For stonewalling

[blade_beam]

After a series of back and forth messages Cloud finally agreed to meet a total stranger in a nearby market. He couldn't really say why he'd agreed to do it, perhaps he was bored, lonely or a bit of both. The playful jostling for power had made him think back to something, or more specifically, someone. But when he tried to recall that person he couldn't remember a name or a face - just a familiar, warm feeling.

About half an hour after the last text Cloud could be found loitering at the edge of the marketplace. He stood out in the crowd with that shock of blond hair and vivid green-blue eyes. A few minutes passed before he sent what he thought would be a final message.

Comments

I'll be heading out for work soon but I'll be replying once I'm home!

[stonewalling]

Being total strangers had been half the fun; Gladio had been a good enough judge of character to know the introvert he had a brief encounter with didn't mean any harm-- well, nothing outside of the playful sense, anyway.

Gladio glanced at the final text, his eyes suddenly sharp as the scanned the place once...twice...and... There! He smirked and pocketed his phone as he cut through the bustling crowds that gradually thinned out the closer he got to the edge of the market. Thanks to the gravity defying blond hair, there was no missing Cloud.

"There he is, the little runt who talks a big game." There came an urge to ruffle those blond spikes, something that came naturally when dealing with a close friend of his. "You alright?" Gladio asked, nodding at the crowded market.