piggyback you?
[ He totally piggybacked her, didn't he. Cloud's not laughing at least, though he still has a look of amusement on his face. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-04-21 07:10 am (UTC)No. He carried me the same way you had before.
[ WHO DO YOU THINK YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS, CLOUD ]
no subject
Date: 2023-04-21 07:19 am (UTC)Good.
[ He was glad. Really glad that she still had her family. Even if her parents were a memory, the fact her brother was with her now left him feeling a sense of contentment. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-04-21 07:27 am (UTC)Should we move to the dining now? I would like to hear about your day, too.
[ please tell her stories π₯Ί ]
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Date: 2023-04-22 07:54 am (UTC)[ He knows that something's wrong. Or at the very least, something's keeping her up tonight if she's suddenly wishing to see him so late. Not that he would have minded it if all she really wanted was him. But he's patient. If Ayaka even wanted to spend the night with him and return back to her apartment to prepare breakfast for Ayato after? She needn't ask. She's right where he wants her to be, yet the door on this bird's cage is never closed. She can fly as she sees fit. ]
[ Sitting with a cup of sencha in hand, he indeed shares how his day went with her. Stories of various training exercises in the simulator at the Guild. How something really antique and expensive looking was accidentally knocked over; just before it could shatter and hit the ground at the Guild however, instinct took over and Cloud was able to cast wind magic beneath it to cushion its fall and stop it from breaking. Little things here and there.
He also touches upon the fiasco that occurred at the end of last month, with the rampaging stone statues and the imps that were responsible for it. They were both well aware of it all, having touched base to make sure the other was alright when it was said and done. But something Cloud didn't touch upon before...! ]
βturns out Squall's world has a lotta the same stuff mine does.
[ He'd talked of running into the younger Gunblade wielder as everything was going down! ]
Chocobos, Gil, Moogles...
no subject
Date: 2023-04-22 08:35 am (UTC)[ How odd! But when there are two parallel realities of Teyvat, where Lumine travels the world searching for her brother, while Aether travels in another. . . is something like this really ridiculous? ]
I am happy hearing all these stories. [ Listening to all this. Hearing Cloud's activities, him doing things he wants to do, and not because he has to. ] Hehe... Wasn't there someone in Nippon who also had Chocobos where they were from?
[ Prompto, she thinks was his name. But she doesn't say it, because she's not sure. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-04-22 08:52 am (UTC)[ They'd only just begun working together, so he really couldn't go around saying, "oh yeah Squall? my buddy". But he'll shrug and roll with the punches if they did wind up friends. Ayaka was one of the few exceptions to the rule; he liked talking to her. Listening to her. It lends into just how relaxed and content he was to be around her that he didn't feel any exhaustion talking so long. ]
Oh yeah... Noctis. And Prompto. [ So she was right! ] Never woulda thought Noct was a King by looking at him...
no subject
Date: 2023-04-22 09:04 am (UTC)She tries to look back at all the other people she's met, but no one really comes to mind. And as soon as she sets her tea cup back down, her lips curl into a small smile. ]
But I do know a Prince.
[ 'u' ]
no subject
Date: 2023-04-22 09:13 am (UTC)...
[ There's that smile of hers. Catching him off guard without the need to say a single word. And yet she does. This would normally be the part where he had a comeback line. Something about how it's cool that they both know royalty. And that they're both so closely associated with royalty. How he knows a certain Princess.
But as the warmth of the teacup gently rolls up his arms, his heart feels lighter as he can't help it. His lips curl into a small smile. ]
You have any idea how charming you are?
no subject
Date: 2023-04-22 09:51 am (UTC)You are the charming one, Cloud.
[ She really can't say anything bad about him. Ayaka adores everything about Cloud. ]
My heart does not feel as heavy now that I am with you. [ But saying that out loud? Ayaka lets out a sigh as she looks away, both hands still around her tea cup. ] Ayato is in pain, you see. And. . . I do not know how I can be of help.
no subject
Date: 2023-04-23 06:21 am (UTC)"Ayato is in pain,"
It's all he needs to hear before he feels his heart get a little heavy. Even though his expression remains relatively neutral on the surface. They may still have their own problems to sort out, but...he still cares for the man. He's had a lot of time to think about where he wants to be. What he wants to do. If he has it his way? He'll be able to do right by everyone. But if he can't...if he's forced to decide...
He made his decision. And it's sitting across the table from the Shirasagi Himegimi tonight; it's telling enough. ]
What happened?
no subject
Date: 2023-04-23 07:00 am (UTC)Asking for Cloud not to judge anyone needs not be said. She believes he won't. So... she also believes she can speak freely. ] I was told by Ayato that someone had confessed to him.
And this person is someone that he likes, as well.
[ That should be a happy occasion! And Ayaka's eyes meet Cloud's as she gives him a small smile. Yes, he should be happy for Ayato, too. Butβ ]
Given his title as the Yashiro Commissioner, and the head of the Kamisato Clan, he... is troubled. I would always wish for his happiness above all else, but he said that pursuing this may... be used by his enemies against him.
[ She tries not to speak too loudly towards the end. Ayaka has always talked about the brighter side of things. While she isn't oblivious to the fact that there are people out there wanting to take advantage of her family, or others, for that matter, she's also never talked about the politics of it with Cloud before.
Would this make him see her and Ayato differently because of this? She hopes not... ]
no subject
Date: 2023-04-24 08:17 am (UTC)When expressing what was wrong.
Then she finally comes out with it. Ayato... He fell for someone too. He almost wants to ask who it is, but when she smiles back at him finally, he decides to hold his tongue and listen to her further. Ayato finding someone wasn't the problem. And yet...Ayato finding someone was a problem. It's true, she never really talked a lot about the politics her family were deeply ingrained in. Yet Cloud always suspected that they would have a lot of involvement with Inazuma's various workings. Ayaka didn't just report to her elder brother, after all. She worked for the very people of Inazuma. The Kamisato Clan held a rather lofty position as controllers of the Yashiro Commission. A position that no doubt could be upset with the right circumstances.
But he can tell now... He knows exactly why this troubles her so much. Someone who is so used to looking at the brighter side of things. He knew that Ayaka wasn't naive; and yet... ]
...
[ How did Ayaka protect her brother? How did she protect his happiness? And with a more furrowed brow and determined look in his eyes, Cloud remembers a vital talk he had with her older brother. All the way back in Nippon, before he even thought of confessing his feelings to her... To look after his sister. A little voice deep in the back of Cloud's mind couldn't help but want to ask, and yet he never did...
If Cloud was watching over Ayaka when Ayato couldn't...then who was watching over him?
He has that answer now. ]
So we protect him from them. [ Protect that happiness. Fight for it. He nods, as if resolute in such a simple statement. ] If there're those that wanna take advantage of him and the clan?
That just makes them my enemies too.
no subject
Date: 2023-04-25 01:20 am (UTC)Cloud's never been to Inazuma, nor does he know what truly lies ahead, but his words mean more to Ayaka than he could ever know.
He asked her once if she thinks he would fit in Inazuma, and she said it may take him a while. Right now, though? He's never been any farther from being a member of the Kamisato Clan. Family. And Ayaka's devotion for her family, for her loved ones, runs so deep that it is in her blood. It is why she would never hold anything back from Cloud. It is as she's told him before, too: he's had all of her right from the start.
So his troubles, his fears, his enemies? They're hers, too. His moments of triumph, moments where he is at his happiest? She wishes to be there to witness it all with him, to be part of his everything. And as she bares more of herself to him now, her whole heart served openly, she knows he would catch her as she speaks freely. That he would feel this, too. ]
Ayato has worked so hard to restore honour back to our family name. I do not wish to do anything that would set his work back.
[ So... they would have to be strategic about the whole thing, if they did something! Ayaka honestly wants to ask for advice from Yae Miko or even the Raiden Shogun herself, but given that they aren't here? She likely won't be able to ask her questions any time soon... ]
When you made my dreams come true, Cloud, I knew anything was possible. [ That he could make anything possible. The way she admires him is so different from how she admires her own brother. ] You've given me so much happiness, that I know now that I could never have elsewhere. Nor with anyone else.
[ Ayaka is smiling, but she is also beginning to tear up. Quickly grabbing a napkin so she could catch her tears with the corner of it, she ends up sniffing and she has to blow her nose, too. So undignified... but normal girls do this, don't they? ]
I do not wish for my brother to lose this same feeling now that he has it.
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Date: 2023-04-25 07:41 am (UTC)[ Better to have more allies, especially with how integral the Yashiro Commission, let alone the Kamisatos, were to the nation of Inazuma. Taking a sip of his tea, he quietly listens to her. At first, he thought it was the tea that left his chest warm. But it's her words, the longer she continues, the more praise she gives and the more she pours her heart out for him. If such simple words gave her that much of a newly envigored hope, than he needed to speak his mind more often.
It was critical moments like these where Cloud would prove his worth. Prove that he wanted to give Ayaka anything and everything she deserved. And that includes her support as she starts tearing up. She's starting to cry, sniffling and blowing her nose once too. But he simply smiles, confidence brimming when she states her wish from the bottom of her heart.
So Ayato found someone...he has to wonder if they were also from the same world. Cloud and Ayaka had come to like one another at a decent clip, but it'd taken nearly half a year since meeting her to actually finally come out and tell her that he loved her. For Ayato...was he a fast faller? Or were they from Inazuma in kind? ]
We'll protect that feeling, too. Just gotta take things step by step. And make sure he knows this isn't something he's gotta do alone.
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Date: 2023-04-27 01:22 am (UTC)[ It would serve as guidance, both from a god and as her leader. But she would honestly prefer to speak with Yae Miko first, seeing as she's closer to her on a personal capacity. ]
I think... Ayato is more worried of what would happen once we are back in Inazuma. And pursuing it here in this world would do more harm than good because of it.
[ In this place? It matters, still, but there's less burden to uphold the values that the citizens of Inazuma see them have. It is why Ayaka can be free in this world, and in the one they were previously in. How she conducts herself in Inazuma is different, so much more different.
As for her own life and her romance? She doesn't see a problem-- noble lineage or not, he is an admirable person, traits that one would find in a hero, and shouldn't Inazuma's princess deserve the best? He may not have calmed the storms that ravaged the nation, but he is someone special in his own right. And to him, she smiles, one filled with hope and gratitude, despite the tearing up just a few moments ago. ]
I truly am fortunate... [ To have him. ] You would really stand with me to protect my brother?
[ They don't need to come up with a plan now, but... just knowing she has his support, that her family has his support... it means the world. ]
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Date: 2023-04-27 05:17 am (UTC)[ So of course. Of course his answer couldn't be anything else. Cloud's story still feels so young, but accolades weren't the reason why Ayaka fell for him. Nor was it her status that he found himself making this decision to want to stay with her. She's close enough to him where they sit at the table that he need not reach far, a hand settling over hers wherever it be resting. ]
Yes.
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