Cid Raines sat down next to Rosch in the shade calmly. He looked around at the surroundings since Rosch had seemed so attuned to the nature around them before he had interrupted him. Cid wondered what was so fascinating, but wasn't sure what had Rosch so entranced.

"Would you prefer I call you Lieutenant General Rosch, just Rosch, or what about Yaag?," Cid asked calmly. He continued, "you may call me Cid, as I am no longer a Brigadier General and calling me Raines seems far less personal."

Rosch narrowed his eyes slightly, "less personal? I have always called you General Raines, and if you prefer me to drop the 'General,' I will do so. But to call you Cid instead of Raines because you feel it is more personal seems rather forward and unprofessional at best."

Cid chuckled, "why all the formality? We have known each other for ages and you are saying we are unable to be on a first name basis? That seems like more of an oddity than me being unprofessional or forward."

Rosch sighed, "then you may call me whatever you wish, and I will continue to call you Raines. In any case this is the last thing we should be discussing. I had heard from a friend that you supposedly had perished before Cocoon fell. . .and here you are. How is that so?" Rosch wondered where Yuj had gotten that information since it was inaccurate as Cid was sitting next to him, obviously alive.

"What a way to spoil the mood. I'll be calling you Yaag since I figure if I start on a first name basis with you, you will eventually follow suit. As for how I survived. . .you'd be surprised how even suicide can't even save a man from a Fal'cie," Cid drifted off looking solemn and his eyes hooded with a kind of distress from a memory he did not want to face.

Rosch cleared his throat trying to pull Cid out of his rumination, "It matters not, I suppose. You are here now and that fact won't change whether I know the details or none at all. . .but if you do ever change your mind and want to talk about it, I will listen." Rosch had practice in listening to other's circumstances thanks to Yuj, and since he had known Cid since his school days, he figured it wouldn't hurt to listen to him if he needed to talk.

Cid looked at Rosch thoughtfully and wondered what in Rosch had changed. He knew him as a director of PSICOM, someone who always knew what he wanted and what his next course of action would be. He never seemed like the sort to want to sit down and have a heart-to-heart conversation, but there was something about his presence that made Cid feel at ease. "I appreciate the offer, Yaag. Perhaps I will open up about those things later," Cid turned to face Rosch, "I am sure you are relieved that even though Cocoon fell, a good two-thirds of the population survived. That's still better than what would have happened if the Fal'cie got his way and sacrificed everyone."

Rosch felt his body tense at the thought of the Fal'cie, Barthandelus, the one who created a faulty belief system and nurtured fear into the populace. Rosch knew placing his faith in the Fal'cie's farce was not forgivable, even if it was the only option at the time in his opinion. With the way that the population feared Pulse and how they put all their faith in the Sanctum, all he could do was what the people wanted. Rosch breathed in deeply to try to calm himself from the tension.

Cid noticed Rosch tensing and broke the silence, "well isn't Gran Pulse beautiful? The sky is so blue, the water is so clear, and everything feels natural and fresh here. I am not sure what you were looking at when I interrupted you, but from what I can see, you also seem to appreciate the organic beauty of this place." Cid always thought Rosch was the tense sort, someone who was easily roused and quick to react in the military, but seeing him trying to calm himself made him wonder just when had the man become so attuned to his feelings and nature.

Rosch nodded slowly, "I think this is a place where a man can lose or find himself." Cid chuckled, "well I think we should focus on the finding ourselves aspect, shall we? After all. . .our lives have changed completely since the fall of Cocoon; I can see that you are injured, so it is unlikely you can return to the military quite yet. And I'm also recovering from some injuries from some recent battles, so I haven't been ready to return quite yet either. I wonder how the military is doing. . .considering their commanders are out of commission at the moment."

Rosch nodded, "I have been told that all of the sects of military have combined to work together. Currently the rations are being delegated properly and they are working on reconnaissance and collecting data on the local area. The town itself is currently more like a large camp, but they are slowly bringing down various resources from Cocoon via airship. I. . .know someone who could update you with specifics as he has been giving me information since the fall." Rosch wondered why Cid had been injured from 'recent' battles but refrained from asking.

Cid smiled, "I appreciate the update, and I'd love to meet your 'someone' I'm sure he's very special to you." Rosch gave him a deadpan look, "you look as though you are trying to imply something." Cid chuckled, "of course not! I am not implying a thing." Rosch looked at the grass intently, "I wonder if you know him, his name is Yuj and he's a member of team NORA, but before you get any obscene or strange ideas, he's dating a fellow team member."

Cid nodded in understanding, "ah I see, you were beaten out by a friend of his. Pity isn't it. As for who he is. . .I recall Rygdea mentioning a blue-haired boy named Yuj. I think he was a waiter at a restaurant that Rygdea enjoyed going to." "Yes, that is the same man. He is the reason why I am alive today and he has been an invaluable resource," Rosch replied slightly irritated by Cid implying that he liked someone that he had no interest in romantically.

Cid knew he struck a chord, "I apologize, Yaag. I suppose we are not close enough for me to joke with you. You have always been such a serious person, I thought that perhaps a joke here and there would help you relax, but it seems to have the opposite effect. I think meeting your friend would be wise, since gaining more information about what has been going on for the last few months will be vital if I try to take up a role in the military again. The situation with the Fal'cie had broken my dreams, but having a renewed life here on Gran Pulse, perhaps my dreams can still come true."

Rosch looked at Cid thoughtfully. He knew the man always had a dream to have a world free from the reign of the Sanctum. A world where men were free, and not held on a tight leash that proliferated fear and phobias. Cid continued, "I know you had a similar dream, Yaag. . ."

Rosch nodded slowly, "I thought that dream was impossible. . .but you never gave up on it. While I do not know what the future holds as the Pulse Fal'cie have not interacted with the people as of yet, I think it might be possible to dream again."

Cid smiled, "At least for now your dream of being free from the Fal'cie is true." Rosch chuckled, "wasn't that your dream as well?"

Cid's eyes grew wide and he looked at Rosch seriously, "are you sure you're Yaag Rosch? I don't think I have ever heard you laugh before."

Rosch shot him a glare, "of course I am myself. That was an absurd comment. All people laugh at some point, it's human nature."

Cid chuckled, "while that is true, you laughing is a rarity. I am truly honored to be the first to witness such an occasion."

Rosch glowered then softened his expression, "well I suppose the likewise would be true, I am not sure many have heard you laugh either, Raines."

Cid smiled, "one day I will get you to call me 'Cid' instead of my surname." Rosch looked at him intently, "I don't understand what your fixation is on me calling you by your first name." Cid closed his eyes, "perhaps because during my time as the Brigadier General and a Cocoon l'cie, people only called me 'Raines'. I suppose you could say that by being called 'Cid' I would be able to separate myself from the past." While all of it was true, and Cid wanted to have a new life as much as Rosch did, he also loved watching the shorter man squirm, as he found it rather endearing.

Rosch looked at him intently, "I will make a deal with you. I will call you 'Cid' if you will call me Rosch." Cid shook his head, "no that will not do. I suppose I will just have to suffer hearing my last name from you a while more."

Rosch quirked an eyebrow, "you are being a tad obstinate. . .Cid." He did not want to give in to the taller man, but he also could understand why Cid would not want to be referred to in the same manner as in the past. Rosch had viewed the changes in his life a good thing, a chance for change, and he wondered if Cid felt the same way.

Cid smiled at Rosch, "I appreciate the gesture, Yaag." Rosch couldn't help but glare at the black-haired man, he did not like his first name and Cid saying it repeatedly was not helping his ego. When he was in the academy, Jihl always made fun of his name. She often would call him "Gaay" instead, as that was his name backwards. While Rosch had grown and matured since those days, he still felt negativity towards his first name.

Rosch stood up from the comfortable spot in the shade and placed a hand on his wound to see if he needed to change the bandage. "I think we should head back to my camp since I haven't eaten since this morning and I want to record the data I have gathered on my expedition."

Cid stood up next to Rosch, "thank you for the invitation. I have not created a set camp, and have been behaving similarly to a nomad as of late. I appreciate your gesture and would love to join you for lunch." Rosch nodded in agreement, "you are more than welcome to stay at my camp as long as you like. I was hoping to return to the military within the next week or so, but I know that is highly unlikely." Rosch handed him an elixir and a potion from the stash that Yuj had given him earlier.

Cid smiled gratefully, "thank you for your hospitality and your provisions. It has been so cold as of late that I think having a nice warm place to return to will be good for lifting my spirits. I will try to earn my keep around here as well. I have become a decent fisherman as of late, so I can try to get us some fish for dinner."

Rosch looked at Cid intently and then turned towards the direction of the camp, "I have been making a map of the local area, with my camp as the base. I will make you a copy when I lay it out in a more organized fashion. That way you always know how to return to the camp without trouble."

Cid nodded and followed Rosch and the two men passed the monsters stealthily so they would not notice them. Rosch did not want to admit it to Cid, but he was grateful that the other man would be staying with him at his camp. He missed having others around him to talk to, and having another man from the military with him was something he truly appreciated. He knew Cid would understand his train of thought along with his terminology. He was good with his words when it came to the military, but he was often at a loss for his words in a typical social situation. Having Cid around, who was much more socially savvy when it came to the non-military population was comforting to him.

Cid similarly was very grateful to Rosch being the stoic, strong man he had always been. Rosch was a very consistent and stable man, and Cid was thankful that after he had been wandering, and in the process trying to free the Cie'th Stones, he finally had a place that he could call home.

Yuj and Maqui spent the morning exploring a set of ruins that were full of Cie'th stones and a variety of indigenous monsters. They also found several statues that depicted a battle between the slithering evil demon, Lindzei and the beautiful, divine goddess Etro. While Yuj and Maqui both knew the information from the analects that Snow showed them, they were surprised to find such a scene depicted in stone.

Maqui shivered, "this place is really kind of creepy. . .I don't see anything new in here either. . ." Yuj nodded, "well. . .we came here mainly to explore and we only found more of the same things we found in other ruins. . ." Yuj noticed Maqui shivering even though he was wearing his thick, warm, and snuggly jacket. He wrapped his arms around the shorter boy's body, "come on Maqui, how about we head to work and then we can focus on our date later."

Maqui shivered even more, but mainly because he could feel Yuj's warm, moist breath on the back of his neck. "Hahaah, yeah," was all Maqui could muster. Yuj felt the shiver, "are you still cold?" Maqui shook his head, he had never been warmer, his body temperature was rising and his entire body felt flushed.

Yuj chuckled and took him back outside onto the velocycle, "you are really cute Maqui. . .I'm really glad to have you." Maqui continued his awkward, embarrassed laughter. Yuj grinned and helped him onto the velocycle since Maqui was too busy laughing to get on it without help.

Maqui wrapped his arms around Yuj's waist, loving his rides on the velocycle a little too much. "I would have you drive, but you seem a little out of it," Yuj smirked. Maqui nodded, "yeah right now I think I would rather ride, I'll drive it later." He snuggled against him warmly and loved the way his cheek felt as it pressed into Yuj's soft, teal hair. He smelled so sweet and decadent and he relished in the sensation.

The two boys finally made it to work and were both excited and exhilarated looking forward to their first official date that evening.

TBC

A/N: As you probably have noticed, when in description, I write Yaag Rosch as "Rosch" and I write Cid Raines as "Cid." I did this because of what their own name preference is, not for inconsistency purposes (") =^..^=(")