reallyaduck | (no subject)

"He thinks he should have been here to do it."

Trowa, apparently, is unruffled by rudeness.

"He's always rude," Duck says, scowling after him.

And then adds, because this does not seem harsh enough: "I really don't think he's a very nice person!"

Yeah, Fakir! Take that!

"Yeah, I'd say you've got his number there." Duo glances down at Duck (away from the church), and manages a smile, as she's still wearing his hat.

"C'mon, let's get out of here." This place is giving him the creeps.

"Yeah . . ."

Duck glances back at the church for a moment, though, and scratches her head.

Funny - was the Church of the Fallen Young Warriors always down this street?

Trowa follows her look -- visibly, though only with a flick of the eyes -- and glances back at her.

Hmm?

Duck blinks back at Trowa, says "Um," glances again at the church, and decides she is probably just crazy. Everyone knows Duck has no sense of direction anyway.

"I thought I mighta gotten lost for a second but I think we're okay . . . and, um, if we walk over the bridge up there there's some really pretty forest and stuff after it!"

"Sounds fine," Duo says. He takes the lead, apparently not concerned that this is a town he isn't familiar with.

Dammit, why is he handling this so bad? The day was weird, sure, but still.

Trowa is fine with Duo leading the way.

It's not as if the destination matters. And he can add more pieces to his mental map of town.

(Trowa always has a mental map. It includes exits, sightlines, places of cover and ambush, and mobile suit approaches. Gold Crown Town is no exception; it's just another arena.)

"Sure you didn't twist an ankle or anything, Trowa?" The question is half sarcasm at Duck's earlier statement and half serious. Duo is chiding himself for not noticing what was happening and helping.

Trowa's glance at him, from under the bangs covering half his face, is both mild and bland; it's the kind of look Trowa uses to say I will humor you by not pointing out that you've said something ridiculous.

(All amiable and between friends.

Of course.)

"I'm sure."

"When Mytho caught me when I was tripping he twisted his ankle!" Duck says, looking from Duo to Trowa rather anxiously.

She has a slight feeling that something may be going over her head, but . . . then again, that's a pretty common feeling, for Duck.

"That's one of the reasons I was worried about you, Trowa-senpai!"

"Just joking, kid. Trowa's good at what he does." It might not usually be 'catching people who fall from churches', but he's a useful guy to have around, all the same.

Trowa shrugs slightly.

Just a regular, decent guy. (In a town full of ostriches and drugged plummeting kids and armadillos.) That's all.

"Oh, yeah! But . . . you can be really good and still mess up sometimes . . ."

Even Rue sometimes makes a misstep and falls over, and Rue, Duck thinks, is practically perfect.

"Or get hurt by accident!"

"Yeah," Duo says. "That's for sure." He doesn't seem to realize that was a big fat downer in the middle of trying to cheer Duck up until they're halfway across the bridge.

He shrugs it off.

Trowa doesn't seem to notice either.

Or maybe it's just that he's not drawing attention to it. As a friend.

Instead, after a short silence, he says to Duck amiably, "Not this time, though."

"Right!"

Trowa is better at cheering up Duck than Duo, apparently, because she brightens up immediately.

"You know, you guys were really cool back there!"

He pauses and raises an eyebrow at Duck. "What, seriously? You've got low standards, Duck."

Duo tries a smile.

"No, you really were!" Duck insists, looking from one to the other.

"You guys saved Mytho and then you totally weren't scared of Fakir at all and - I'm really glad you were both there!"

Trowa shrugs a little.

"It wasn't much."

"Wasn't anything." Duo's slowed his pace a little. He is not glancing back at the church, but it's an effort. What's wrong with him?

"I think it is . . . but maybe if you save people's lives all the time . . ."

But Duck's already saved Mytho like three times and she STILL thinks it's a big deal!

Trowa glances down at Duck.

Mildly, "Not so often."

That it doesn't still matter, that is.

The glance he shoots at Trowa is telling, if you know Duo and his mental state well.

He closes his eyes, and his shoulders hunch a little.

Trowa's still looking at Duck, and misses the glance entirely.

Probably.

The hair half-obscuring his face makes it hard to be sure.