#bodji

Zhaji sat out in the desert heat, hands lazily supporting the back of his head like a makeshift cushion. The heat bearable upon his russet skin - it was a lazy day. But a lot of days were like this, he appreciated it. And right now he needed it.

He held the sharpened knife high in the sky, the sun glinting off it’s honed edge. It was beautiful in it’s simplicity. He thought about how such a simple blade, will cause so much torment. But that’s all he could do, think. He wouldn’t remember it. It’d just be another day. They’d tell him everything was alright, everything was taken care of, he didn’t have to worry. He’d wake up sleeping against a rock. Like nothing would happen. He’d accept that and move on.

Zhaji looked over towards the Seeker in the distance. She was looking for it, he could tell. And he could see the rain cloud only growing larger with each passing moment.  He thought about the argument they had. It was better for them to depart on good terms.

...And what better way, than a specially made hot chocolate; with cinnamon, spices and extra cream on top?

~In A Name~

“Well, now I feel less ashamed on myself.” He reached up to idly scratch the side of his face - not that there was an itch or anything, just the idea of bugs crawling along your face is enough to instinctively react to it. Though, he beckoned her over with a gentle gesture of his free hand. “So..uh, do you notice anything different about me?”

Bodge was much less relieved now.  Okay, stay cool, girl.  She hazarded to walk forward while she stalled.  What was different about Hot Chocolate?  WHAT IN SEVEN HELLS WAS DIFFERENT ABOUT HOT CHOCOLATE?  “Did you change your hair?”  She blurted, the first guess that came to her mind.  Nailed it.  His hair did look different, but it could just be the night.  Things look different when it’s cold, and things look different when it’s dark.  It was both now, so all bets were off.  She stopped a few comfortable arm lengths from him… Elezen arms, of course, not dainty little lalafell arms.

Zhaji'a Nejaho shared Bodge a smile that would rival the bunny hostesses at the Gold Saucer! That glorious ringing of the bell from beating one of its many attractions played in the back of his mind. “You noticed!” He responded, honestly it made him happy that someone acknowledged it, however though, she didn’t give it a compliment. He took note of the distance she kept, he wasn’t having none of it. Welcome to socialising, Bodge! And he closed the gap, approaching her before turning his head to the side for her to see it in all its splendor. “What do you think? Does the short hair suit me? Or did you prefer my older look?” ...Oh look, Bodge. Zhaji challenges you to express your opinion!

Bodge turned one of her heels to sprint for the river.  She could swim back home and no one would be any the wiser.  No, damnit, you’re here to help him save his brother!  Okay, she needed to really think about his hair.  Uhhh, okay, it was very wild and spikey.  And come to think of it, it looked very loud and obnoxious.  If this hair was a person, it would definitely order hot chocolate at a bar.  “It suits you?”  She said.  Nailed it girl, NOW RUN!

Zhaji’a sought answers, but he didn't anticipate how they would be delivered as Bodge switched violently. He practically jumped on the spot, thinking she might pull a knife and drive it into his throat. In a gesture of goodwill, he offered the flask once agai- And now it's over the building."Hey! Why'd you do that for!?" He exclaimed, turning to face her with narrowed eyes and brow creased. "What the fuck is your problem!? I ask a single question, and you completely flip out on me like I slaughtered your entire family!" He thrusts his hands in an explosive gesture towards her. "Sorry for trying to get to know you! Sorry for attempting to be your friend!" His nostrils flared, eyes briefly glancing down towards that knife. His hands clenched for a moment..then relaxed.

She wasn’t helping the situation very much.  “You’re a great friend!  You’re just an idiot sometimes!”  She huffed, but then quickly glanced to see where the flask of water had landed.  “You don’t care about flowers or anything, you just care about your stupid hot chocolate with the whipped cream.”  Somewhere very far away was a poetic swordsman who was proud of Bodge for speaking in metaphor like that.  Inspired work, girl.  The sun had apparently seen that things were getting heated, so it backed off, and the cool shadow of a cloud drifted over the fighting cats.

He looked at Bodge as if she spoke sacrilege. He could feel his heartbeat rising..those hands clenched again, firmly. "Excuse me!? Are you listening to yourself right now?" He exhaled sharply, he snorted, he shook his head in disbelief. "What's your sister like? How's your love life? I think that's a sign of me trying to GET to know you, trying to care about you! Never mind the hundreds of other questions I attempt to ask!" He stepped towards her, using his body to shove her back, and in the same movement, he’d attempt to swipe the knife from that open sheathe with deft hands. “You hardly give me an answer or I’m just left with just silence! And if I try to ask you another, you sigh and you huff and you get frustrated like I’m annoying you!” He paused a short moment to catch his breath. “A-and you’re saying that I only care about myself? Now that’s some shit right there, Bodge.”

Bodge didn’t even notice the knife being stolen from her belt.  She was too angry.  A dragon could have roared behind her and she wouldn’t have even noticed it.  She growled and turned away to storm off and find somewhere quiet to sit.  The air got even cooler, so now it was just uncomfortably hot, not oppressively hot.  After she took a few steps away from him, she stopped and turned her head. “You asked how I handle the heat.”  She said from the shade of the building.  “Well, I don’t.”  She turned away from him again and went off to find her quiet place.  She’d probably calm down in a few hours, but for now she was on fire inside.  Out here in the desert, there would be no rain to extinguish the flaming forest of her anger.  She needed to burn out on her own.

Zhaji swiftly tucked the blade into the inside of his coat, sneering at her the moment she turned her back, it dropping immediately she turned back.

She turned to walk away, he didn't know what to say..how to respond to that. Perhaps it was best to say nothing, otherwise they'd both explode again. He wasn't mad at Bodge..he was just tired of her deflecting, not allowing him in. It hurt him more that she said that he didn't care about her. That's when he knew what to say, he looked back up to open his mouth, but she was already gone.. Maybe for the best.

  It was probably the first and last honest conversation they'll ever have.

~Kind of Kind~

Bodge shot a glance down the trails he motioned towards.  She knew that there was nothing down that- wait.  Did he say ‘kind’?  She was kind? That was new.  She hadn’t been called anything nice, barring the occasional unwanted catcall, in years.  This made her… feel.  Even the raincloud wasn’t sure what to do.  This was beyond its jurisdiction.  She turned back and with effort that drained the energy out of every muscle in her body, forced herself to smile.  It was almost terrifying to see.  “Let’s not waste too much time then.”

Zhaji'a Nejaho blinked behind his mask, he blinked again. Bodge just smiled? If you could call that a..smile. It was uncanny, but, Zhaji chalked it down to really putting effort into it. “No, we shouldn’t.” He tightened his bag and slung it over his shoulder, beginning to walk past her through the grass. “But do spend time fixing that smile of yours, it must have taken a lot of effort. But still, it’s rusty.” He stopped and turned around. “I’m hoping I get to see it more often though.”

Bodge had to catch her breath after the mountainous effort of keeping a smile up for that long.  That was almost two whole seconds!  Yeah, well your mask looks silly, Hot Chocolate! She might have said in another time. Smiling felt weird.  She hoped she didn’t have to do it too much in the near future.  The raincloud took its leave and scattered off into some misty remnants to drizzle on other people.  She didn’t say any words in reply, but let out a tired sigh.  She supposed this was the part where she followed along behind him. She was sure she had nothing to worry about.  She could trust him.  He drank hot chocolate, after all.

“Just one large mug of hot chocolate, please. Oh! With cream that just levels out with the top of the mug, that’ll be perfect.”

~The Coldest Chocolate~

Bodge was many things. Of course, the most dangerous among them, she was a girl.  She went immediate bitch-face, folded her arms and looked away from Hot Chocolate. “Maybe things have feelings, even if no one cares about them.”… This is what happens when someone asks for rain clouds, they have to play in the mud too.

 Zhaji'a Nejaho blinked in surprise to her reaction. It was safe to say he wasn't expecting that from Bodge, emotion. Panic mode. Is HE going to get stabbed? Is he going to be kicked off a cliff? He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a croaking voice. "U-uhh.." Come on, think. At least she's upset at -something-. That's progress in a way. "Uhh..L-look Bodge. I'm sorry." He shifted himself into a seated position right beside her. "..I didn't know that they meant something to you." … "I won't cut anything off that tree if it matters to you, I didn't think you really cared about things so much.." He fell silent, unsure what to say next as the sound of nature filled the air between them. This was odd, usually he could apologize and lie out of necessity for someone he didn't care about the person. Why was he struggling now? "I won't cut the tree down… If it makes you feel any better. A-and we've got some kukuru powder in the bag. I can make us some hot chocolate as an apology.." Why was apologizing so hard right now? Was it because she's hardly shown emotions until now? Or because of that very reason he doesn't know how to approach her?

 Bodge was quiet for a long time, except for the occasional huff through her nose.  The emotions were always there, twisting and wriggling and writhing through her mind, but over the years she had learned to keep them inside. Hot Chocolate had a way of teasing them out, little whipper-snapper that he was.  Eventually she found her center and was still mad, but was calm enough to talk. "With cream, please."