hugtopia_logs | (no subject)

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♥ Who: Gladio and OTA.
♥ Where: Everywhere.
♥ When: January 3rd.
♥ What: Gladio finding his feet and meeting the locals.
♥ Rating: PG-13

Another Strange Place:
[Gladio had been walking toward a small group of children, smiling as disarmingly as a man as large and seemingly intimidating as he could. The adults were nowhere to be seen, aside from some of the elderly. He'd hoped to gain some information. Anything, to help...

But between one step and the next... everything went dark. Not not a bad kind of dark. It felt... strange...

... When Gladio opened his eyes to see sky above him, white clouds, blue, clear sky... He turned his head slightly to see... nothing he expected. Instead of rustic houses, dirt paths, wooden fences and children at play, he saw white. White pillars and columns shaped like trees. Red and white ornaments. Strange looking birds. And he was laying down in the centre of it all.

He rose slowly, turned and dropped his legs over the edge of slab of carved stone he lay upon. When Gladio looked down he still wore the same clothes he'd been wearing (black leather pants, dark brown tunic, black cloak), so at least that hadn't changed. There was a sigh as he lifted a hand to scrub across his face.]

Damn train's done it again...

[Was this a side mission? Why had he been pulled away? And where was everyone else? When Gladio looked at his wrist he frowned, his SCA was gone. That didn't bode well. He was just contemplating calling out when a strange robot approached him... and that's where Gladio found out that he wasn't in Irivar anymore.

He was lead from the stone slab into another area to find more robots... he was handed a tablet, some local currency... and sent him on his way.

Gladio stepped out of the, what was it? He looked back and up. Temple... definitely a temple. He stepped out... and immediately sat himself down on the steps in the snow to try and work his head around what the hell he'd gotten himself into this time.]

A Teeny Tiny Fortune:
[Having noticed the strange booth, Gladio approached curiously. These robots were a strange thing, but so was the box that he was handed. He shook it as directed, a small, amused smile on his lips.

Then he was given a piece of paper.]

"The smallest things can bring the biggest rewards." Huh... good things in small packages, right? Thanks.

[Still looking very amused, Gladio shoved the paper in his pocket and turned to go.]

Stuck On You:
[Apparently he needed to look for a place to live. This was a big step up from a small room with a smaller bed shared between four people.

Gladio had taken his cloak off and had it wrapped over one hand. The laces of his leather tunic had been loosened and he was considering just taking that off as well, but figured near stripping in the middle of the street could be frowned upon.

He was so distracted by his surroundings that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Gladio bumped into someone. Automatically he reached out to stop whoever he ran into from hitting the ground... except that never happened. Wait, why couldn't he let go?]

Sorry! You okay?

Taking Stock:
[He'd found his way to the centre of the city it seemed. He'd found a fountain, an interesting structure that Gladio stood for a while, just looking at. He moved around it slowly, looking at all angles, before he sat himself down on the edge.

He stretched his legs out in front of himself and sighed.

So far this place didn't seem to have anything in common with where he had been before... He was starting to get a sinking feeling.

It was cold, there was snow everywhere, but nothing that was going to bother him so much that he was rushing to get indoors. He'd spent so much time inside over the last few months, even the snow was welcome.]

Home Away From Home:
[Houses... Small houses bunched together... And he was supposed to find one.]

Right... so how the hell does this work?

[Gladio walked up the street, then down it again, before he stopped in front of a house that appeared to be vacant. The tablet thing claimed it was unoccupied, so he walked on in.

After having a look around, he laughed to himself and did what was necessary to become the new owner... and then dropped himself down on sofa. Well and truly done.]

Wildcard:
[If you have another idea for a prompt, have at it, I'll run with anything. Though if you'd like to contact me I can be found on plurk and discord:

JustAnotherUsername | Theo#4816 - poke me as needed![

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Gladio just kept on smiling.]

I care about my friends too.

Hah he told you that, huh? Might take time to work up a collection here though...

[What with being new and all. He'd need to find out if there was even anywhere to buy books... and if they were in a language he understood.]

[Nod nod.]

...It does take a while. I have been working on mine, but I have not filled up any of my shelves all the way yet.

You can share it though, in the meantime.

[He was touched. It was a genuinely sweet offer and he'd be a monster to say no.]

I'd love that. Thanks, kiddo.

We'll get those shelves filled up for you in now time. [Soon as he could buy books. He'd thank her with new ones.]

[This was also her jazzed face.]

That would be nice. Yours, too.

[You know. Once he had some shelves. Not having shelves yet didn't mean they couldn't get started though! So Vianca was holding her hand back out to him pointedly.]

Did they tell you? The more you hold hands and such, the easier things are. Getting books too.

[Gladio was more than happy with stacks if he didn't have shelves, but he grinned when her hand was held out again, and he reached to take it.]

That so...? I think they said something...

[But he'd been in such a hurry to get away, he hadn't been paying much attention.]

Holding hands gets books?

[Stacks taller than her then! Pleased that he so willingly took her hand again, Vianca curled tiny fingers around his.]

Yes. [Was the simple answer.]

Touch is what the world is missing. To encourage it, we are rewarded each month for how much we do things like hold hands.

[There was a beat here as Vianca looked at their hands, the subtlest squint touching her eyes. She had never had to do the explaining of this before, so now that she said it out loud it was kinda. Uh.]

... I am not sure how the gods have access to bank accounts.

So... if we hold both hands we get more rewards?

[There was a note of teasing in Gladio's voice, but for all he knew that could damn well have been an actual thing, and it would be the funniest thing if it did. All he needed to do was go around and grab everyone's hands and earn himself books. Easy.

Then he did laugh.]

I learned it's better to accept stuff like that just happens. Thinking bout it gives me a headache!

That's true. Some things defy explanation.

[Her trying to explain how she learned how to become a people shape, for example. They'd hit that bridge another time though, because right now Vianca was already holding out her other hand.]

I think it is just for how long though, but sometimes other things need both hands.

[Okay, she was cute. Too damn cute for words. And Gladio was delighted when she played along and held out her other hand. He laughed, deep and genuine, and took the second hand in his.]

So if we count to ten, think that'd be enough for a book?

[She pondered this deeply, looking at their hands again.]

Maybe if we count slowly.

[He gave a serious nod. Counting slowly could work. He was trying REALLY hard not to smile.]

Okay, I'll start... Ten...

[It was getting harder to hold back his smile as he slowly started to count down from ten, still holding the kids hands within his.]

[His counting partner was unfortunately the epitome of patience. Did slowly mean they would count minutes? That would be fine. Were they counting hours? ... Unlikely on Gladio's part, but Vianca would probably try. Minutes was already probably pushing it for anyone but her, so the silence that followed ten stretching out was

probably...

pretty...

concerning...

as Vianca steadily stared at him and eventually, finally, whispered:]

Nine.

[It was too much, at that whispered nine, Gladio grinned... and decided to hell with it and sat his ass down in the snow. If he was going to do this, his knees wouldn't be able to handle kneeling for that long.

So... he waited.

And he waited some more.

In his head he counted out a solid minute...]

... Eight.

[This was a two-for-one surprise. She kind of had expected he would have stood back up before he opted for sitting down, so. A surprise. She also didn't anticipate he'd go! For the whole minute! Wow!

Still, that sitting bit was. Hm. Vianca tipped her head to the side, making a pointed look at his seat.]

... Um. Are you sure you are okay sitting there?

[Hang on a moment, seven!]

[The problem with standing up was that he would have had to either let go of her hands, or bend over in a way that would have strained his back. Sitting down was, in his opinion, the only valid option.

He smiled and nodded.]

Sure am.

[Maybe he'd regret it when he realised his cloak was wet, but at least his butt would remain dry. Leather was good for something.]

Seven!

[There was a very tiny gasp when he just went on ahead! And took seven! Hey!]

Seven was my number.

[Hey!!!!]

... Seven.

[Gladio gave her as innocent a smile as he could muster.]

Ah, my apologies, Miss Vianca.

[And somehow he managed to even sketch a little bow from his seated position... and grinned playfully.]

Six!

[No, no, she knew what that was. That was a sassy apology. You can't fool her.

You were going to have to sit in that snow for a full other minute, buster. (And then she was predictably feel bad about it! But shh.)]

Five.

[No sass. Playfulness maybe, but Gladio definitely wouldn't have sassed her.

He smiled all the way through the minute... then counted out his own before he leaned in and whispered.]

... Four.

[Oh, close. There was suddenly quite a few blinks on Vianca's end, and she sputtered out the next part sooner than she would have otherwise.]

Three...!

[He pulled back, laughing, cheerfully calling out the next number soon after the last.]

And two!

Almost there.

[Ohhh he really got her there. Vianca nodded more assertively, ignoring whatever pink had turned up on her freckled cheeks. They were almost there!

Just.

Give it another minute.

To really make it count when she squeezed his hands.]

... One!

[Gladio started to laugh, it was silly, it was cute, it was possibly the nicest way to introduce him to this new world.

He returned the little squeeze with one of his own, before he carefully let her hands go and pulled his back to rest on his lap.]

Think it worked?

[And that was that. Vianca politely clasped her hands- now much warmer than they had been before- in front of her skirt with an affirmative hum.]

Yes. Unfortunately we won't find out how well until next month... But I am sure it was a good head start.

Next month? [A dramatic sigh, and Gladio dropped his chin onto his hand, his elbow on his knee.]

That's a long time to count...