AMICITIA ASSCRACKER.

when iris was super young, he made the mistake of teaching her the gloriousness of the five second rule. both gladio and iris stick to it almost religiously, and where gladio really tries to be subtle about it, iris absolutely screams “FIVE SECOND RULE” before diving for the noms.

     and now his other hand joins as both stroke down over the sides of her short hair.   ❝ really? you mean i forgot to say..? ❞   well, now he tries to think back to when he left… suppose he’d been busy, too excited to head back home for a bit. zack doesn’t get to see his parents too often. shrugging it off, he decides the best course is to apologise regardless,   ❝ ah, iris       i’m  SORRY.  i’ll make extra sure to remember next time. can’t think why i didn’t. ❞   a light peck is placed on the top of her head, and then he moves away to his bag again  ( his mother, in true gongagan ma style, has sent him away with various home-prepared delicacies. he’s putting them into the fridge as he speaks next ):   ❝ yeah, i guess!  there’s not a lot in gongaga but it  DOES  feel good to go back. maybe i’ll take you next time, what do you think? ❞

      ❝ huh? you’re doing interrogations now? ❞   that usual bright  SMILE  quickly spreads onto his lips, and after dropping a bag by the door, he rests strong hand down on the top of iris’ head.   ❝ i went to visit my folks. but i told that you before i left, right? ❞

THE KID’S GOT no shortage of moxie and, for that, Snow has to  l a u g h, head thrown back, loud & boisterous. He figures it must look ridiculous to an outsider ——– him, a muscled  g i a n t, looming over her, a petite little thing, asking for a  f i g h t. But that doesn’t seem to keep her from a challenge. Something about that wild, reckless determination reminds him of  h i m s e l f, and maybe that’s why he feels the urge to share some helpful tips instead of stealing the  f i r s t  punch.

                                      “ Just, uh —– ” he begins, sidling up to her, rolling his right shoulder for a  q u i c k  demonstration. “ —— keep that shoulder down next time, ‘eh? You’ll get a ‘lil more speed on those hits of yours if ‘ya stop spiraling. A jab here, a jab there… I won’t even see ‘em comin’! ”    

    with jutted jaw and a steely determination in her eyes, she knows that today might not be the day that she’ll beat him, but the day will come and the amicitia will reign triumphant    (  listen, she’s got the victory fanfare on her phone for such an occasion, though, she hopes she still has the same one when the time rolls around  ). she’s every bit of her brother and father as she stands there, hands planted on her hips and jaw jutted stubbornly --- only difference is, dad knew when to quit. gladio... it was questionable.

A small laugh leaves through their nose and Leviathan runs their fingers through Iris’s hair in an odd attempt to soothe the warrior.

(the ocean could provide comfort need be.)

“Perhaps we have something for it that can actually help” the God ventured before rising to dig through a bag filled with emergency field medications. “Or in the very least save it from infection–” they hissed out in distaste.

   she’s half a mind to complain; put on a brave face    for the sake of the astral ---   how is it  the saying      goes ? where a person might forget, the astrals    will not, so may the gods be with you all ?  ah,    superstitious pish-posh clarus had gruffly called    it, though no doubt her had been pleased that     someone had instilled the fear of divine retro-    bution within her to the point of a few weeks of     impeccable behaviour.

(   curiouser  &  curiouser. now she comes to think about it. ).

“Ya can puke in my lap if ya want. It’s ok.”

                                          “ Hey —— ” 

WIPING A LINE OF SWEAT from his browline, Snow saunters forward with a beaming grin. It isn’t very often that he finds a  w o r t h y  hand-to-hand opponent, especially one so… small. But he can’t deny that he’s  i m p r e s s e d  by the young woman across from him. She’s all slender muscles, sweet smiles, & big brown eyes. Their enemies will never suspect a thing from her.   

                                           “ Not bad, kid! You’re comin’ along, ” he says, lowering a large gloved hand onto the top of her head to  r u f f l e  her shaggy locks. Then he’s pulling away to crack his knuckles, a display of charming confidence. “ Whaddaya say, huh? Think you’re ready to take me on for real? ”     

@daemonslae

    she’s wheezing and breathless; weight braced upon her palms, and those braced rather slippily   ( sweat does tend to do that ;  still absolutely gross, though !!  ) against her knees. boy, he’d given her a run for her money, but as with any member of her lineage, she is not one to bow down from a challenge   --- hardheadedness is so deeply ingrained into her that she couldn’t shift it if she tried. still, she cranes her head upwards, lips spread into a grin as lopsided as it is playful.  “   not  bad,  huuh ?  ”