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 Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:27 pm
"Now, are you sure you want to do this?"
This same question had probably been asked for the fourth time in as many minutes. Sparrow Heartreed stood with his hands folded across his chest, giving the ghoul across from him a somewhat suspicious look.
He hadn't really expected to be standing here, in the middle of the indoor gym of Amityville High, teaching Xiu of all people how to fight.
At first, Sparrow had had a rather unfortunate experience with a certain supper he had been attempting to prepare for dinner. For the most part, he'd been doing well, and he was a decent cook. However, something had gone wrong, there was the scent of something burning, and then...well, needless to say, Sparrow had discovered quite early on he needed a guide.
And who better to turn to than the ghoul who had assisted him during that disastrous festival event?
Except when Sparrow had asked Xiu to help him cook, he had not exactly expected her to want fighting lessons in return.
He felt obligated to agree, however, and so here they were, on the clear glass that spread over the indoor pool, their reflections wobbly and muffled in the crystalline water beneath them.
"You're sure?" Sparrow asked her again.
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:52 pm
"I'm sure," Xiu echoed firmly, pulling her hair back and up into a neat bun, "I was already taught some self defense, but it won't do me any good if I don't actually practice what I know." Sure, she went through the moves everyday to ensure that she wouldn't forget them, but there was only so much she could do when her opponent was a pillow. It would be far more challenging with a real sparring partner--especially since Sparrow would actually defend and counterattack instead of flopping uselessly--but she was up for the challenge.
...Especially with the upcoming field trip. Though she had initially been somewhat excited at the prospect of her first school field trip, some of the things she had heard from the older students left her concerned and wary. Xiu had figured that it wouldn't do any harm for her to brush up on her skills just in case.
Her only concern with fighting against Sparrow was...well, the reaper really was a gentleman. While this wouldn't bother her in the least, the Baku was admittedly a little concerned that he would hold back against her simply because she was a ghoul. Fortunately, she had found a way to fix this problem. "Excuse me for a moment?"
Xiu turned her back to Sparrow, fiddled with something, and then turned back around, revealing the fluffy white mustache that she had so obviously just taped to her upper lip. "F-feel free to go all out, okay?"
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kuropeco rolled 2 6-sided dice:
1, 5
Total: 6 (2-12)
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 6:07 pm
Sparrow shrugged off his suit coat, tossing it lightly aside. Then he neatly rolled up his sleeves, made sure his hair was pulled out of his eyes, and turned back to face Xiu.
...who was wearing a mustache. A big, fluffy, white one.
It took every ounce of Sparrow's self control not to burst out laughing. As it was, he had an incredibly difficult time just keeping a straight face, his lips twitching, desperate to smile.
"Er," he said, fighting to keep the amusement from his voice. "Xiu..."
Then he put a hand to his forehead, shook his head, and squared his shoulders.
"All right, here we go," Sparrow said with a slightly exasperated sigh. He held out his hand, and there was a small whooshing sound, like a gust of wind blowing. Smoke bubbled in the palm of his hand, the black clouds spilling out from his fingers until they straightened, forming a straight line. The scythe only took a few seconds to form, and though its edges were blurred, the smoke billowing continuously from its edge, it was quite solid in Sparrow's fingers.
"Here we go, darling."
He swung the scythe - and completely missed. Whether or not it was actually on purpose was unknown probably to both.
[ HP: 30/30
Damage: 0 ]
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Kaiyumi rolled 2 6-sided dice:
4, 6
Total: 10 (2-12)
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 6:11 pm
There was a flicker of doubt--and was that fear?-- that passed across Xiu's face when Sparrow's scythe materialized in his hands. Since the only method she could rely on was throwing punches and kicks, the Baku was understandably a little nervous to go up against someone with a weapon, but...hey. She had asked for this, after all, and she didn't want Sparrow to hold back on her, so she would give it her all as well.
When the reaper missed--and yes, the possibility that he may have done so on purpose did momentarily pass her mind--Xiu didn't hesitate. She took this chance to get closer, swinging her leg up and around and into the boil. Immediately after, she tried to gain distance between them, her ears drooping.
"I-I'm sorry!" Honestly, it made her a little upset that she was attacking a friend, but she reminded herself that they were simply sparring, and that he would be attacking her back. So long as they stopped after one of their FEAR shields broke, then there wouldn't be any harm done.
(( HP: 30/30
Damage: 4
According to the rules, the damage done is your total dice roll minus 6. In this case, since Xiu rolled a 10, the damage she does is 10-6=4. ))
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kuropeco rolled 2 6-sided dice:
2, 3
Total: 5 (2-12)
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 6:35 pm
Sparrow, in an effort to not look pathetically stupid, almost missed the fact that Xiu was running towards him. As it was, the kick she landed hit him square in his side and he staggered back, wheezing for breath.
"Nice," he got out, once he had caught his breath again, and grinned up at the baku, clicking his tongue.
"No apologies," Sparrow said as he stood, straightening his shirt. "Remember that when you're in the heat of battle, you're not going to be fighting someone like me. You're gonna be fighting someone you don't like, so apologies aren't necessary."
He gave her a reassuring smile, then dived forward, swinging the scythe again.
Unfortunately for Sparrow, his footing was slightly off, and the scythe's aim went far and wide. This time, his miss had not been intentional, and he frowned, mildly put out.
[ HP: 26/30
Damage: 0 ]
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Kaiyumi rolled 2 6-sided dice:
3, 6
Total: 9 (2-12)
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 6:41 pm
He was right about that--when she was battling for real, she probably wouldn't feel so much concern for her opponent. With this in mind, the Baku readied herself as Sparrow swung his scythe again, managing to come out unscathed only because the reaper had lost his footing. It would most definitely have hit her otherwise!
Using this chance, Xiu brought her leg up for another kick, aiming (a-at least?) for Sparrow's other side this time. Aware that he would probably recover fast enough to attack back, Xiu tried to prepare herself for potentially dodging his next strike.
...But first she gave her mustache a quick pat, just to make sure that it was still there.
(( HP: 30/30
Damage: 3 ))
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kuropeco rolled 2 6-sided dice:
1, 5
Total: 6 (2-12)
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:37 pm
This time, when Xiu came at him, Sparrow managed to slide to the left just enough for the blow to glance off his ribs, rather than receive the full impact. She still hit him, however, and Sparrow found himself stumbling sideways, his hands automatically shooting out to catch her ankle before she could drop her leg, the scythe falling from his hands.
"By the way," he said with a grin. "I like the mustache.
Then he let go, pushing Xiu back away from him and ducking down to retrieve the scythe.
[ HP: 23/30
Damage: 0 ]
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Kaiyumi rolled 2 6-sided dice:
4, 1
Total: 5 (2-12)
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 12:29 am
Xiu yelped in alarm as Sparrow grabbed her ankle, but this was followed by a surprised stare at his comment. After a moment of pause, the Baku couldn't help but grin, giving the mustache another little pat. "Thank you! Does it make me look more...boil-ish?" She gave the reaper a wide-eyed expectant look, before remembering just where they were. Oops!
She was about to go for another swing when she realized that Sparrow reached down to retrieve his scythe. Hastily, the Baku tried to put some distance between herself and the reaper, her gaze focused on the weapon.
Honestly though, with that range and with her low reaction time? Even if she knew it was coming, Xiu was aware that she probably wouldn't be able to dodge it.
(( HP: 30/30
Damage: 0 ))
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kuropeco rolled 2 6-sided dice:
2, 2
Total: 4 (2-12)
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 12:47 am
It was impossible not to be thoroughly entertained by the Baku. Sparrow was fighting back the mad urge to laugh at her adorable expressions, keeping his lips pressed firmly together.
"It, er...certainly makes you look...different," came the somewhat evasive answer as Sparrow stepped in a circle around Xiu, keeping a close eye on her. She was definitely much more nimble than she let on; her movements were good, her focus determined. Perhaps the ghoul was a tad uncertain, her methods and expression slightly anxious, but it was clear she had a good start already.
Sparrow swung the scythe again - but Xiu was already in the process of darting away, and the smoky edge missed the Baku by mere inches. Straightening, he gave her an amused look, cocking his head to the side as if contemplating something.
"You're quite agile, you know," he told her, eyes dancing with mischief. "It's very good."
[ HP: 23/30
Damage: 0 ]
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Kaiyumi rolled 2 6-sided dice:
5, 4
Total: 9 (2-12)
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 8:41 am
Well, that wasn't the exact answer she had been looking for in reply to her mustache, but...different was good, right? At this thought, the ghoul gave a little wag of her tail, clearly pleased. "Oh! Um...thank you!" She paused, tilting her head as a vaguely puzzled look spread over her face. "I...I think?"
At the very least, she knew that his comment about her agility was a compliment. A flush rose to her cheeks, and again, her tail gave a tiny little wag. "I-it's because of Levi!" Xiu squeaked quickly, holding up her hands, "It's because she's such a good teacher! S-she's been giving me lessons every so often, so..." Trailing off, the baku shook her head as she reminded herself--yet again--they were in the middle of a spar. They shouldn't be chatting so freely about random things! That could wait until after, surely.
"A-anyways! Um...get ready again, Sparrow!" Raising her fists, the baku lunged towards him, swinging a fist towards his side. It seemed that the one place she wouldn't aim for during this battle was his face (she didn't really want to hurt him!)
...Or between the legs. Hopefully, anyways.
(( HP: 30/30
Damage: 3 ))
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kuropeco rolled 2 6-sided dice:
3, 4
Total: 7 (2-12)
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Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 10:44 pm
Fighting with a ghoul was certainly a different experience; Sparrow did not know whether to be cautious or just leap headlong into the fray. As it was, he did a sort of mixture of both, which made it difficult to figure out just what the Jack he was doing.
After a few moments he resigned himself to the fact that he would just have to do what Xiu wanted - namely fight her seriously.
"Who, may I ask, is Levi?" said Sparrow, planting the smoking end of the scythe down into the ground and peering at the ghoul with a questioning look on his face. "I don't believe I've met anyone with that name before..."
He realized what she realized at the same time, however - that it was quite unlikely that one's opponent would be just standing around chatting. Xiu leapt towards him and swung her clenched fist at his side. It caught him a little by surprise, and he did not have time to dodge it.
"Nicely done," he told her, once he had managed to gather his breath back. He flipped the scythe in his hands out, catching one of the baku's legs and pulling hard. "But be careful of leaving any blind spots for the enemy to see."
[ HP: 20/30
Target: Xiu.
Damage: 1
FEAR Attack: Using the blade to "capture" the shadow, Sparrow can hold an opponent in place long enough to do at least some sort of damage. ]
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Kaiyumi rolled 2 6-sided dice:
2, 6
Total: 8 (2-12)
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:22 am
Xiu yelped as Sparrow caught one of her legs with his scythe. She stumbled, hitting the ground rather ungracefully. However, rather than let this chance go to waste, she swung her leg out at the back of the reaper's knees before pushing herself up and trying to skitter away.
"I-I'll keep the blindspot tip in mind!" She panted, giving a little bob of her head to show that she understood. After a pause, she decided to address Sparrow's earlier question (despite the fact she had just told herself that this wasn't the time to chat).
"L-levi is my big sister! N-not biological, but she's like a big sister to me!" The baku made a note to introduce Sparrow to Levi if the chance ever presented itself--she always did love when her friends were friends with one another.
...Now what were they doing again? Right, sparring.Quote: Damage: 2 HP: 29/30 Fear: Headlights-- Waking Nightmare: An illusion-based fear. The target's surroundings briefly warp into a scene that reflects the target's most recent nightmare or a random fear. It only lasts 5 to 7 seconds at max.
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kuropeco rolled 2 6-sided dice:
5, 5
Total: 10 (2-12)
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:22 pm
"Blindspots can your - ow - downfall."
Xiu's kick had caught him off guard, and Sparrow staggered forward, nearly loosing his footing. The end of his scythe slammed into the ground, Sparrow using it as a sort of lever as he hauled himself back upright. The baku was definitely more feisty than she let on; with a bit more training, she'd be quite a force to reckon with.
"Oh?" he said, and smiled. "I think I'd rather like to meet this Levi."
The scythe was lifted, spun around and one quick movement Sparrow swung it out, the brunt of it catching Xiu around the middle as he knocked her back.
"Also I think you should wear your mustache whenever you fight."
[ HP: 18/30
Target: Xiu.
Damage: 4
FEAR Attack: Using the blade to "capture" the shadow, Sparrow can hold an opponent in place long enough to do at least some sort of damage. ]
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Kaiyumi rolled 2 6-sided dice:
6, 3
Total: 9 (2-12)
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:21 pm
The attack surprised her, forcing her back and knocking the wind out of her at the same moment. Stumbling, she managed to regain her balance at the last moment. For a second, she merely stared at Sparrow blankly, and then the smile returned to her face.
"T-that was really impressive!" For someone who wielded such a large weapon, he moved much faster than she had expected. At the comment about her mustache, she reached up and twirled it around her finger. "Y-you think?" Despite herself, Xiu's tail gave a happy little wag at that comment.
After some contemplation, Xiu swung her leg out for another kick, deciding to play it safe. The other possible move that had crossed her mind was bringing her knee up, but at her height, the only place her knee would have contacted would have been...
...She seriously did not want to hurt him. Quote: Damage: 3 HP: 25/30 Fear: Headlights-- Waking Nightmare: An illusion-based fear. The target's surroundings briefly warp into a scene that reflects the target's most recent nightmare or a random fear. It only lasts 5 to 7 seconds at max.
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kuropeco rolled 2 6-sided dice:
1, 5
Total: 6 (2-12)
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:54 pm
"Thank you, my dear," said Sparrow with a smile, which rapidly turned into a wince as she knocked him again. It seemed as if the baku had a great deal more strength than she let on; that light, cheerful personality was really just a front for someone strong and fierce.
Or perhaps it was just the way Xiu was.
"You are, without a doubt, the best student I've ever had," said Sparrow grandly, waving his scythe around without really attempting to fight back. His weapon swung towards Xiu, but missed entirely.
"That being said, you're the only student I've ever had, so perhaps I am not the best judge."
[ HP: 15/30
Target: Xiu.
Damage: 0.
FEAR Attack: Using the blade to "capture" the shadow, Sparrow can hold an opponent in place long enough to do at least some sort of damage. ]
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