Two ota, one closed

[powertotearer]

Who: Eiji Hino (powertotearer), you, and maybe that Ankh guy (notsogreedy) too
When: About the end of Event 33
Where: Around town
What: Event shenanigans meet plot shenanigans
Rating/Warning: None so far

---

1.

Eiji's been having fainting spells lately, ever since the implants first started shorting out. He knows this, and he's promised to stay away from heights until they resolve themselves.

But the problem is, the safest way he can get to work is by crossing the sky bridges.

As soon as he notices the vertigo start, he starts reaching out, trying to find a wall to grab onto. But it's happening too fast, and he drops before he can completely catch himself--he's slumped over the edge of the wall, losing consciousness, and he definitely needs help.


2.

If you're in the gardens at any point, you might see Eiji frantically stomping out small fires around him.

Unfortunately, that only seems to promote it. Seems like someone isn't used to his element flaring up like this.

"Stop, stop! Just stop, please!"

As the grass and flowers start burning more, he looks desperately for anyone to help.

"Water, please? Someone? I promise, I'm not trying to do this, I just want to put it out!"


3. Closed to Ankh

He's used to nightmares, as much as he hates to admit it. Most of the time, he can deal with them, even if he wakes up in the middle of the night.

A dream so good that he wakes up crying? That's new, and he buries his face into a pillow, hoping he doesn't wake up Ankh and have to explain himself.

How exactly would he explain it?

Comments

[powertotearer]

And there go the groceries, right onto the floor as Eiji brings up his arms to cover his head.

"Stop, stop! Ankh, please call her off!"

Yep. That bird hates him.

[notsogreedy]

Ankh stands up immediately when Gavina moves, and of course he wasn't planning on letting her seriously attack Eiji from the start. That said, he's not exactly pleased either about Eiji sneaking in to overhear him talking to the bird. He waits for the request, and there might be a slight hint of amusement as he calls over, "Gavina, stop."

Him, she'll listen to. Much as she makes a show of looking displeased about it, she retreats and flies back to Ankh, landing on his arm where it's covered in armor and not just skin. He gives her a look to remind her that she's not supposed to go after Eiji, even when it's kind of funny at the time, before glancing back in his direction, just to make sure she didn't actually do anything to him other than be threatening.

[powertotearer]

No, nothing wounded, other than Eiji's pride. And that regularly takes a beating around here.

"I know she doesn't like me, but you don't have to sound like it's so funny."

[notsogreedy]

He just shrugs slightly at that. "Not like I can help it when it is." Though the amusement has mostly faded by now.

[powertotearer]

Fine, be that way. Eiji's just going to sulk like a child here.

"I was only trying to be nice."

[notsogreedy]

Ankh's only reply is a vague dismissive sound as he encourages Gavina to get off his arm and onto her favorite perching spot on top of his chair.

[powertotearer]

Eiji finally just sighs and starts picking up the groceries. Hope you like broken popsicles, Ankh.

[notsogreedy]

Oh, he'll almost certainly complain about them. But he'll live.

Look, once he's done giving the bird a silent talking to, he even picks up a stray piece of fruit that rolled over to where he's standing and tosses it back to Eiji.

"She'll warm up to you." Eventually. After all, he did.

[powertotearer]

"I hope so." There are bandaids in one of the bags too--Eiji's been needing them lately, when his attempts to feed Gavina go bad.

[notsogreedy]

They don't escape Ankh's notice, but he doesn't say anything. He might have to pay closer attention for the sake of that ongoing bet they made a while back, though, about who buys the popsicles. Bird-related injuries aren't really Eiji's fault.

[powertotearer]

No, they're not. And neither are the times he fell somewhere not exactly safe when he had his fainting spells. Or any minor burns with this whole fire thing.

He's accumulating a list of exceptions.

"I wasn't sure what to get her, though, so I picked up a couple different kinds of meat. Hopefully that'll work."

He'll just leave Ankh to take care of that.

[notsogreedy]

He goes over to see what Eiji got.

"Good enough." That said, he pulls out a piece of meat and glances back to where the bird is perching. "Oi, Gavina. Food."

Of course, the hawk looks at it with intense disinterest, even when he brings it closer, proving that she's not always completely cooperative with him, either. It's not that she's not hungry at all, so this is either a statement that she doesn't like the type of meat Eiji got or that she just doesn't like that Eiji got it. Either way, it's annoying and Ankh doesn't feel like making any attempt to coax the bird into eating.

"Tch. Fine. But you're not getting anything else." He just grabs the nearest thing to set it on, which happens to be a napkin, and leaves it on the counter. "It's there. Eat it before it spoils."

[powertotearer]

Eiji just watches awkwardly. As always, he's not entirely sure how to read the situation, but he's reasonably sure at least one of them thinks all of this is his fault and he's still not sure how.

[notsogreedy]

And Ankh can practically feel the awkwardness radiating off of him.

"What?"

[powertotearer]

It's one of Eiji's special powers--to make awkwardness tangible.

"I don't know. I just...I feel like maybe something's my fault. But I don't know what."

It's better than an unnecessary apology, at least.

[notsogreedy]

Ankh looks at him like he's missing something obvious. He has to remind himself that Eiji doesn't speak bird.

"Not your fault she's jealous."

[powertotearer]

"...Jealous?"

You have to remember, Eiji doesn't speak love very well either. This has completely escaped him.

[notsogreedy]

Don't look so confused, Eiji. Though, now that he thinks about it, he wouldn't be surprised if he just flat out doesn't understand the concept.

"She just wants you to go away so I'll pay more attention to her." He shrugs and goes to grab one of the newly bought ice pops for himself. "Kind of like that obnoxious 'friend' of yours."

Except a lot more tolerable since he likes her and this doesn't involve anyone being kidnapped. At least the bird is honest about it, unlike some people. Though how she got quite that attached to Ankh in the first place is something of a mystery to him.

1/2

[powertotearer]

"Kitamura? What does he have to do with..."

No, he doesn't, and it's something that's been bothering him for a very long time. He's never had any reason to feel jealous (outside of terrible experiences at Inugami he'd rather not talk about), so he really has no frame of reference when he sees it.

So give him a second.

2/2

[powertotearer]

And now:

"Wait, that's what that was about? It wasn't just the Greeed, that's why he kidnapped you and Hina?"

[notsogreedy]

Ankh opens his popsicle while he waits for Eiji to process that. Of course it's broken, and he gives the piece that falls out into his hand a look of annoyance before popping it into his mouth, but he doesn't say anything. Right now, he's not sure which of the two of them he'd want to blame for that, anyway.

"Heh." So that's why Eiji went so easy on him? Assuming it was all his impostor's fault and forgetting that Yummies come from a person's genuine desires in the first place? "What do you think? That Yummy didn't even exist when he took Hina. He tried to grab me himself, too." Clearly he had all that planned out long before the Greeed ever got involved.

[powertotearer]

"I thought...I mean, he said..."

Eiji, you of all people should know that sometimes, people lie. Especially when they don't want to admit their desires.

"Ankh, I'm so sorry."

[notsogreedy]

Yeah, well... at least that's an apology he's not going to argue with. He just shrugs as he bites into the rest of the popsicle. It's not like it really matters at this point, anyway.

[powertotearer]

It takes Eiji another minute to deal with the fact that he was extremely, dangerously stupid two years ago. Still, it's enough for him to dryly say, "I guess I'm looking even worse as far as Gavina's concerned."

[notsogreedy]

That gets an amused little huff. "I doubt she cares." He glances over to Gavina, who seems intent on ignoring this conversation, however much of it she understands. Ankh has yet to get a sense of exactly how many human words hold any sort of meaning for her, outside of commands she responds to.

"Anyway, she'll get over it once she figures out I'm not going to let her scare you off." Which he hopes is sooner than later, since she's being exceptionally stupid about it right now.