[ Setsuna's expression remained blank as Lockon talked; he recognised the fakeness in Lockon's tone but wasn't sure how he was meant to respond to it. He glanced over at Tieria, one eyebrow just barely raised slightly ]
[Tieria adjusted his glasses as we went on to explain, as much to shield himself from the look on Lockon's face as to seem intelligent and controlled.]
In the joint absence of both Veda and Sumeragi Lee Noriega, the responsibilities of selecting and tactically forecasting missions have fallen to me. Ergo, selecting which Meisters would be present to assist in your return was up to me. As the mission was a success, I hardly see the problem.
[ Setsuna was starting to understand what was going on here; he was slightly concerned about Lockon's apparent reaction, but figured it was just because Lockon didn't feel that Tieria's feelings were a valid reason for keeping him away from a battle ]
[Setsuna's response caught Tieria off-guard. "His reasons were understandable." What did that mean? Setsuna had said that he hadn't been standing there long, and yet he claimed to know the reasons behind Tieria's decision. And considering that he hadn't even known it was Tieria's decision until just now...
Tieria was thoroughly confused, but he wasn't about to argue with somebody who was on his side.]
[ If Setsuna's response had pulled the metaphorical rug from under Tieria, it pulled the whole damn floor out from under Lockon. Such a small sentence, and yet there was so much wrong with it. Lockon could only stare at him in disbelief, and then the first and clearly most important question jumped out. ]
[It was starting to dawn on Tieria that there was a way that Setsuna could still "understand" his reasons for any action taken involving Lockon despite being absent for most of the conversation. The idea that Setsuna somehow knew about how Tieria really felt about Lockon was a slightly absurd one, but in the context, was the only one that made sense. A feeling of dread slowly crept over him, and Tieria realized that if he didn't want all of this coming to the surface in the next five minutes, he was going to have to stop Setsuna from explaining just why Tieria might have been justified in his choices.]
Can we just drop this? Lockon Stratos, like it or not, I am responsible for deciding who will be doing what at this point in time, and Setsuna agrees with me. This needs to be discussed no further.
[ Lockon had just been staring at Setsuna in utter lostitude. On a personal level, Tieria thinking he was less stable than Michael made sense? What? How did- what?! He'd been so sure that Setsuna would be on his side on this.
Tieria's attempt to shut down the conversation brought his attention back long enough to glare at the other man, before his gaze swung back to Setsuna. ]
I don't get it, Setsuna. Why-- how can his reasons make sense, personal level or not? You don't even like Michael!
[Setsuna paused; Tieria clearly wasn't happy discussing this, - due to embarrassment? - but why begin to explain something if you then wouldn't clear everything up? It was obvious that Lockon still didn't understand, although how he could be quite so oblivious was lost on Setsuna. After a brief moment of silence while he collected his thoughts, he explained- ]
It makes sense, because people try to protect those they care about, those they love.
[Suddenly, there was no possibly or maybe about it. It was quite clear to Tieria that Setsuna knew exactly what was going on. The situation was still just about salvageable as long as Setsuna stopped his idiotic explanation right now. Tieria's eyes narrowed to blood-red slits, directing such a murderous look at Setsuna that if the saying was true, the imbecile would be slamming into an early grave at a thousand miles per hour. If Setsuna had a shred of self-preservation, he'd shut up right now, or else face Tieria's wrath.
The fact that Setsuna was rarely intimidated by Tieria was not a comforting one at this point in time.]
Those they-- what? What are you talking about? That's got nothing to do with this!
[ Of all the things Lockon had expected from Setsuna, that was the absolute last. Admittedly, this whole conversation had been an exercise in '101 Confusing and Surprising Things Setsuna Can Say', but this took the cake. To hear something like that from the kid was - surprising was far too mild a word. Setsuna hadn't ever been part of Michael and Nena's Tieria's-In-Love bandwagon, he hadn't ever been the type to get - confused and matchmakery, too serious for that, but - but equally he wasn't a poetic enough type to mean that in any other way than the obvious, was he? But that made no sense - when exactly did Lockon's world topple wildly out of the realms of sanity it had been sort of inhabiting the past year or so?
He spared Tieria the quickest of glances between staring in utter confusion at Setsuna. The sheer venom of the look the other man was shooting was almost surprising in itself. Lockon didn't exactly have many thoughts to spare towards working that out, especially considering that, what with how venomous their argument had been before, Tieria giving a death glare didn't exactly seem too far out of the normal, but it did seem...weirdly disproportionate, for a wrong judgement of reasoning. ]
[ Setsuna glanced back to Tieria, hesitating briefly when he saw the other Meister's expression. He certainly wasn't intimidated by it, and it wasn't going to put him off what he was about to say, but it did confuse him somewhat; he honestly had no idea why he was getting these reactions. ]
[It might have been all right, if Lockon hadn't believed Setsuna, if he'd just passed it off as one more person getting confused and delusional about Tieria's feelings. But there was something about Lockon's expression, that considering look at Setsuna that made Tieria think that there was every chance that this time, Lockon would believe it.
Setsuna's earnest explanation - earnest for him, at least - was doing nothing to stop that look. Consequently, it was doing nothing to reassure Tieria that everything was just going to blow over, that Lockon would just laugh it off, and that this wasn't the end of their friendship as they knew it.
Tieria began to back away, casting a dark, betrayed glare at Setsuna all the while. In truth, he was more terrifed than he'd been at any point in the previous conversation. He could shrug off a blow to the face, but whatever happened next was going to hit him where it really mattered: his heart.]
...Tieria told me something very different. [ He spoke slowly. The anger almost seemed to have drained away entirely, Lockon was so wrong-footed.
This was crazy. If it had been anyone else, just about anyone else at all saying this, Lockon would have laughed this off already. Tieria had kept Lockon back to protect him? Out of love? Sure, Tieria keeping him off the battlefield had a precedent, but that was a situation with extenuating circumstances if there ever was one. And Tieria had been very...clear, about his reasons, even if they'd been ridiculous. Right? And yet Lockon just kept coming up against Setsuna's completely serious face, and trying to fit 'romantic misinterpretation' into the same thought as Setsuna was essentially slamming a heart-shaped peg fruitlessly against a total lack of hole.
And he realised that Tieria hadn't said anything for a while. He hadn't even told Setsuna he was wrong. Why hadn't he done what he usually did when Nena or Mileina started this sort of thing on the community...? He turned, slowly, half expecting to see that death glare from before having become speechless fury or something like that, but Tieria's expression knocked him for another six. That glare - that was anger, yeah, but...definitely not the anger of someone sick of ridiculous libel. Tieria was even backing away. What was going on...? Tieria wasn't supposed to be making Setsuna's theory look downright plausible, that wasn't how this worked...! ]
[ That monosyllabic response was delivered perfectly blankly: not a trace of surprise or even guilt. From the look on Lockon's face, the older man might actually be starting to understand, so even if (for some reason Setsuna couldn't fathom) Tieria didn't want this secret to be shared, Setsuna wasn't about to try and backtrack. It was about time all this was out in the open, especially if Tieria was going to continue to shelve Lockon in missions without a reasonable excuse. He doubted Lockon's reactions would stick to mere arguments, and Celestial Being had important things to work on, they didn't have time for problems within the ranks. ]
I need to go to the gymnasium.
[ '-so I'll leave you two to sort this out' is the unspoken end to that sentence, and Setsuna turns and leaves as abruptly as he'd arrived, quietly confident that finally, finally, things between his two team mates might get sorted. ]
[Tieria didn't exactly feel like sticking around to find out just what Lockon was going to say once his brain had finished processing this new piece of information. Any kind of reaction, be it anger, hatred or outright mockery was going to destroy him. Silently, he fled the corridor before Lockon could stop him.]
[ And with that, before he could even begin to say anything to either of them, Lockon was suddenly alone in the corridor with just his thoughts for company. And he had a lot of thoughts. Tieria's face and hasty exit had been all but outright confirmation of the truth of Setsuna's words.
Lockon stared down the corridor after Tieria. The memory of the other man's words still stung in his mind, the anger over them still present, but now he didn't know what to think. Did Tieria actually believe anything he'd said? Was that why he hadn't looked Lockon in the face since they'd hit the topic? Hell, if he didn't, why had he chosen the reasons most likely to hurt Lockon and make him so furious, and kept on even when he'd nearly come to blows?
And more importantly, what the hell was he going to do now he knew? How was he supposed to deal with this? From Tieria? Now, of all times?
Lockon sighed, heavily, and headed back to his room. He needed to think. ]
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timeasmymeasure
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-04 03:31 pm (UTC)It was your choice?
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-04 07:17 pm (UTC)[Tieria adjusted his glasses as we went on to explain, as much to shield himself from the look on Lockon's face as to seem intelligent and controlled.]
In the joint absence of both Veda and Sumeragi Lee Noriega, the responsibilities of selecting and tactically forecasting missions have fallen to me. Ergo, selecting which Meisters would be present to assist in your return was up to me. As the mission was a success, I hardly see the problem.
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-04 07:37 pm (UTC)[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-05 09:16 pm (UTC)[ Setsuna was starting to understand what was going on here; he was slightly concerned about Lockon's apparent reaction, but figured it was just because Lockon didn't feel that Tieria's feelings were a valid reason for keeping him away from a battle ]
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-05 11:10 pm (UTC)Tieria was thoroughly confused, but he wasn't about to argue with somebody who was on his side.]
There, you see?
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-05 11:26 pm (UTC)You agree with him!?
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-05 11:35 pm (UTC)I didn't say that, just that you could argue that his reasons make sense. On a personal level, at least.
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-06 01:12 am (UTC)Can we just drop this? Lockon Stratos, like it or not, I am responsible for deciding who will be doing what at this point in time, and Setsuna agrees with me. This needs to be discussed no further.
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-06 02:25 am (UTC)Tieria's attempt to shut down the conversation brought his attention back long enough to glare at the other man, before his gaze swung back to Setsuna. ]
I don't get it, Setsuna. Why-- how can his reasons make sense, personal level or not? You don't even like Michael!
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-06 11:03 am (UTC)[Setsuna paused; Tieria clearly wasn't happy discussing this, - due to embarrassment? - but why begin to explain something if you then wouldn't clear everything up? It was obvious that Lockon still didn't understand, although how he could be quite so oblivious was lost on Setsuna. After a brief moment of silence while he collected his thoughts, he explained- ]
It makes sense, because people try to protect those they care about, those they love.
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-07 01:10 am (UTC)The fact that Setsuna was rarely intimidated by Tieria was not a comforting one at this point in time.]
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-07 01:39 am (UTC)[ Of all the things Lockon had expected from Setsuna, that was the absolute last. Admittedly, this whole conversation had been an exercise in '101 Confusing and Surprising Things Setsuna Can Say', but this took the cake. To hear something like that from the kid was - surprising was far too mild a word. Setsuna hadn't ever been part of Michael and Nena's Tieria's-In-Love bandwagon, he hadn't ever been the type to get - confused and matchmakery, too serious for that, but - but equally he wasn't a poetic enough type to mean that in any other way than the obvious, was he? But that made no sense - when exactly did Lockon's world topple wildly out of the realms of sanity it had been sort of inhabiting the past year or so?
He spared Tieria the quickest of glances between staring in utter confusion at Setsuna. The sheer venom of the look the other man was shooting was almost surprising in itself. Lockon didn't exactly have many thoughts to spare towards working that out, especially considering that, what with how venomous their argument had been before, Tieria giving a death glare didn't exactly seem too far out of the normal, but it did seem...weirdly disproportionate, for a wrong judgement of reasoning. ]
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-09 09:09 pm (UTC)[ Setsuna glanced back to Tieria, hesitating briefly when he saw the other Meister's expression. He certainly wasn't intimidated by it, and it wasn't going to put him off what he was about to say, but it did confuse him somewhat; he honestly had no idea why he was getting these reactions. ]
I thought Tieria told you.
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-09 09:48 pm (UTC)Setsuna's earnest explanation - earnest for him, at least - was doing nothing to stop that look. Consequently, it was doing nothing to reassure Tieria that everything was just going to blow over, that Lockon would just laugh it off, and that this wasn't the end of their friendship as they knew it.
Tieria began to back away, casting a dark, betrayed glare at Setsuna all the while. In truth, he was more terrifed than he'd been at any point in the previous conversation. He could shrug off a blow to the face, but whatever happened next was going to hit him where it really mattered: his heart.]
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-09 10:31 pm (UTC)This was crazy. If it had been anyone else, just about anyone else at all saying this, Lockon would have laughed this off already. Tieria had kept Lockon back to protect him? Out of love? Sure, Tieria keeping him off the battlefield had a precedent, but that was a situation with extenuating circumstances if there ever was one. And Tieria had been very...clear, about his reasons, even if they'd been ridiculous. Right? And yet Lockon just kept coming up against Setsuna's completely serious face, and trying to fit 'romantic misinterpretation' into the same thought as Setsuna was essentially slamming a heart-shaped peg fruitlessly against a total lack of hole.
And he realised that Tieria hadn't said anything for a while. He hadn't even told Setsuna he was wrong. Why hadn't he done what he usually did when Nena or Mileina started this sort of thing on the community...? He turned, slowly, half expecting to see that death glare from before having become speechless fury or something like that, but Tieria's expression knocked him for another six. That glare - that was anger, yeah, but...definitely not the anger of someone sick of ridiculous libel. Tieria was even backing away. What was going on...? Tieria wasn't supposed to be making Setsuna's theory look downright plausible, that wasn't how this worked...! ]
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-10 08:56 pm (UTC)[ That monosyllabic response was delivered perfectly blankly: not a trace of surprise or even guilt. From the look on Lockon's face, the older man might actually be starting to understand, so even if (for some reason Setsuna couldn't fathom) Tieria didn't want this secret to be shared, Setsuna wasn't about to try and backtrack. It was about time all this was out in the open, especially if Tieria was going to continue to shelve Lockon in missions without a reasonable excuse. He doubted Lockon's reactions would stick to mere arguments, and Celestial Being had important things to work on, they didn't have time for problems within the ranks. ]
I need to go to the gymnasium.
[ '-so I'll leave you two to sort this out' is the unspoken end to that sentence, and Setsuna turns and leaves as abruptly as he'd arrived, quietly confident that finally, finally, things between his two team mates might get sorted. ]
[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-10 10:28 pm (UTC)[actionspam]
Date: 2011-02-10 10:52 pm (UTC)Lockon stared down the corridor after Tieria. The memory of the other man's words still stung in his mind, the anger over them still present, but now he didn't know what to think. Did Tieria actually believe anything he'd said? Was that why he hadn't looked Lockon in the face since they'd hit the topic? Hell, if he didn't, why had he chosen the reasons most likely to hurt Lockon and make him so furious, and kept on even when he'd nearly come to blows?
And more importantly, what the hell was he going to do now he knew? How was he supposed to deal with this? From Tieria? Now, of all times?
Lockon sighed, heavily, and headed back to his room. He needed to think. ]