It was a busy night at Doug's place. Basil and Duke were busy at a table, tossing back wine, pretending to comment on the dark, subtle fruity notes and the selective breeding process for the varieties of grapes. They weren't doing a good job of masking the fact that they were both pretty drunk and that neither of their comments on their intended subjects were making much sense. When Ann approached the table to fill an order, Duke slurred about what a lovely lady the waitress had grown to become and he asked her if she thought that his own daughter might have turned out just as sweet as her. Ann's father swiftly stepped in and offered Duke a glass of water and something to eat, sending his daughter back to the kitchen.
Gray rolled his eyes as he pulled out a chair and sat down. Duke was a middle-aged man and he still didn't have a handle on his own life. The fact that his daughter had run away years ago still haunted him regularly, and Duke was constantly brooding on what could have been. Gray tugged on the bill of his hat. He may still be an apprentice at twenty-six, but at least he didn't have children to worry about. Moreover, any family problems he had weren't his own fault… He frowned; he always had a hard time convincing himself that. A familiar wave of guilt rose up in his stomach as he relived that day over in his head once again…
"Doug, have you seen the new kid?" Saibara asked the bartender as he plopped down in the chair across from his grandson.
He rubbed his ginger moustache thoughtfully as he swiftly set out a couple of napkins for them. "Hmm… You know, I haven't seen him all day. He's awfully quiet. Ann, you see him?" Doug looked over at his daughter, who he knew had already crept out of the kitchen again. She couldn't stand being away from the excitement of a full house, regardless of the guests comparing her to their runaway daughters.
She had carried a small bowl of peanuts from the kitchen and was munching on them noisily. "I saw him early this morning and he was headed out with some bags," she replied, spraying chewed nuts on the table in front of her. Saibara stared at her with interest while Gray's eyebrows furrowed at the mess she made; Ann could be such a hypocrite sometimes about tidiness. She caught his incredulous glare and swallowed her food, quickly wiping the table clean and giving him a glare of her own as she did so. "Maybe he was out shopping or something," she stated as an afterthought.
Doug ignored the drama between the two. "It's going on seven, Ann," he sighed. "I doubt he's been on a shopping spree for that long. Besides, he doesn't really strike me as the 'shopping type'." If anything, he figured that the newest tenant was probably filling those bags with something to sell – he looked like the type that lived off of the land.
She shrugged. "I dunno… So, what do you guys want to drink?" Ann changed the subject, giving the old blacksmith a friendly wink.
"Two hot sakes. For me and the boy." Saibara didn't look up at her.
She was used to his brusque exterior and knew far better than to take it personally. "Alright. Be right back!" She bounced off.
"Well, I better switch Duke to grape juice before things get ugly," Doug gave the pair a strained smile as he headed back to the bar.
The two relatives sat in silence for a few moments before Gray shyly wrung his hands. "Uh… th-thanks for the drink, Gramps…" He was surprised, to say the least.
He was met with a grunt in reply. Gray couldn't recall a time when he had ever heard his grandfather say "You're welcome," but then again, he didn't use the phrase himself. "See? It's not hard to do something polite for someone else," Saibara's voice was gruff. "Try it sometime."
Gray rolled his eyes. He should have known better; his acts of kindness were never truly free. He hated how his grandfather's mood seemed to shift straight to crotchety as soon as the two of them were alone. Gray wasn't particularly looking forward to their evening together when Saibara got in these moods of his.
Gray looked up from the table's surface and he saw Cliff enter the bar with several bags slung over his shoulders and a grin on his face. His cheeks were rosy with exertion, and there were twigs and pine needles in his sweaty hair. Cliff's ponytail was falling loose and his coat hung open, revealing his disheveled tunic underneath. Gray smirked; he'd let Saibara see what he thought of his 'proper young gentleman' of a roommate now.
"Hey, Cliff!" his face lit up as he gave him a friendly wave, beckoning him to come over.
He stood frozen in shock for a moment as he saw that he had a companion with him and would have to introduce himself. "Oh! G-Good evening!" He nervously stepped toward them, his large eyes widening slightly from the loud, crowded room.
"Hey, Cliff, this is my grandfather, Saibara," he cocked his head toward the old man with a slight smirk playing at his lips.
"Ah, pl-pleased to meet you!" Cliff nervously gave him a bow and a few pine needles tumbled to the floor from his head and shoulders. "Ah! S-sorry!" he stammered, embarrassed at his unkempt state for an introduction; he had intended on heading straight upstairs for the shower.
"Gramps, this is Cliff, my new roommate." Gray found it quite impossible to bite back the self-indulgent smile that was spreading across his face.
The old man stood up, his face expressionless as he stared at his grandson. He turned toward Cliff. "There's no need to apologize, young man," he bowed deeply. "I see that you must have been working very hard today. Are you employed?"
He shook his head and silently cursed himself as a couple more pine needles fell onto the tablecloth. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "No, sir… I-I was just gathering some things during the thaw before it got difficult to fish again." He sheepishly brushed them onto the floor, praying neither of the two had seen the mess he'd made.
Saibara could see the nervousness in the newcomer and pretended not to notice his awkwardness. "Ah, it's important to keep working hard." He grinned as Ann returned with their drinks. She gave Cliff a silent smile and friendly wave as she headed back to the bar. "A strong work ethic is important in a young man, Gray. Please take note."
His apprentice bit his tongue; of course Saibara had to make this into a twisted kind of torture for him.
The elderly man gestured toward the chair between him and his grandson. "Please take a seat with us, Mr. …?"
"Y-Yamamoto," Cliff bowed again. "Cliff Yamamoto."
"Ah. Well, met, Mr. Yamamoto. Saibara Iwata." He returned the bow.
Gray rolled his eyes as Saibara waited for Cliff to take a seat first. His grandfather was never this formal at home.
Cliff hesitantly sat down; he smelled strongly of campfire and smoked wood. "P-Please, just call me Cliff," he insisted as he smoothed down the fur lining on his coat. It, like the rest of his appearance, had become unkempt throughout the day and the white fur stuck out in every which direction as if he had come into contact with static shock.
"Then you may refer to me as Saibara." A kind smile was thrown in his direction, and he was eager to start up a conversation. "So, Cliff, I can smell that you've caught some fish and smoked them."
He nodded his brown head, grateful that he was leading the dialogue. The intimidating old man had the air of one who was not to be trifled with, and he wanted to make a good first impression. "Yes… They keep for quite a while that way." He carefully placed his bags on the floor with a weak smile.
"I can't help but notice that you don't have a rod."
His cheeks turned from pink to red. He wished that Saibara hadn't been observing him so closely; he was well aware that he was a mess. "Oh, I use spears," Cliff gave him a polite nod, trying his best to ignore the fact that he just pulled a small twig out of his hair. "Well, sharpened sticks, really…" He admitted sheepishly as he shoved the plant material in his pocket.
"What do you sharpen them with?" Saibara asked, taking a sip of sake. "Surely you have a blade?"
Cliff stared at him curiously. No one had ever taken such an active interest in him before…
Gray groaned; he saw where this was going. Of course it was going to be a sales pitch! He felt a swift wave of relief. For a brief moment, it almost seemed as if Saibara was genuinely very curious about his roommate's activities and habits. Why relief was the emotion that came to him, Gray was not sure. He never questioned emotions; his gut never steered him wrong in the past. "Gramps, I think the kid is broke," he sighed. "You're wasting your time," he added frankly.
The old man set down his glass silently and stared at his grandson. Gray's hair stood up on end at the icy glare. Apparently his gut was capable of error… "Let's take a look at your knife, Cliff." He didn't turn away from Gray.
Cliff's eyes widened in fear as they shifted back and forth between the relatives. He was a little nervous to hand a weapon to one of them, but he was even more terrified to disobey the old man. He reached into his pocket with trembling hands and produced a blade with a leather sheath, too afraid to see what Gray's response was to his traitorous behavior.
Saibara handled the tool as if it were a holy relic. He removed the cover from the knife and his eyes lit up as they traveled across the length of the tool. "Ah. Fine steel. A nice blade, but a bit battle-worn, wouldn't you agree?"
"We've been through a lot together," the young man laughed nervously, taking the opportunity to smooth down his hair a bit while Saibara's eyes were focused on his knife. He looked back up at him and Cliff reddened, placing his hands in his lap.
"How about I rebalance this blade for you? I can do a rush job and have it ready for you by the end of tomorrow. I can see that this knife is very special to you." Cliff smiled shyly at Saibara's offer. The elderly blacksmith's words had a warmth to them that he hadn't heard in a long time.
As a matter of fact, Gray hadn't heard that warmth in eons himself. His stomach twisted with jealousy as he poured himself another sake. He drank half of the small glass in one go, relishing in the burning sensation that followed; at least it allowed him to focus on something else other than his stupid emotions and the idiots who were sharing a table with him.
"You'd really do that for me? B-but… Gray's right…" he frowned as he wrung his hands anxiously. He hadn't had his knife worked on in a long time, and it was in dire need of attention. After all, if he didn't have his knife, he had nothing… But he had very little money. Cliff's eyes traveled hopefully toward his satchels sitting on the floor. Saibara was the one to bring up the smoked fish; perhaps he liked it. He straightened his posture a bit. "Would you be open to a trade?" he asked courteously.
Gray smirked and bit back a laugh; his grandfather only ever accepted cash up front, and he always charged extra for rush jobs. He took a taste of his drink. Things were about to get interesting.
"Let's see your fish," Saibara took another sip of sake as the he fumbled with his game bag.
Wait, what?! Gray's jaw dropped. The notion that the old man would accept anything other than cold, hard cash before starting the job was startling to him.Why washe making a special case for someone he had only just met? Saibara was too stingy to cut a deal with the local woodcutter, and they drank tea together regularly!
"Please accept this large trout in exchange," Cliff humbly offered a bundle with outstretched hands and a bowed head. Gray almost laughed aloud at the exaggerated gesture.
"Ah. One is not enough, young man, surely you know that." Saibara poured himself some more sake with an emotionless expression.
A grin broke across Gray's face. He was eager to see Cliff mess up, and he had started to fall down a slippery slope that would leave him in his grandfather's disfavor. It was satisfying to see someone else not meet the old man's ridiculous standards, and maybe they'd have something to complain about together. It wasn't the fact that Gray wasn't polite; it was that Saibara was unreasonable. He jumped when he heard a sudden noise from his grandfather.
It was laughter.
"Of course, a true man who takes pride in his work knows when to haggle," Saibara cackled, a mischievous grin spreading across his mouth. He leaned in toward Cliff and gave him a conspiratorial wink. "You've done this before, haven't you?" He gave him a rough nudge and laughed harder.
"Oh, was I too obvious?" Cliff chuckled, blushing as a sheepish grin appeared on his face.
Gray's smile fell as he stared back and forth between his tablemates. Was he missing something? Everything he knew about his grandfather had just gone right out the window. Where was the stubborn, sullen, surly old man that only knew the word "no"? And who was this strange guy that brought out this odd behavior in him? He hardly listened as the two haggled back and forth swiftly.
"Four fish," Saibara laughed.
"Two." Cliff's voice was polite, yet firm. He wasn't going to let himself be bullied into more than what was fair.
The fish looked tasty and he wanted as much as he was going to be allowed. "Two plus that small one over there." Saibara pointed with the knife at the specimens he wanted.
Cliff shook his head. The two fish he had selected were the largest, and he had initially gone out to find food for himself. He had no intentions on living off of the food at the inn, as delicious as it was; he had a budget to maintain. Cliff gestured toward the fish. "How about that fat one over there, this medium one, and the small one? They're all good trout, caught this afternoon. They're all salted and smoked," he assured the old man as he gave him a friendly nod.
It seemed to be a reasonable offer. He wasn't particularly fond of cooking, so ready-to-eat foods like these were his favorite to have on hand. "Alright, you've got a deal," Saibara sheathed the knife as Cliff bundled up the fish with a thin strip of hide.
Cliff was grateful that the trade had gone well. He was hardly a stranger to haggling, but some people were harder to win over than others, and he wanted to keep the possibility of a future trade available. "You're the one who got the deal," he laughed playfully. "I've been eyeing up that fat trout all day."
Saibara had no uncertainty about that; the young man looked like he could stand to gain a few pounds. However, he felt no guilt over the bargain he had got. Saibara took pride in his work, and it was well worth the price Cliff had paid in fish. "Well, once your blade is done, you'll be happy," he cackled with a friendly grin.
"Oh, I have no doubt that I will – having the right tools in good shape makes all the difference," Cliff thoughtfully put away his fish bundles.
Saibara looked up at him with shining eyes. He had never met a young man who had the same ideals as him. His grandson could learn a lot from this kid. Perhaps a new roommate was just what he needed. "Exactly."
Gray drained his cup and drank straight from his sake flask; he had never hated someone so much so quickly.
0o0o0o0
Author's Note: Well, now we have the origin of Cliff and Saibara's friendship and the feud it has caused between Gray and Cliff. I hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think of the story so far!