cocktailparty | they hatin, patrollin

OPTION A:

[ this is what a mid-life crisis must feel like, leon's convinced of it. this is exactly what it feels like when you realize you're boxed in. well, perhaps that was being a bit dramatic. then again, life has become dramatic. suddenly a new house (it's quite nice, actually) in a new community (also weirdly nice) and a nice car. with two kids. two of them. two of them. there is nothing more panic inducing than walking into a home that's supposedly yours to two boys rough housing in the living room. calling you "dad". of all things.

he must honestly be living someone else's life. he'd like to give it back. thanks, this has been enough of an insane week, please take your kids, your place, your existence back now. any time, now! leon feels so entirely out of place. sitting in the car with both hands on the steering wheel after dropping the kids off at a friend's, dressed in clothes that don't feel like his (why in the world was his closet full of flannel shirts and worn out jeans? was that a hint for something?), thinking "wow this would be a lot easier if they had a mom. no, wait, i take that back, no it wouldn't be". single parents everywhere: leon has a new found respect for you; more than he already has.

leon pauses a moment longer to breathe. in and out. unsure if he should just run for the hills or not. it's been three days now... what was he supposed to do? let a couple of kids take care of themselves? that'd be a dick move if ever there was one.

instead he starts the car, parks it at the end of the block. gets out after locking the doors and just walks, shoving keys and his hands into his pockets. it's surreal and he didn't particularly like it. at least it feels less claustrophobic stretching his legs out. the quiet peace of everything is both off putting and relaxing, strangely enough. that's fresh air for you.

so maybe he wasn't entirely looking when he bumped into someone, or maybe a friendly 'hello!' gets his attention-- who knows what it is, but one thing is most certain: his gait is that of a man who doesn't know where in the world he's even going and a scowl that is a tad unpleasant. ]

OPTION B:

[ there is one perk to taking over a life that doesn't seem quite like it should be yours. well, a perk for leon, anyways. it's cliche to him, but working as a personal trainer in your local fitness center could be a lot worse. it's something to focus on and he'd rather help people than anything else. he's here to help you, folks, take advantage of that!

even more of a perk: actually getting to use said fitness center. leon isn't afraid to take a breather after hitting the treadmill pretty hard. works out anxious energy, you know?

the gym not your speed? how about your local shelter? nothing like volunteer work! leon likes animals, you might like animals, it's a win-win, right? feel free to chat him up about the shelter, the animals, some training tips for your dog, it's what he's there for. ]

OPTION C:

[ choose your own adventure! ]

Edited 2014-03-31 04:47 (UTC)

[ But what if said kid is Sora? You know, brilliant grin, a bit dim in the head, but still bright, Sora?

...Yeah that's probably half the cause the older male walked out of the fast so fast that Sora could swore he bolted out of the house at the sight of him calling Leon 'dad'. So it might've been a little bit of jest, but he sure wasn't expecting that reaction.

So... He's going to actually follow him discretely. Well, not... so discretely since this is Sora and being discreet isn't his strongest point. ]

Aw come on, it's not as bad as it looks like!

[ ...Scratch trying to be discreet, he's just following around at Leon's pace right now. ]

Edited (just to make sure the timeline is all neat and packed!) 2014-03-31 05:50 (UTC)

[ the list of things leon will never explain to anyone: 1) why the color grey is his favorite, 2) if you don't like otters he won't like you, 3) the extra laundry list of father issues.

leon and surprises also don't entirely go hand-in-hand. he'll get over it. so, true enough, it is half of it. sora's a friend. that's a victory in and of itself. (sort of; sora is hard to dislike, and he'd wanted to, at first. it never happened.) one step at a time and all. the other half is the thought of boundaries crossing, the distinguished barrier between someone who is "family" and someone who is "friend", and he tends to bullheadedly stick to things.

his strides smooth out while he reaches up, puts pressure at the bridge of his nose between his fingers. no, sora isn't the most discreet, but points for trying. ]

Probably not. [ a simple life with simple things has never been something anticipated. ] But--

[ "i'm not exactly ready to be a parent, let alone parent material, that's a lot of societal pressure." that'll wear off. eventually. or at least the novelty might. ]

It's not entirely what I had expected.

I don't think anyone would expect ending up in another world only to be told you're the head of a family you've never heard of before.

[ Considering Sora kind of... freaked when he found out that he's assigned to a house with no one inside as a kid. Don't even ask him how he lived those days without a parent, it's a miracle that the house hasn't turned into a den exclusively for 'cool kids'. Still, Sora just grinned, put both of his hands on the back of his head, like he always did when he's relaxed. ]

Just think of it as a vacation from work! I mean, rebuilding Radiant Garden must've taken a lot of work, right? This sounds way more simpler than that!

[ Sora you're not the one stuck having to manage the household. ]

[ how you managed not to starve would be a tale leon would be amazed by. (or, at least that sarcastic bit of him muses.) though now that the thought was settling, uneasy as it was, maybe someone would actually be able to drill some good habits into people.

this wasn't going to be good on his nerves at first. radiant garden isn't something he can just leave behind. there's a lot of work that needs doing. and this? first week or two? not going to be good on his nerves.

on the bright side: sora wouldn't have to pick up after himself for a bit. the down side: leon is something of an obsessively compulsive neat freak around other people with a pension for adhering to a routine like industrial strength epoxy. too antsy to sit still while the gears have switched on him. he doesn't know how to manage a household. the committee could take care of itself for the majority. took care of each other, but that's entirely different than... this.

hoo boy.

leon sighs, letting his hand drop. it is surprisingly hard to feel entirely out of sorts when the kid's around. for all leon wants to rag on him about (rushing into everything, for one, in leon's opinion) things generally turn out alright. ]

Not as easy as all of that. [ his 'breaks' tend to include destroying heartless and nobodies in a ring for entertainment value, and that's simple for him. ] Too much left undone.

Not my sort of lifestyle.

Edited 2014-04-02 04:17 (UTC)

[ She had to get rid of that cat.

No, she really had to. Nitori's eyes were about to swell shut and if she were around it too long, she would start to feel a little woozy. Tension headaches, eyes that are either too dry or watering... itchy, too. The sneezing was sporadic and most of this could be taken care of nearly completely with medication, but her son? He wasn't quite so lucky. All the medication in the world wouldn't help him.

She was a responsible person, but the cat was foisted upon her and her assigned spouse had taken it in without discussing it with the rest of the household. After pacing outside the shelter a few times, she eventually enters.

And her mouth goes dry.

From a distance, she doesn't notice the minute differences -- taller, more masculine, older. The clothes aren't the same. Upon approaching, she remains unaware of just how different he is, more concerned with his presence than the details of it. Quistis folds an arm around her waist, settles the hand of the other on her hip. ]

Not exactly who I was expecting here. No letter, no call, no anything?

[ She smiles, though. ]

[ as much trouble as he has processing it with his own hang-ups about it, if there's one thing he can understand it's what's doing best for the family. sometimes allergies could get bad. really bad. nothing anyone can really do much about it. sometimes that's the danger of being overly kind: ready to take in cats no one was sure they wanted.

it could be worse, he supposed.

leon had been clipping a leash to someone's dog, adjusting the collar a little to make sure it wasn't too tight before the owner walked away. comfortable here, able to think a bit. animals aren't complicated. easier to talk to than people. a dog is just going to want your attention for the most part. cats, while aloof, were just as good. there's a parrot here, too. the only one. friendly. the list goes on. nothing more simple in the world than volunteering with shelters.

when he stands, it's with his brows raised and shoulders surprisingly relaxed. leon is indeed different. for one: he doesn't recognize this woman. unsure of whether she was mistaking him for someone else (ironically) or if she just happened to be joking. two: not overly bothered with being approached. ]

Excuse me?

[ She wipes two finger back and forth over the side then up and over the bridge of her nose, like that will stop her eyes from feeling like they need to be removed straight from the sockets and washed. She was still taking allergy medication and she was wearing her glasses instead of a pair of contacts for this reason, as well. It was enough to get by. If it was just herself, she worked enough that she could handle this so long as the cat stayed off the sofa where she slept and took her rightful place in the master bedroom or curled up next to the kids.

Her eyes follow him carefully, interested but not overly so. Her eyebrows raise minutely when he speaks and she laughs. ]

How long has it been that you don't recognize me? Or is this a joke of some sort, Squall? [ For all he could be annoyed with her sense of humor, they often shared the same (very awkward) traits. She leans forward, swipes her hand through the air, palm facing herself then upward. ] Well, you've got me. Very funny.

[ leon wasn't amused. it showed. that familiar way that his arms came up to fold across his chest. almost defensive while his mouth becomes a very thin, displeased line. eyeing her critically. he'll learn, perhaps, given time to accept her, that they're alike in that awkward way.

right now? not so much. ]

Depends on where you heard that name from.

[ it doesn't bother him as much as it used to. leon accepts that he'd been running. but he still can't accept 'squall'. that's not who he is anymore. yes grown up, learned. but unfortunately memory is sometimes a tricky thing.

he'd recognize someone like her, he thinks as he tilts his body just so to try and counter the defensiveness by turning it into something aloof-- cocking his head to one side a little, hip the opposite just as slight. ]

Hate to disappoint, but I don't make jokes.

[ The expression is familiar, though one she wears more frequently than Squall does. She manages to avoid rolling her eyes, though the temptation is there. ]

What do you even mean by that?

[ But she has a better look of him now and he's definitely older. It doesn't at all occur to her that he could be a different Squall, a Squall that has never known her. The very idea of having never known him is not possible.

Her brows knot and she almost (almost) pouts, but instead her mouth twists upward at each corner. It comes off more unimpressed and exasperated than anything else. ]

No, of course you don't. [ She frowns, makes sure that her eyes meet his. She manages to hold back any indication of being upset beyond the vaguest tremble to her voice. ] You really don't remember me, do you?

That's not my name anymore.

[ the urge to tell this woman that he really didn't want to talk about this was almost difficult to suppress. people recognize him sometimes. mostly in the coliseum. not entirely by name, but by face, and then there is radiant garden. it's happened on one or two occasions: an old classmate and the man with two kids from across the street that he'd lived near once upon a time ago.

so this doesn't entirely make the coincidence entirely unfamiliar. especially with the look on her face. like he was missing something important, perhaps.

leon just feels bad about it. that he can't put her face to a name or anything after trying to sift through what he has, that she's obviously expecting him to figure out who she is (that she knows him at all, and on a first name basis). a year ago he would have said "not now", had better things to do, brushed it aside. only considers it for a nanosecond before relaxing his shoulders, exhaling in a small sigh and shaking his head. ]

Sorry.

[ no, he doesn't. ]

( I never did may much attention to people back then... )

[ the sad truth of it. ]

Since when? You were here only a few weeks ago, after all.

[ There's a dark tenor to it. She's becoming frustrated, ready to raise her voice but holding back and stopping just short of it. She wonders if this is how Seifer and Irvine felt, seeing these people they could recall but never once having recognition light up in their eyes when they looked at you. It felt like someone was squeezing her heart. It's that same feeling as when she was told to talk to a wall, that Seifer was dead, that Spitfire was dead where he came from... somehow, still the same as being told she was wanted, too. ]

I... see.

[ A simple response. Her mind immediately runs more than her mouth. What was it, GFs? Had he junctioned too many for too long? An injury, maybe? Her eyes run over him and she tries not to linger, tries not to scrutinize. She's had it done to her and it makes her want to fold into the shadows until there's nothing left. ]

You're older. Between twenty-five and thirty. [ She takes a step closer, to better gauge her assessment. ] You weren't that much taller than me, either.

[ She falls back, tries to keep out of his personal space for the most part. Self-consciously, she fidgets with her glasses. ]

When I first came here, others came from a different point in our timeline. I... [ She looks to him, tries to read his expression. ] You really don't remember me?

[ a few weeks ago? unfortunately that should be impossible. leon's pretty sure he'd remember waking up one day, saddled with a couple of kids to play soccer mom with. it makes his scowl return, a bit deeper, lines in places that have long since been set since childhood furrowed. tolerates her getting closer and recedes (as if that would make the measure of him, though he's better at it with how yuffie is constantly glues to him in the best ways a friend can be) mostly because he would rather not make a scene out in public. Not that he particularly likes be considered too terribly old. Wanted to tell her that it's rude to remind a guy that he's almost thirty and that he barely gained an inch or two. always the runt. let's it go, though.

truth be told, he feels awful about it. a slow realization that she isn't kidding in the slightest. she's being very serious about the matter, fidgeting with her glasses, looking at him, and it's something he's sort of used to. trying to read him, he means. part of him really wishes aerith were here to practically read his mind. she'd know what to say and do. how to defuse a an awkward situation like this.

that and the whole "different times" thing seems like it should be utter nonsense. then again, so does losing memories of someone for a whole year, like they were never there for a while. so does this entire community. it's weird.

true to leon's (squall's) nature, he is careful with processing what he should say, a long pause to think it over carefully, the scowl all that really gives it away. ]

I don't, sorry. [ it's said with some honest regret: he doesn't remember, like it seems as he should, shaking his head a couple of times. couldn't really bring himself to look her quite in the eye about it. feeling just as self-conscious now that the words get out of his mouth. ] At all.

[ chews at the very inside of his lips for a second. but only a second. let's an arm fall to motion at the shelter's interior. ] Look, maybe this isn't the time or place for this. You should take care of what you need to first.

Edited 2014-04-06 20:21 (UTC)

[ She focuses on that look on his face, focuses on his expression. If he doesn't remember, she's putting a lot of pressure on him and it's probably as awkward (if not more so) for him than it is her. It isn't right to lay this burden on his shoulders, but it's Squall and she's been forgotten again. It's a scary thought, to be so lost and uncertain.

Quistis hates not knowing where she stands with him. Moreover, she hates that she does know where she stands: nowhere. She doesn't have a place in this Squall's life.

I... I see. [ She folds an arm against her stomach and grips the opposite one carefully. She feels very self-conscious right now, like she should retreat. How could she, though? It's never quite so easy with Squall. ] I didn't think that... I never thought there would be a point in time where I wouldn't be part of your life.

[ Which might be easy to misconstrue, but she doesn't seem too keen too push the matter. She practically exudes discomfort and uncertainty. Wanting to push, but not. It's too difficult.

She nods, though. Might as well direct her attention somewhere else. ]

Someone left a kitten on my doorstep a few weeks ago. My assigned spouse brought it in and while I'm all for such an altruistic gesture... [ She seems to ease up almost immediately, though there's a certain stiffness to her, as if she's always so serious. ] I've mild allergies and one of my assigned children can't be around it even while taking medication. His eyes have nearly swollen shut and he has difficulty breathing even when it isn't around. We've had no luck with friends and colleagues and it simply can't stay in the house. It's gotten to the point where my assigned son is staying elsewhere.

[ The way she says it sounds serious. A strange combination of closeness, familiarity, and dislike of the situation she's been thrust into. ]

I understand that there are plenty of animals without homes, but we have enough issues with the cactuar alone.

[There's one usual shelter that Roxas goes to for his white, spaniel-labrador mix's pet food. He'll pass by it after school, usually, but on some occasions, he'll visit in the middle of their daily walks. Despite Roxas initially knowing next to nothing about pets, Dodger has become a fairly well-behaved three-month-old. His only problems are chewing shoes and liking bellyrubs more than he should. The little guy will stop, drop, and roll at any given moment.

Which is exactly what he does on Leon's boot! He's got a collar on, so you know he belongs to somebody, but the puppy is on his turning on his back and stretching out his arms and legs and curling his little head to look at Leon. Pet him before Roxas turns the corner and finds him. He demands it.]

Edited 2014-03-31 06:21 (UTC)

[ demands it, huh? well, there could be worse things than a three-month-old puppy collapsing on your foot. and it's not a stray, obviously, so either lost or perhaps gotten away from their owner. these things happen. especially with a mix like a spaniel-lab. boy that sounds like a handful.

mouth curving up a little, leon stoops down, bending on one knee. bellyrups? no problem, frankly! especially if dodger is just going to lay there expectantly. ]

Where in the world did you come from, hm? [ scrubbing at the pup's tummy he uses the opportunity to take a look at the name tag on the collar, see if there's any useful information. waiting for roxas to round that corner just in time to see. ]

[He'll lie around there until Leon actually gets to the petting. Then he will happily roll side-to-side, still on his back but making petting and rubbing unnecessarily difficult. It means he likes it.

Then Roxas turns that corner just an aisle away and skids to a halt. Before he notices his own dog, he notices the person tending to him. His eyes are round, blinking, and his shoulders slacken. Is that...?]

Leon?

[ only one word for a dog like this: rambunctious. he doesn't see it as too bad of a thing. if anything it's amusing. hits a soft spot of his, so to speak.

but on hearing his name and looking up: ]

( Sora...? )

[ when he blinks, it kind of disappears. there is something disturbingly familiar there. either the face or the shoulders, he doesn't know. it passes when it hits leon that roxas isn't exactly a regular he knows yet. hey, at least he has the common sense to still keep a hold of dodger's collar just in case. ]

Can so help you?

[ still had to be professional, and all, but the confusion is there in his scowl. ]

[Technically, Sora had spoken through him. Roxas only knew Leon's name through Sora's memories; Sora had met with Leon again just after Roxas had returned to him. Leon wouldn't know who Roxas was at all.

And maybe Roxas can play it off as a fluke. With his eyes flickering down, looking for some kind of nametag on Leon's shirt to use as an excuse, Dodger's barking finally catches his attention. The little pup, held back by his collar, is on his hind legs, balanced by the pull of the collar as he lolls his tongue and swims his little arms in the air towards Roxas.]

Uh, yeah. He's mine. Sorry about that. [Roxas settles on one knee. Hopefully Leon will let his dog go and they can act like nothing wrong went on? Ha ha ha?]

It's fine. [ not a second thought about letting the dog go from roxas. after all, it's not his pet, and he doubts some kid would lie about a thing like that. especially if it'll calm the barking. (or it could still be the faint familiarity to someone else.) leon lets that bit slide some.

they keep having to remind him to actually put on a name tag. he's used to people at least understanding him, that he's there, to help, after a year of getting used to people and the committee putting their everything into rebuilding an entire world from its ashes.so he forgets it all the time.

leon thinks they've stopped chiding him simply because he'll make fairly awkward expressions over it.

so, no, they don't entirely carry on like it never happened. ]

You're a regular. [ he assumes. ] Never seen you before myself.

[ a cue to perhaps explain, eyeing roxas up and down a little more. less out of suspicion and more to do with trying to genuinely place where he may have met the kid. ]

[Dodger scampers on over to Roxas's feet, wherein Roxas straps the guy onto a leash. Dodger bites at it, tosses his head, and then goes around to sniff Roxas as if his scent might have changed since the five minutes that he left him.

Roxas, on the other hand, knows entirely what Leon is asking. He swallows quietly, ducking his head to hide the bob of his adam's apple. Look Leon straight in the eye. Remember to blink. He can't know you're lying.]

They told me there was an employee named Leon back here who might have my dog. [Good enough, but Roxas had certainly sounded like he knew Leon when he turned that corner. Whether Leon would let that slide is his choice.] Is that you?

[ perhaps it's unfortunate for roxas that leon knows a lie when he hears it. for the most part. observant is a better word for it. on the other hand, he isn't one to press. curious, yes, though not in so much as willfully making someone uncomfortable in public. that's just rude, right?

(give it about ten minutes.)

leon pauses for a long fraction while meeting the kid's eyes. debating if he really should say anything, gaze moving to the dog and back. weighing his options. either he could call the bluff and make it all look bad in his opinion, or he could just move on. ]

He's energetic. [ the dog, anyways. ] Caught him just in time. You ever think about starting behavioral training any time soon?

[ in the end, leon doesn't call it. moves it in favor of a different conversation at a different time. make no mistake: leon will ask some time. ]

[If Roxas wouldn't explain the uncanny familiarity now, he would have to do it later. He's never been a good liar; he'd never seen fit to lie in the first place, never had reason to even what he remembers of his simulated past in Twilight Town, and Holly Heights had done nothing to hone his lying abilities.

But back to the dog. Dodger is settled back on Roxas's shoes, chin on his paws and tail wagging. Roxas leans down to pet him, relieved (cautiously) that Leon had let the subject of his name go for now.]

Yeah, but I haven't actually looked into it. [He lifts his eyes back to Leon.] You guys do that here?

[Are you trying to pitch a sale to him Leon]

they hatin, patrollin

Leon | Kingdom Hearts

A, when Leon found out who his 'kid' is.

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b!

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