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Grayson was tired of getting tackled.

It felt like a real youma fight, which he should have expected all along, considering it was Dani and Jude who were orchestrating the thing. Between the two of them, he'd be lucky if he hobbled out of the jungle in better shape than if he actually faced a youma. He hit the ground, losing grip on the canister of flour, and it went flying all over the place. On his shirt, in his hair, face, eyes. All over Jude.

Dani, who hadn't realized he'd done it on accident, suddenly pretended she couldn't see Grayson and Jude right in front of her.

Awesome.

What would Magellan do?

She would attack, he realized. Ferociously. He didn't have it in him to attack Jude quite like she would go after a youma pinning her, but he did grip Jude's shoulders tightly, pushing hard against him and initiating a wrestling match.

Had he not been distracted by the fact that he was irritated, it's likely he would have been distracted by something else. Luckily for all of them, Grayson had a fairly one-track mind.

Unsure of whether or not he should be offended given the comparison, Grayson gave himself a moment to consider it, knees still on either side of Jude's body as he looked down into his face. His lips were pursed, expression a semi-serious frown, when he decided to let it go. He smiled, patted Jude's shoulder with one hand, and rolled off him.

He began dusting his shoulders off, expression peaceful once again. "I think we've gotten the point of this exercise. Do we need to keep going?"

For once, it wasn't just his laziness. That was part of it, sure, but he'd had about enough of being tackled when A) he wasn't in an actual fight and B) he wasn't actually sparring.

Dani joined them, pushing her sleeves up once more. "Who still has to be who? I need to be a youma, so... Grayson needs to be Sagittarius and you need to be me, right, Jude?"

Grayson lifted his shoulders. "It's a good exercise, but I feel like we have the idea. What do you think, Jude?"

Violet eyes fell on Jude's face, a calm sort of acceptance in his own. He didn't want to keep going, but he would if it was asked of him. Leo was lazy, but at least he was obedient for the most part.

Dani pouted a little, but that was to be expected. She'd really wanted to run around as a youma. Still, she figured Jude was probably tired, having summoned his jungle and all, and they really had gotten the hang of things. She started gathering up the supplies that had been lost along the way, pulling her oversized sweatshirt out so that she could fill a makeshift pouch with them.

Grayson rubbed the back of his head, then his cheek, smearing dirt on it. He still hadn't risen from his sitting position, though now his legs were sprawled in front of him and he actually looked decently comfortable. "That was..." He thought about it, settled for, "Informative."

Clearly, his teammates were not being subtle about his laziness. All right. He pulled his own weight when he absolutely had to, and when it came down to it, he was more likely to jump in front of someone when push came to shove than lag behind and let them get their butt kicked.

He would try a little harder, though. Even if the thought made him want to scowl.

Glancing over to Jude, he asked, "Are we good to go, then?" He was already fantasizing about a hot shower and a soft bed, and it wasn't even fully evening.

Very maturely, Dani stuck her tongue out at Jude. Her pretend displeasure known, she turned her nose up and flounced off, headed toward the truck. Grayson watched her go with mild amusement, sighed a little as he pushed off the ground and dusted the seat of his pants off. He began walking, patiently working the knotted ribbons free from his hair.

It was actually not easy. Dani was kind of mean.

The truck was in sight, and he watched Dani shove the supplies anywhere they could fit. He finally gave up on the ribbons, dropping his arms and resigning himself to looking ridiculous.

"I'll try harder, Jude." It was stated simply, and he didn't even make eye contact. Somehow, Jude had become the leader of their tiny team, whether the responsibility was wanted or not. Leo was still a Zodiac, would always be a Zodiac; his loyalty would always be to them first. But, he couldn't imagine abandoning Magellan either.

Grayson didn't like the thought of dying, but he liked the thought of leaving Dani alone even less. He didn't say anything, but the slight pressure he applied to Jude's hand was enough. He understood, and he agreed. They would always be Zodiac before they were senshi, even, and if there came a time when they had to leave her behind, be it by duty or death... they would have to. They needed to find her someone else.

The ride was brief and dangerous, but it was Jude after all, so neither Dani nor Grayson were very surprised. She parted with them cheerfully, making note that she was going to be busy for a few days so she'd get in touch, and darted back to her house. The light on the porch flicked on to meet her, and only when the door was open and she'd slipped safely inside did the truck start off again.

Scooting forward on the seat, Grayson leaned his head back, hands on his knees. He smiled a little. "She has way too much energy."

He liked that about Dani, though. She was headstrong and full of herself, but she was bright and energetic, and she made up for her ego in enthusiasm. She had a way of grounding others even though she couldn't seem to do as much for herself, and he'd come to think of her as an invaluable friend.

What kind of friend would he be if he didn't make sure she was taken care of if anything ever happened to him or Jude? Or, God forbid, both of them?

He didn't like to see Jude so still and serious. It would be a lie to say it wasn't like him -- Jude had all manner of things twisting inside of him at any point, Grayson was sure of it -- but to see it so openly made him feel uneasy. It was like the first time they'd seen one another after Barren Pines, when Jude had lashed out and Grayson hadn't known how to handle it. He'd tried, and maybe he'd succeeded a little, but he'd also failed a bit. This wasn't the same situation at all, but he felt like he was in the same position, teetering on the edge of being exactly what he needed and entirely wrong.

This time, he wasn't just the best Jude had at the moment. Perhaps he was the only one who could understand this particular scenario, as his loyalty too was to the Zodiac first, Magellan second. He couldn't turn toward anyone else, couldn't lean even if he was willing to, so Grayson would have to do his best.

"I'll always be here." It wasn't something he would have offered, or even meant, before. He was closer to Jude in more ways than one since that night, though, and though his voice was its usual patient, calm tone, he was also firm. "For you and Dani. As long as I can, I'll be here."

He reached halfway across the seat, hesitated a moment. His hand fell between them, and he looked ahead too. "She'll be all right, Jude. We'll make sure of it." His voice was confident, and he curled his hands into loose fists where they lay.

It didn't occur to Grayson to mention that they weren't approaching his house. Jude was troubled, likely tired; he probably just wanted to go to bed. For his part, Gray was more than capable of calling for a ride if he wanted one, but he didn't mind the idea of crashing at Jude's apartment. Last time, he'd fallen asleep on the couch, and though he'd woken up with a stiff neck, he really hadn't minded.

Crossing to the couch, Grayson lowered himself without hesitation, concern in his face. For a friend, for whatever Jude really was to him, it didn't seem to matter. He placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezed lightly. This close, he could smell flour and earth, underneath it, Jude. It was comforting, familiar, and it made him much easier than he would have suspected.

He didn't need to say, I'm worried about you. because it was clear on his face. Instead, he asked, "Do you need anything?"

He highly doubted Jude had any tea or unexpired milk in his apartment, but he could probably do something. Would prefer to do anything, really, than sit here and watch Jude try to ease a headache away with pressure from his fingers.