[ In truth, Zack didn't think to ask for specifics because he felt like the two of them were both...oddly on the same wavelength about where they stood with each other even if they never spoke of it. It was only when he went scouting with Chidori and was chided by her that he actually started to question things. ]
[ Armada tilts her head. It is no simple feat to describe la'bha. She has found each time she has tried, no shortage of details have fallen through the cracks. Her language does not translate well to the common tongue. ]
La'bha are those significant relationships we surround ourselves with. They are those we come to love, or trust, in some personal way. They are a branching of our tree.
[ Zack is uncertain. Armada turns her face toward him. ]
[ It may not translate well, but what Armada says actually...makes more sense to him than the way Chidori portrayed it to him a while back. His own sense of family stretches a bit beyond the human norm so the phrase "a branching of our tree" actually resonates with him on some level.
Shifting a little, Zack rubs the back of his head. He feels just a tiny bit awkward. ]
Nothing, really. I just - I talked to Chidori about it not too long ago, and she didn't...explain it the way you just did.
[ aka she put a little more of a sexual spin on it, and that was a vibe he never got from Armada, at any point. Hence his confusion. ]
[ Armada laughs. The sound is low and the vibration of it shakes the jewelery against her skin, making the plates tinkle. As she does, her torso lights up in rolling pulses of green and blue. ]
It is one potential, as it is with any relationship, but it is not the "point".
[ Armada has the impression that this is exactly what Zack assumed after his conversation with Chidori. She is not offended. Zack is not the first to be confused by the idea of her harem. ]
They may tend to me, feed me, hunt with me, share my bed. They may do all of these things, or only one or two. I, in turn, would do the same for them.
[ She reaches out to lay her hand on Zack's knee, reestablishing the physical connection between them. Whatever embarrassment or awkwardness Zack is experiencing, Armada does not share. His confusion has not changed her feelings toward him. ]
[ If anything, he's embarrassed he made that sort of assumption at all.
Armada explains further, and it honestly does help him understand better. The idea that la'bha could do one or two or all of those things meshes well with what Armada has already stated. They are a branching of our tree... All are important, not just the one.
The other's hand rests on his knee once again, and it's a long, quiet moment before he returns the gesture.
He looks down at their hands, different from one another, but still warm. That much is the same, and he settles a little under the weight of it.
[ The assumption is not unfounded. Zack is not the first to make it, and Armada doubts he will be the last, but she does not elaborate. Should this aspect of their relationship change, it will come up again. For now, she is satisfied.
She tilts her head as he speaks. ]
That is a bold claim. You do not know what you have given me.
[ Zack blinks, and though he doesn't seem startled, exactly, by the light touch, he does look. Stares at that face that has no eyes as well as the terrible gash where Warriorhead tried to rip her brother apart.
He looks down, and his eyes start to burn. Companionship, trust -- these are things he doesn't give so easily anymore, but Armada has never given him any reason not to. She's only ever encouraged him to work hard, to do better, and he's sure he probably wouldn't have managed as well as he has without Armada's help. ]
...it was a rite, wasn't it? For the two of you.
[ He only makes the connection now, weeks after the fact. Maybe, he really is dumb as Chidori thought he was.
He wipes at his eyes. ]
...I wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for you.
[ They did not explain it. There had been no reason. Armada and Warriorhead both do not offer information easily and freely, especially to those who do not ask. Heat rises into Zack's face, and Armada can taste the salt in the air when he tears up. She lifts her hand from his knee and smooths it through his hair. ]
[ The hand in his hair makes him feel small - like the cocky, brash thing he was when he first joined SOLDIER. Angeal used to ruffle his hair all the time and laugh when he fussed about it.
Armada doesn't muss it now, but it brings back those memories -- memories of what it felt like to have a family and be part of something.
He's learned not to share much about himself -- a defense mechanism after watching so many of his fellows be thrown to the wolves and die at his own hand. He must be strong, he must not show weakness, he must not be anything but a good damn SOLDIER.
Every so often, though, things slip through the cracks. It's why his eyes are wet, why he cries softly for a minute with Armada's hand in his hair.
Finally, he collects himself enough to manage an answer: ]
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no subject
Can you tell me what it means?
no subject
La'bha are those significant relationships we surround ourselves with. They are those we come to love, or trust, in some personal way. They are a branching of our tree.
[ Zack is uncertain. Armada turns her face toward him. ]
What is that worries you?
no subject
Shifting a little, Zack rubs the back of his head. He feels just a tiny bit awkward. ]
Nothing, really. I just - I talked to Chidori about it not too long ago, and she didn't...explain it the way you just did.
[ aka she put a little more of a sexual spin on it, and that was a vibe he never got from Armada, at any point. Hence his confusion. ]
I like the way you describe it, though.
no subject
[ Armada smiles, showing the points of her teeth. She is acquainted with Chidori's view on la'bha. ]
Did she suggest we should be sexual?
the noise I just made lmao
Zack turns a fairly brilliant shade of red. ]
...kind of?
[ He's not really sure what else he should say about it, but that...pretty much was the implication. ]
She sort of...made it sound like that was the only point of this.
;)
It is one potential, as it is with any relationship, but it is not the "point".
no subject
Zack just sits quietly as Armada laughs. It's kind of strange watching the other light up so much, but...in a good way, he thinks.
Still a little flustered, he rubs the back of his head again. ]
I didn't really think it was...
[ Now, he's embarrassed. Thankfully, his curiosity wins out enough for him to question a little more. ]
What do la'bha normally do where you're from?
no subject
They may tend to me, feed me, hunt with me, share my bed. They may do all of these things, or only one or two. I, in turn, would do the same for them.
[ She reaches out to lay her hand on Zack's knee, reestablishing the physical connection between them. Whatever embarrassment or awkwardness Zack is experiencing, Armada does not share. His confusion has not changed her feelings toward him. ]
no subject
Armada explains further, and it honestly does help him understand better. The idea that la'bha could do one or two or all of those things meshes well with what Armada has already stated. They are a branching of our tree... All are important, not just the one.
The other's hand rests on his knee once again, and it's a long, quiet moment before he returns the gesture.
He looks down at their hands, different from one another, but still warm. That much is the same, and he settles a little under the weight of it.
His answer, when he gives it, is soft. ]
You've done more for me than I have for you.
no subject
She tilts her head as he speaks. ]
That is a bold claim. You do not know what you have given me.
no subject
He looks at Armada with surprise. ]
What have I given you?
no subject
[ Things that are not easily given. She leans close, and gently touches the hard, broken part of her forehead against his temple before withdrawing. ]
You hunted with me when it was most important.
no subject
He looks down, and his eyes start to burn. Companionship, trust -- these are things he doesn't give so easily anymore, but Armada has never given him any reason not to. She's only ever encouraged him to work hard, to do better, and he's sure he probably wouldn't have managed as well as he has without Armada's help. ]
...it was a rite, wasn't it? For the two of you.
[ He only makes the connection now, weeks after the fact. Maybe, he really is dumb as Chidori thought he was.
He wipes at his eyes. ]
...I wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for you.
no subject
[ They did not explain it. There had been no reason. Armada and Warriorhead both do not offer information easily and freely, especially to those who do not ask. Heat rises into Zack's face, and Armada can taste the salt in the air when he tears up. She lifts her hand from his knee and smooths it through his hair. ]
no subject
Armada doesn't muss it now, but it brings back those memories -- memories of what it felt like to have a family and be part of something.
He's learned not to share much about himself -- a defense mechanism after watching so many of his fellows be thrown to the wolves and die at his own hand. He must be strong, he must not show weakness, he must not be anything but a good damn SOLDIER.
Every so often, though, things slip through the cracks. It's why his eyes are wet, why he cries softly for a minute with Armada's hand in his hair.
Finally, he collects himself enough to manage an answer: ]
I am honored.