#*interactions: barret.

AROUND  A  TABLE  TOO  SMALL  FOR  HIS  FRAME  BUT  JUST  RIGHT  FOR  HERS,  BARRET  GUFFAWS  —  he  chats,  and  wisecracks,  and  plays  his  worst  game  of  cards  to  date.  ain't  the  game  he's  playing,  pot  hasn't  been  sweet  enough  for  him  in  a  long  time  —  the one  he's  playing  and  what  he's  after?  same as always and he  ain't  the  type  to  half-ass  ;  eyes always on target,  hold   her  close  with  the  arm  thrown  around  the  back  of  her  chair.   every  time  he  gets  a  laugh  out  of  her,  or  every  time  she  makes  that  sound,  the  huff  of  air  that  says  she's  tryin'  not  to?  it  distracts  him  and  he  doesn't  know  ace  from  spade,  can't  find  it  in  him  to  look  away  from  her  and  to  his  cards,  flinging  them  out  haphazardly  instead. 

so  yeah,  he's  playing  a  pretty  shitty  game  of  cards,  but  within  their  walls,  in  their  dining  room?  HE'S  A  WINNER.  he's so certain that's the case that  when  he  leans  back  one  of  those  times  and is caught taking her in, all  barret  can  do  is  laugh  and  correct  her, free hand pressing to his chest earnestly,    ❝   nah, ain't  peekin'  at  your  cards — not that hard up to win this chumps game, probably counting his goddamn cards anyway, like usual.  ❞  jab to throw their friends off done to chuckles of amusement leaves him free to shift  his  weight  so  that  he  can  place  a  kiss  high  on  her  brow,  quietest  his voice has been all  night  pressed  into  the  skin  there,  just  for  her,  this  part  of  him,    ❝  lookin'  at  you,  baby. how 'bout that?  ❞ ( but he wouldn't play that two he catches out of the corner of his eye. )

HEFTS HIS WEIGHT DOWN NEXT TO HER, A COBBLED TOGETHER SKEWER IN HAND — and well, how could he help but notice? ❝ damn, tifa, ❞ guffawing laugh and he's gesturing with his more balanced spread of foods to hers, close to jovial ribbing as he says, ❝ all of those 'shrooms? you got anything else on there? ❞ he's leaning forward to tilt his head enough to really investigate what she's got going on ; enough food groups he's satisfied she ain't gonna croak on 'em. she isn't stupid enough to do that anyway, hell, probably eats better than him on average, gotta to manage what she does. at the end of the day he's not her dad and she likes them. let the woman have somethin', even if it's something small as overindulgence in fungus. not judging, he can only hope in hindsight that's clear in brown eyes caught by their fire. whether or not she has time to catch it before he shakes his head and raises his hand up in surrender he isn't sure. but he worries about her, and he's sorta neutral on the things himself and the campfire catches her figure and he's thinkin' she could handle a couple more, can't she?

LET HER HAVE THINGS SHE LIKES, she's more than earned it, and she's still growing far as barret is concerned. heard they're good for the brain once from some old woman spoutin' off that marlene needed 'em in her diet. aw hell, he's just rotating a whole laundry list of excuses for something that doesn't need excused at all. tifa's his friend, plain an' simple. he straightens up, but fills her space instead with his skewer, ❝ c'mon then, take 'em. not a huge fan myself — ❞ normally he might avert his gaze for the embarrassment of tough persona dropped. tonight he doesn't. he wants her to know he means it when he says, ❝ so you go on and get a good taste for 'em now. give you plenty of time to think of how to work 'em into a drink or a dish or somethin' when you get a new place up and runnin'. sure you can get soldier boy to be your guinea pig. ❞ he clears his throat like he's said something improper, but the tilt of his lips clearly gives his amusement at the thought away.

SOMETHING ABOUT OLD DOGS AND NEW TRICKS — hard-headed but not hard-hearted and that's where these kids keep gettin' him. in aerith's case it's got a lot to do with bein' grateful for her help and owing her. that's what he'll say it is if he's asked why he walks off the beaten path in the first place and into the grass where the other peers at something, as she says, weird. had anybody else asked him? he mighta said they're in a rush and need to keep moving, shinra doesn't wait and those robes — well, they ain't fast, but they're certainly driven. definitely woulda said so to yuffie. cloud wouldn't be doin' all this, neither would red. tifa ... well. aerith and tifa. somethin' about those girls, they've nestled right in there next to marlene — around her, really, in ways he hasn't been able to manage alone. so, again, he's grateful enough that he gives her grace when his large form looms over her shoulder to follow her gaze earthwards and he finds nothing?

but oh, barret tries, and tries, and when aerith says there, right there and makes a big ol' show of pointing, barret squints at the grass and weeds. he even vocalizes a hum in genuine exertion, broken up by an honest declaration of, ❝ well i ain't seein' a damn thing. ❞ and then he hears a little snicker and the sound he lets out is disgruntled at worst, flustered at best. his hand comes up to the back of his neck, hot with embarrassment rather than irritation, ❝ you kids pullin' my leg. keep on i'm gonna be needin' a new one of them too — ❞ his hand falls and rests against his side, and he is so grateful that he just sighs lightly when she laughs, gives a shake of his head and finally comes around to urging her the way he would another.

❝ c'mon now, ain't got time for games, aerith. ❞ and he's sulking off, a grumble of, ❝ won't be fallin' for that one again. ❞ off of his lips. still, at the end of the day, HE IS AN OLD DOG AND TRUSTING THE FOLK IN HIS HEART IS AN OLD, OLD TRICK HE'LL FALL FOR EVERY TIME. he already knows that he'll ask her five minutes up the road in hushed voices and hunched down close for it if there was really something there at all and he knows that he'll be more than content listening to whatever story or apology she wants to give (already forgiven, already understood — she's just a kid having fun, he only wants to make sure she isn't seeing shit).