明るい

"It’s not exactly beautiful. Before I came to Mirabili, it was easier to see the clouds go all pink and purple. Now, it’s an orange ball rising through smog and haze. Still pretty, I think." Zack nodded, almost to himself. "Just not what you’re used to, I bet." He turned slightly towards the blond. "I hear you’re from out of this place, right? Why did you move here? It’s a wasteland, y’know."

"...I can see that."

"No, just wanted to meet you.  Fresh blood, you know."  Possibly literally.

"You're not very friendly, you know."

"I suppose you could say that," Izaya said, more because he wanted to than because the answer was debatable.  He’d been there for maybe a day longer than the soldier he was speaking with, after all.

"Is there... anything in particular you needed me for then?"

Cutting straight to the point was best then, he figured. He wasn't much in the mood for entertaining today.

Cloud couldn't hide his confusion. In such a dark and gloomy place, could you really see the sunrise? He looked out onto the night, the skies weren't clear at the moment, but he felt like even if they were, he wouldn't feel the warmth of the sunrise-- it was like this place sucked the warmth right out of it. He couldn't blame his environment though, he guessed that living off of survival instincts didn't really leave time to sit and appreciate the beauty of nature.

"Is it... nice?"

He felt like he was asking as though he had never seen the sun before-- light it was a foreign thing. Of course, it wasn't, but he had had a sinking feeling when he arrived that things here wouldn't be the same as they were back home-- not that he would be living the same life here as he did there.

Tea and Coffee (a.k.a. cute starters):

Earl Grey Tea - You muse sits down with mine to have a nice cup of tea.

Japanese Green Tea - My muse needs calming down and it seems like green tea’ll do the trick.

Expresso - It’s early in the morning and my muse needs to wake up.

Black Coffee - My muse is day-dreaming and needs to snap out of it.

Milk Tea - Muses want to cuddle and be comfortable.

Bubble Milk Tea - Muses want to cuddle…maybe make out.

Honey and Lemon - My muse is in bed, sneezing, and wanting to be nursed back to health.

Alcohol (a.k.a. fun starters):

Whiskey - My muse wants to get drunk with yours and do stupid things.

Gin and TOnic - Muses only want to get a little tipsy, they want a good time and not do anything they’ll regret.

Wine - Muses want a civil convosation and good company.

Vodka - Muses want to get piss-ass drunk and make out.

Iced drinks (a.k.a. NSFW starters):

Chocolate - Your muse finds mine naked in their bedroom.

Mocha - Both muses are feeling particularly kinky and want to try out some new gear they bought.

Macha Shake - Muses are having a bath together and a sharp burst from the hot tap sends yours clinging to mine out of shock.

Caramel - My muse wants to try out some food play with yours.

Smoothies (a.k.a. angst starters):

Banana - Your muse comes in on my muse, who’s crying, and asks them what’s wrong.

Strawberry - Your muse finds mine self-harming and wants to know everything.

Apple - My muse has locked themselves away and your muse has found them, needing answers and information.

Orange - My muse has been taking drugs behind yours’ back and your muse finds out. Your muse is worried for mine.

Zack let his gaze wander from the stoic boy at his side to the area in front of him. Empty. Barren. Grounds that he’d gotten real tired of looking at, real fast. That wasn’t to say that he slacked at his job. Zack was ever seeking to excel and better his rank.

"...Hm. It's a quiet night, that's for sure. Is night watch usually like this?"

Izaya’s first thought had been to wonder why the new soldier hadn’t simply removed himself from the situation.  But humans were silly like that.  Maybe he’d expected a poor response?  It was exactly the opposite—he would have considered him to be perfectly reasonable if he wanted to leave.  He certainly wasn’t stopping him.  But as long as the kid was there, he was more than happy to continue talking to (or, as it might have been, at) him.

"...Are you new as well?" He figured he might as well ask. No harm done, right?

Once the blond lowered his gun- even though it was barely a few inches- he relaxed fully. One of his once raised hands ran through the back of his spiked up hair. “I’m Zack, Zack Fair. Your elder by two years, and this is my post. You can put that away, believe me. I’d have you on the ground before you even considered pulling the trigger.” He gave a hearty laugh and gestured toward the gun.

Zack trotted toward his usual post for night watch. It was nearly three in the morning, and his commanding officer had changed the usual routine to give one of the newbies a chance at playing guard. When he saw the young guy taking his place, he had to admit: he was a pretty alright looking guy. He knew from his own experiences, however, that one obtained scars pretty fast in this profession.

He started to near his usual station. He could see the blond’s back, which made an idea pop into his head. The black haired fighter started to stalk quietly toward the younger soldier. Once he was directly behind him, he lifted a gloved hand and let it fall on the teenager’s shoulder. 

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and someone yelling obnoxiously in his ear. Out of reflex, he almost jumped out of his boots and readied himself to attack. He stopped himself when he found a person dressed in a similar uniform as his own at the other end of his gun. Oh. He reluctantly lowered it but only a bit. He had met all of his commanding officers-- or at least saw their faces-- before he actually started work, so this person definitely wasn't someone he had to answer to.

No. Better. New Playtoy. 

"Oi. What’s so fascinating outside the window, soldier?" Byakuran rested his chin on top of the boy’s head. Because he could. Because who could stop him? Trick question, no one. That’s who. 

"Um... excuse me--"

Cloud went to push himself away from the stranger but stopped himself when he noticed who the other was. Shit. He bit his lip when he realized that this person was his faction's own general. Pushing him away probably wouldn't be the best decision, but at the same time, he couldn't say that this was a comfortable position.

"N-nothing in particular, sir... We were just taking a break and--"

He stopped himself before he dug himself into a hole. Slacking on his duties? He hoped Byakuran wouldn't see it that way. ...He wasn't going to be executed on his first day, was he?

Izaya realized how uncomfortable the boy was, and although amused, reluctantly conceded that it wouldn’t be much use to talk to him if he was too frightened to speak.  As a result, he abandoned his original plan and continued to smile, with a faint effort to make it less threatening.

The other male seemed to back off a bit. It was strange, but not at all unwelcome. Cloud didn't really want to deal with anything too... forward as of the moment. In the worst case scenario, he could just walk away, but he didn't really think it was...polite to do that. Especially just after meeting someone.

"—ha."

The younger boy stiffened when he spoke, a sure sign that he’d been startled, and Izaya breathed a quiet laugh at his sudden reaction.  He hadn’t expected it to be so easy to catch him off guard, but so much the better.  The easier it was to fluster the new soldier, the more fun the interaction was sure to be.  He left his blade in his pocket and, with an exaggerated sigh, leaned against the window, directly across from the kid.

Cloud tensed even more when he saw the other move directly in his line of sight. He had a feeling the other male wasn't going to leave him alone so easily, even if he asked politely. He resigned himself to respond as it seemed like the other was intent on amusing himself.

"Don’t tell me you’re depressed,”

"--?!"

Cloud almost jumped at the sound of someone's voice. He turned to the person in question, and had to fight from biting his lip. Cloud was hardly good at social interactions and even more so now that he was in a completely new environment. Considering the time and place-- and not to mention clothes-- Cloud figured the other was also a soldier. He figured it would probably be good to know a few people-- or at least not be on anyone's black list-- but he had a feeling at the other was making fun of him more than trying to be friendly.