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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:42 pm
Purity. Purity. What the hell did that even mean, these days?
Dusty was pacing the floor of the Fa'e Headquarters, aggravated. It had been weeks - no, months - since he'd spoken with the dreamer that watched over him, and still he felt wound-up and snappish. He was starting to drive his Guardian up the wall with it, first by his attitude, then by his half-amused, half-furious, instance that it was "Nil" that was bothering him.
His studies had faltered. He didn't even care when his allowance started getting cut - it wasn't as though he didn't have income from his business with Caoimhe, let alone his extensive savings, so why did he care? Arrien had hung that over his head for too long now. And if he wasn't controllable through money, well, his Guardian just didn't know what to do with him anymore. So she'd retreated, making feeble attempts to get him to study math or language or history, but surrendering quickly when he grew frustrated and snarly.
People weren't pure. Was that what Nil had meant? That because Dusty was Fa'e, was living, was less than what he had been once, he was no longer pure....
But if that were the case, how was he supposed to cleanse himself?! He was stuck here, unable to do anything and without any answers! It was no wonder Dustin was as wound-up and angry as he was. He knew an enemy was out there, but there was no way for him to fight it, unless....
Suddenly fed up, Dustin swore aloud and stomped toward the door. He wasn't getting any closer to where he needed to be by pacing around here. He didn't know where he was going, but damn it all, he needed to go somewhere, do something - and if he did something stupid and regretted it later, well, at least he hadn't been wasting his time sitting around, waiting for an answer that wouldn't come!
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 2:38 pm
Devmani was making his way towards HQ for the first time in.... dear Lady how long had it been!? He'd been wandering for so long he'd stopped actually keeping track of time.
He should have been more careful than that. His mother still whapped as hard as ever. The tip of one ear was still pink from that one.
Not bothering with his human form he just ducked down and entered through the doorway.
Only to have something bounce off his equine chest. Whoops.
"Sorry, you all right?"
Maybe Drac's claim that his brain was starting to resemble the vastness of space, ie empty, had some merit.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:19 pm
Hooves were not meant for maintaining balance, Dusty had found repeatedly over the years, and today was no exception to that rule. He had been all but throwing himself out the door, preparing to storm down the street in a random direction and keep going until he figured something out, even if he didn't know what that something was, but then the collision-- and then the world tilted-- hooves scrabbled, but there was no recovering, damn his genes!-- THUNK.
At least he hadn't landed on his tail. Not that that small bit of fortune was going to brighten up his day any further, especially since the sheathed sword on his back managed to give him a nice thwack on the back of his head when its tip collided with the ground.
Just as he was preparing to unload a burst of verbal fury against the more-a-wall-than-a-window lunk blocking the exit, however, he paused. A bit of nostalgia, looking up at this guy from this angle. Already passed, there was no memory, but... it was strange....
"... Yeah, I'm fine," Dustin grumped, pushing himself up to his hooves. He was seething still, but it wasn't at the unfortunate centaur who had gotten in his way - it was just at the universe at large. It wasn't fair, damn it! He didn't have the answers, he couldn't get the answers, and he couldn't do anything in spite of either of these statements... what was left for him to do?!
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:25 pm
"Yikes, hooves on tile. Never fun. Really sorry about that."
Devmani watched as the younger fa'e got himself righted and frowned. he looked familiar... then he remembered a particular little devil that seemed to like Drac's 'hoard' and playing with his tail. The frown turned into a grin. The kid grew well.
"You look steamed, want to go outside and spar a bit or something? Even if it doesn't fix anything it might help to hit something and I'll admit I'm a pretty huge target." He gave a slightly self depreciating grin. Sure he could maneuver well, but well, he might as well be the proverbial broad side of a barn.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:38 pm
Dusty's brows snapped down, ready to accuse Devmani of patronizing him - but luckily, common sense kicked in before he got a word out. If anyone would understand what hooves on tile was like, it had to be the half-horse Fa'e in front of him, didn't it? "... Probably easier with four than two, at least," Dusty groused instead, but relaxed his jaw. No sense in getting worked up at this guy, he seemed harmless.
Those days of playing at the cottage were long behind Dusty, of course, and well out of his memory's reach - but that didn't mean there wasn't a nagging familiarity about the centaur, one that was getting more insistent with every moment. Did he know this Fa'e? He wanted to recall a name, a place, but....
... Well, if you wanted to get to know someone, what better way was there than to see how they fought? Dusty's eyes shot up and down the centaur, appraising him swiftly. He had some considerable upper-body muscle, probably pretty used to some sort of combat....
"Yeah, all right," Dusty agreed, his agitation switched over to more of a high-energy anticipation. "You got a weapon?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:46 pm
"Most times. But winter ice and four legs. Yeah, lots of belly flopping until my weight caught up. Mumm thought it was 'cute'." And yes, there was that little bit of disgust at the word. Male disgust of all things fluffy at it's best.
"Depends. I've got a collapsible quarterstaff tucked away in my pack I can put together. Or I've got my bow. Also depends if you want to fight me like this. Learned a few tricks and can shrink down a bit if you'd rather." it was only fair to offer. Dusty looked like he'd be a decent challenge with that sword. He was looking forward to it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:55 pm
... All right, 'cute' wasn't the word that Dusty would use for the image of Devmani belly-sliding around on the ice, but from the barely-suppressed gleam of laughter in the child's eyes, 'hiliarous' might apply. Certainly nothing so sympathetic to the disgruntled tone in the centaur's voice as he'd recalled the incident. Whether out of respect or self-preservation, however, Dusty maintained himself mutely on the topic.
Of course, when the next one came up, he was forced to be a bit more animated. "Use what you want, but don't give me a handicap," the deerkitten answered scornfully. He might be young, but damn it, that didn't mean he was weak! He'd fought before in real battles. He wasn't afraid to face a tough opponent - and if he lost, he'd do better the next time. But between losing and being treated like a child, incapable, the prideful deerkitten would take losing every time.
He would have brushed past Devmani in a cold, cool gesture of contempt, marching out to the front yard where they could set up the sparring match - but unfortunately, the centaur was still very large, and still blocking the doorway. So Dustin settled for planting his feet and crossing his arms rebelliously, waiting for the older Fa'e to lead the way.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:00 pm
The gleam did not escape the centaur's notice. "Yeah, yeah, Mumm thought I was cute. Same can probably be said of yours ya bugger."
"It's not a handicap. It's an offer of one over the other. I can be like this, big enough to knock you over if I turn quickly, or I can be human and move faster. Just a matter if you want to face brute size or speed. I don't do 'handicaps'." Shaking his head slightly and keeping a handle on his temper he backed out carefully, trying not to knock into someone yet again and trotted off to the side yard, one hand digging out the staff pieces and fitting them together.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:10 pm
Being scolded didn't improve Dusty's mood. Offering no apology for his assumption, the deerkitten stalked out the door after Devmani, loosing his sword from the scabbard. He still remembered first receiving the weapon, and how heavy it had seemed then - now, he grasped it easily in one hand, its tip flicking easily in response to his demands. He'd trained hard and long to get what expertise he had with his weapon, and any opportunity to show it off was a good one by him.
"So, you got a name, I'm betting?" the Arthurian child called out to his sparring partner, picking out a place a comfortable distance from Devmani and winding his arms, loosening up his joints and stretching out his muscles in preparation for the match.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:26 pm
The staff was in one piece, spinning as he re-familiarized himself with the weapon. Taking another look at the deer-kitten he reached back in his pack and pulled out a bit of cloth. It would be more challenging to be closer to his size. Concentrating his form shifted and he reared for a moment, letting the extra set of legs fold back into his body. A moment later and he looked for all intents and purposes, human.
Neverminding the naked bit.
The cloth turned out to be a pair of shorts, quickly puled on, as he bounced a few times to get used to being so much shorter. Well, shorter for him. "It's Devmani, Devi for short. And if memory serves you're... Dusty, right?"
Grinning he found his balance and took a stance, ready to go.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:46 pm
Rolling his head back and forth to loosen his neck, Dusty almost didn't realize what the centaur was doing until it dawned on him that he was looking at someone not so much larger than him. And... nude....
He probably had stared for just a few moments longer than most people would find comfortable before choking and looking away. "GEEZ! Get on some damn pants, will ya?!" the child protested, even though Devmani was already in the process of doing just that. For one of the few times in his life, Dusty found himself thanking whatever power it was that had blessed him with his mother's dark skin and light furring - even though he felt his cheeks burning, the blush was barely visible as a slight graying of the skin, as likely to be a trick of the light as a gesture of intense embarrassment.
Now the deerkitten had lost his edge, struggling more to cover up his discomfort than to prepare for the battle. He furiously tried pushing away his embarrassment, lashing his tail irritably. A real warrior had focus, he reminded himself; a real warrior didn't let cheap tricks like naked sparring partners distract him from the fight. But god, it was burned into his retinas, he could swear it...!
And now Devi was ready to fight, of course. Probably he'd planned it just like that, too. Forcing himself to get his head straightened out, Dusty took a stance several yards away, sword held cross-wise in front of him. "So you know my name? We've met before, right? Must'a been a while ago," the child mused, happy to stall for just a bit more recovery time. "We haven't sparred before, though, right?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:51 pm
Devi, though sheer force of will, did -not- laugh. Even though he wished he had a camera to preserve that expression for posterity. Honestly, two-leggers and clothes. Well, most of them. Lonan didn't seem disturbed by anything, but that might just be him.
"We did meet and it was a while ago. For the sake of further embarrassment, I'll just say you were rather attached to the white fluffy thing that you were nesting in. You were a right terror otherwise." Hopefully that was vague enough to avoid any more blushing. He hadn't meant to unsettle the other but honestly!
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:59 pm
Dusty couldn't help but grin at Devmani's description of his younger self. "Sounds like most the stories people tell me from when I was little," the deerkitten admitted, seeming more prideful than he probably ought to be about being described as a terror. At the very least, though, it seemed to be enough to get the child to refocus. Strengthening his stance and lifting his chin up a few centimeters, he grinned cockily and met eyes with his opponent.
"Ready?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:25 pm
Devi grinned, glad that it had worked. "Of course, inspiring fear is good. And if not fear, a healthy respect for mayhem." Yeah, Drac hadn't rubbed off on him at all. Sure.
"Whenever you are." He spun the staff into place and waited.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:29 pm
"Hey, people don't have to fear me. They just have to know that I can kick their butts if they piss me off," Dusty replied easily, and lunged forward.
He flicked out a probing stab of his blade, angled up toward Devi's right shoulder, beginning the first challenge to the older Fa'e's defenses. It seemed to Dustin that Devmani knew how to handle that staff of his pretty well... but you never really knew until you tested it, did you?
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