Tomoe had gone to get Celes, and Caius found his nerves stemming anew. Sure, he had come to terms with how he felt about Celes. But seeing her after so long, after all that had happened… After she had, by the reports, gone back to Torensten to fill in for him for a little while because he hadn’t returned yet. Which he doubted she was happy about, though he had done his best to report everything he could about his Sonora mission to her through the crystals. Had she even seen those messages? She hadn’t replied back to those, so he had no idea.

At least, if she had gotten the message, it wouldn’t be difficult to explain that he wouldn’t be staying for long. Or, well, not in the way he had been while she was gone. Fortunately, he had trained the administrative team well for the day that he would need to start traveling back and forth again. That was the purpose of him staying behind in Torensten when Celes left. Unfortunately, he couldn’t have prepared for the incidents that had ensued in his absence. He had been informed by a few members while he was at Yuna’s clinic, that some crazy outworlder had tried to destroy the crystal — before Celes had been called in to get him to stand down. And the Dragonblades were now holding him because, quite frankly, nobody else could.

This was a problem, for multiple reasons.

Caius knew he would have to figure out the best means to keep the city defended if he and Celes weren’t here. As much as they were a mercenary unit, the simple truth was that there wasn’t a single military force in all of Zephon that could stand up to the more powerful outlanders. Not even Sonora and Torensten, for all their might, would be able to stop them without help.

Maybe it was time to ratify a proper defense contract with Torensten’s royalists… Something to give them the resources to pursue what Torensten needed for defense. When the Kraken came, the Dragonblades had acted on their own. But if Torensten’s royals were unable to recruit strong enough fighters for their own military and were instead going to come running to the Dragonblades on-call everytime some psychopath stormed the palace, they were going to have to contribute some resources for them to logically keep that up consistently. While they had been charitable to the city before, they could only do so much before it became exploitative, and that wasn’t fair to those working for them. Caius wasn’t fond of that line of thinking, but…

Something to discuss with Celes later, he supposed. She was better with contracts. Unfortunately, he also knew she had worked for an empire and it had not gone well. What was the best balance? How did they manage everything all at once in the best way possible? Personal wealth was of no object to Caius, he only needed what he needed. But he did need to think of the fact that the others needed to make a living as well.

Maybe a word to the king about ramping up recruitment efforts would be better? This was a tough one to strategize. But for now? Perhaps they needed a third — a responsible warrior who could step in even against someone with an Astral’s strength. They did not lack warriors — from Yuffie to Nick, they were good in a fight. But they needed someone who could lead the defense. Caius and Celes, even Yuna, fit the bill. But Celes and Yuna were tied to Provo. And as Caius found out; even when he had become fine with sticking around Torensten, sometimes duty took him elsewhere. Sometimes for longer than he would like. Caius couldn’t be constantly worrying that everytime he left the city, it might not be standing when he got back.

So much to think about, and he had been back for five minutes. And that was just the practical stuff. He and Celes had left on friendly enough terms, probably even closer than before. But his time learning about how truly deep and personal the subject of romance really was, had given him new worries about how he had come off to Celes before. The fact she had to remind him they were just friends… Had that stuck? Or had time allowed that discomfort to pass? He didn’t know. He knew that romance was a… Complicated subject for her. And her way of telling him hadn’t exactly come off as friendly or gentle…

Then again? In hindsight, Celes was overall as wordfully gentle as someone trying to hit nails with a comically large hammer. “Harsh” was practically her default setting. Something he hadn’t really picked up about her in his previous idolization of his friend — before their time apart had given him the benefit of reflection.

Caius was pulled from his worries when the lady of the hour arrived. Even bedraggled and unkempt; he would know that stern complexion anywhere. For a fleeting moment, all of those old butterflies rushed to the surface and his chest grew heavy like no time at all had passed. He took a deep breath…

This time he would push them down. As tired as he was… This time, he was ready.

Or, well. As ready as he was going to be.

The mercenary steeled his focus. Rebalanced his posture and stood up straight. Even with rapidly-ramping exhaustion, he put up a decent front to look every bit the guild leader he was expected to be. Not some crush-stricken, blustering fool as he’d been in this scene before.

The dark circles around his eyes, however, weren’t any better than his counterpart.

Shoulders back. Head high. Sounds familiar, right? But even as she came down to them, Caius was able to exercise the one thing that no matter how hard his heart pounded in his chest, he could do. And that? Was keep calm. And if he couldn’t? At least look like he was.

“Cel.”

The nickname had stuck, regardless of how long it had been. He smiled warmly as she approached, though feeling like he was about to fall over limited how far his mouth could extend.

Speaking of, there was one thing he did notice right away. The brace. That was new, wasn’t it? As if on instinct, there was a split-second moment where his eyes scanned her, as though trying to ascertain if she had been injured further. All he found however, was barely-combed hair and the face of someone who really needed a nap. Her greeting backed this up.

Seems that made two of them. He nodded slightly in understanding with another attempt at a smile.

“I’m glad to be,” he spoke softly. “If… You happen to have some time I can borrow you for. Perhaps we can find a place to eat, maybe have a few drinks? It would be easier to catch up that way.”

While he had caught a quick bite earlier today with Yuna, that was hours ago and he had gone through borders, stress and Celes’ second doppelganger since.

“… Preferably after I change,” he added, tugging on the collar of his far-too-gaudy suit. “And shower.”

After he settled his nerves here, had a sorely-needed drink, maybe it would be a good time for him to finally take a nap.

If this narrator is being perfectly honest, Caius had considered pointing out that this would be a platonic affair. The last post even had a bit written about how alarming it might sound that Caius even knew what the word “platonic” actually meant. Unfortunately for Celes’ impression, Caius had thought better of it. Why? Because he realized that reminding her of the atrocity of how the initial part of that “date” had gone sounded like a very bad idea in his head. And besides, when had he ever asked her out on an actual date? Surely she would know what he meant. Especially after she had set platonic boundaries a year back.

Unfortunately, he was very wrong. But he wasn't the only one, considering "comfortable" was the last thing he felt right now in this silly suit. Something that came undone when Celes agreed to the idea of the both of them actually getting comfortable before they ventured out. “Thank the gods,” the tired mercenary remarked quietly in a long breath. “I sent Vordun back ahead when I suspected things were about to get dicey, had to take the long way. To be frank, I smell like Sonora, and I’m not subjecting you to that for an afternoon.”

He tried to play off how tired and ragged he felt with humor, but he didn't know if it landed. Celes expressed that he had no idea what she had been through. Another glance at her tired expression said he didn't, but he would find out shortly.

“I could say the same," he admitted with a tired smile. Caius could fill a novel with tales of what he had been through since she had left on her "vacation". And he'd still need a second book to cover the CURRENT situation. Then Celes asked the guy who had stayed behind while she had gone on vacation if he was aware of how many emergencies this city went through in a month. “I am aware, aye," came the obvious response. Of course he knew. She knew what he'd had to do in order to ensure the help was ready in her absence. Every letter for the last year had come from Torensten. He had completely broken from his previous lifestyle and learned to adjust to a new one from scratch to accommodate for her. Though a concerned frown crossed his expression at the mention that their current setting here wasn't ready for that. "I had hoped we had the right people to keep things running smoothly, but I didn’t plan to be gone for so long either. As for paperwork…”

He looked to Tomoe, who had given them a look when Celes had said there wasn't anyone keeping the paperwork filed. Ok, she had taken that just a touch offensive. “Miss Tomoe?" asked the mercenary as Caius shot her a sympathetic look. He was going to try the soft approach here. "If you and your co-worker are both struggling with the amount of paperwork, please don't hesitate to speak to Celes or I. We can look into lightening your load, so long as we know. We don't want you overworking yourself unnecessarily.”

Tomoe's brows furrowed at that. "With all due respect. I'm not taking 'don't overwork yourself' from you two of all people," their young administrator responded. "Please go out to your damn dinner before you both collapse, we can discuss this when you don't look half dead."

Caius made a face as he decided to back off for now, just slowly nodding his head once Celes had outlined a plan for the evening. “Sounds like a plan," he spoke then with a nod, grateful that he could rest for a bit. And stink less. “Ah, right. Miss Tomoe? If you get a message from the clinic in Provo regarding one Alex Sorel, do let me know promptly. I suspect he’ll come stalking around the clinic again, I intend to head off and deal with him personally.”

Knowing Celes wouldn't know what he was talking about, and likely be a touch worried -- he would then address his compatriot. “I’ll debrief you when we reconvene. But the situation with Sorel has changed."

While he would try to answer any quickfire questions, Caius would head off to the showers at the first opportunity. He wasn't getting through talking about Alex sober.

Perhaps it was good that Celes had chosen to take her time. And that they had chosen an hour as the best time. For some, it may seem like an excessive amount of time since they weren't getting dolled up for a night on the town or anything, but...

Caius fell asleep in the bath.

The lacking sleep, the yarn trails of stress that went on for miles, winding down the adrenaline of escaping Sonora. The moment Caius was finally able to relax after the water had been turned off, he was out like a light. It wasn't for long, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. But Caius definitely spent much longer in the bath than he would have otherwise, and falling asleep was part of that. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to help him all that much. If anything, he felt even more disoriented and a bit panicked after waking up in a strange place surrounded by water. Thank the Astrals for his size, or that could have gone seriously wrong if he had dipped too far into the water. Extra, extra! Read all about it! Dragonblades leader and Kraken slayer drowns in a bathtub!

It was good that he didn't have earrings, though untangling his hair took some time. He was often told that he had a lot of hair for a male. What he couldn't untangle right away, he just tied back to hide it so he could take care of it later. At the very least, by the end of it he felt somewhat like a human being again. He was home, safe, and amongst friends and family. Even if one specific family member of note had been left behind in Sonora... Something that continued to eat at him.

He had wanted to triumphantly return to Torensten after what he had planned to be a much shorter period, and immediately march to the Farron household with Noctis in tow, to get rid of that parasite and fulfill his oath to save Lumina. But now Lumina was in Sonora, and he did not in fact have Noctis with him. And it had taken much, much longer than he had intended. So... This had definitely gone off the rails from how he had envisioned it.

Teeth brushed, body and face washed, hair done at least passably for an outing. And finally, FINALLY, he was able to shed that accursed Sonoran suit. It looked nice, sure. But it didn't suit him. And it was also really tight. Sure, he had spent a fair amount of gil to get it commissioned in Provo to match his size, that wasn't the problem. The problem was him. These formal frills and nice suits just weren't him. Tight clothing wasn't new to him, he was used to armor. But armor protected you, it was a necessary discomfort. This was tight, uncomfortable and left him exposed and vulnerable to attack. In Sonora of all places, it was the worst feeling. So casting off that suit and all the burdens it had carried the last few months felt like he had just shed an actual ton's worth of weight.

In its place, he wore what he had started to wear in Torensten during Celes' absence. It was definitely a little more on the formal side, but it wasn't too crazy either. Its light weight and improved mobility was a godsend. Though he decided to do up one more button than usual after looking in the mirror...

"Lo-oks like some-one had a bad run-in with If-rit~" ran through his head again, and he impulsively decided to try and hide that dimly glowing, fiery claw scar. He didn't need anymore Alex Sorel reminders until it was time to give Celes the report. He would just keep worrying about Yuna, and he had done enough of that the last few days. He had taken every precaution he could, informed the clinic, informed Yuna, informed Tomoe... And he intended to circle back to Provo soon, to see if Noctis' retinue had arrived safely. And to head off Alex if he decided to take Sephiroth and the other Stones to go after Yuna.

Caius walked with a little less pretending this time, head high, looking somewhat like the leader he was supposed to be. Now that he wasn't half-dead, he noted things weren't as tidy as he had left it. The couch near the fireplace, for starters, had definitely sunk a lot more than when he had been here last. Had Yuffie unleashed a small Behemoth upon it while he was gone? Astrals, Celes wasn't kidding that things had gone to shit. The sight of the Rest triggered an annoyed, nagging compulsion in him. But that would have to be addressed later. He could clean this up, maybe get that couch replaced, once they had handled the immediate issues.

Celes had arrived just a bit before him, probably due to his mid-bath slumber, and Caius regarded her with a respectful slow-nod, perhaps a bit too formally compared to how he had regarded her prior to his departure, but at the end of the day? Their time apart and his opportunity to parse through his feelings, reminded him that Celes was one of this place's founders, one of its leaders. Especially at her place of work, even he should show that the proper respect. Especially for a warrior of Celes' caliber. And Caius, despite all the recent stresses, had always abided by a warrior's creed.

"Your garb, it's nice" was his choice of icebreaker, as the mercenary popped open the door with his shoulder. While Caius was still wary of saying those things, he had at least learned one thing about social encounters in his time with Lumina. Say what you mean, don't overcomplicate it. Making it out to be more than it is, only makes it worse. Something that reflection had showed to be his achilles heel.

Why "garb"? Because he didn't actually know the word for her clothing offhand and he was too tired to ask.

Stepping out and lingering at the side to keep it open for her, Caius took a deep breath as the hot, salty air of Torensten struck him dead in the face. It was good to be back here again. "I scoped out a few places while you were gone, as I had promised. There's one I had intended to save for our planned formal outings. But if I'm being honest, I think its environment would be beneficial given the situation."

In other words, Celes had looked like a complete disaster when he had arrived and he wanted to cheer her up, without directly stating she looked like crap. With her consent, Caius led the way.

It wouldn't be hard to figure out where Caius was taking her once it came into sight. It was a mostly outdoor establishment, completely walled in by white half-walls with flowers expertly planted at the tops and some dragging down to the sides. The center of the eatery held a large flower bed, carved into the shape of the city's crest. The inner side of the walls meanwhile, all had flowers planted in potted beds, creating a garden to be seen no matter where you sat. Each table had a large umbrella at the center to stave off the heat, and Celes would be able to detect the slightest hint of magic in the air. A spell cast by crystal, that kept insects away from the food and patrons, while still allowing them to move through the flowers as they pleased. The indoor portion seemed to be mainly for where the cooking was done, with an open-shutter within the front of this structure being where customers would order.

It was pretty obvious that Caius had chosen this place for a reason. He'd remembered her liking of flowers, and she really did seem like she could use the pick-me-up.

"I've been here once before, took a volatile person here to diffuse them with a more calming space. It's nice, and the food is good" Caius commented, trying not to think about the disaster that had all been. He neglected to mention that their perfume had been so absurdly, brutally strong that he couldn't actually take them anywhere else.

"Today's on me. Consider it thanks for stepping up and coming back while I was gone" Caius brought up as he looked to Celes. "And an apology for making that necessary."

Perhaps Caius might have had different feelings about Torensten’s temperature, if not for the fact he had just spent months in Sonora. Anything felt refreshing in comparison. Not having to use magic to keep warm at all times, and being able to actually feel the aether in the air again compared to there being nothing but the smell of diamond dust, was a complete and utter godsend right now.

Celes barely held in a laugh. Had he said something funny? Despite fretting the whole way through, he was almost a little proud he had managed to pay any matter of compliment without overthinking it, and completely and utterly tripping over himself. Then she stated why. And to be honest? He’d just plain forgotten. He hadn’t seen her in a year, and he didn’t recognize the attire. But apparently she always wore it. Huh. Well, that was embarrassing.

Caius’ nerves shot right back up, but he took a breath and pushed them back down. He would be ok, he assured himself. This is Celes, she’ll understand, probably. This wasn’t a date, just two extremely tired friends who hadn’t seen each other in awhile, getting away from it all, catching up and blowing off some steam. No big deal.

“Doesn’t change the fact” Caius cheeked, with a small laugh that acknowledged the error. He needed to find his comfort zone, and recently humor had been that comfortable go-to. Once more, he told himself it would be fine. Besides, how many times had he misspoken around Lumina in all those months with her, someone who actually DID see their outings as dates, and it had turned out fine? He just needed to relax, he had to remind himself. That was the entire point of this outing.

As they arrived, Celes seemed to like the place, which was good. But something also seemed to be bothering her. Concern and instinct drove him to want to ask, but learned sense told him that wasn’t something to touch just yet. Once things had winded down, maybe. Right now, both of them were too tightly wound. Still, she started stuttering, especially after he spoke up, which was even more suspect. Caius didn’t really understand why, or that she suspected him of having an ulterior motive. Caius’ motive was… Perhaps a bit simpler than that. He knew that she liked flowers. And seemed like she could use some flowers.

Celes, however, refused to let him pay for her meal. Even cooked up an excuse that they were even. They both knew that wasn’t the case, however, and Caius opened his mouth to try and refute her attempt… But ultimately stopped. A deep breath, and a sheepish laugh. “I would protest, but I know better,” he admitted softly. He may have forgotten about her garb, but he could never forget that Celes was a stubborn brick wall. Caius could be just as stubborn, but he lacked the energy to get into it with her over something this trivial. So he strategized a tactical retreat, for now.

Soon enough they were seated, and Caius listened as Celes questioned how she had never noticed this place. “I missed it as well, you’re not alone,” Caius noted at that. “But I’ve learned during my time running things here, that there is much more to this city than I had been allowing myself to see.”

He didn’t know what possessed him to admit that, but they were on the subject of him being left here alone he supposed. “The reason I traveled so much before you went to Provo, is it was the only life I knew. I only knew of moving from place to place, never settling down, never putting down roots or even paying much attention to where I was. My only focus was the task at hand. Staying in one place to complete the training of our administrative staff, train the recruits and ensure things could run smoothly in our absence was… New, for me. It was difficult at first, I felt like a caged bird. But in time, I started seeing things I hadn’t seen before, and met people I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

He glanced around at the vicinity, taking it in again. It felt a bit different around someone who was far more... In-depth about flowers like Celes. “People that helped me learn things I didn't think I was capable of,” he brought up with a light smile. “I’m glad for it. I experienced much that I wasn’t able to on the road. And I’m glad it let me find places like this.”

Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to put down roots anytime soon. There was too much work to be done.

“Anyway. Where should we start? What have you been up to?”

He hadn’t forgotten about Alex. But odds were that Celes would get into her own ordeal with him first. They could compile their information on him, one at a time.