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Construction was turning out to be a much bigger part of being a Phoenix Initiative member than Rasali had initially anticipated. If it wasn't bunkers in Old Hemisect, it was keeping the cave system from falling in. Now Rasali was basically building her own hive like some carpenter drone. While she wasn't working from scratch, the way this enormous tree had practically grown into the side of what remained of the old building was giving Rasali fits. Ideally she could reroute some of these roots to growing around the little hive and not through it, but that would require there being an entire hive built in the first place.

Kappadad was only willing to help so much before conveniently deciding Rasali needed a character-building moment and left her to her own devices. Currently she was trying to haul lumber that was longer than she was tall.

Rasali struggled as the weight of the wood multiplied due to the suction of the swamp mud. This was not working out. Thankfully she noticed one of the other Initiative members passing by on their way to something that was definitely less important than helping her carry heavy stuff.

"Hey! Hey you! Big guy! C'mover here!" Rasali called, struggling to wave with one hand while supporting the lumber with the other. The last thing she needed was ALL of it getting stuck in the mud.

Rasali continued to wave until Reemus had made his way entirely to her area. He seemed to understand Rasali's plight right off the bat, much to Rasali's delight. The weight on her arms decreased as Reemus took the other end of the lumber like it was nothing--or at least nothing relative to the struggle Rasali had been having.

"Yesss!" Rasali cheered. Shrugging her shoulders would have to suffice while she couldn't throw her fists in the air. "Dang, you're even bigger up close! I wish I'da spotted you earlier!"

Rasali continued to gush as she guided Reemus via walking backwards while holding one end of the lumber. The pile of building materials she'd been constructing was only a short distance away. (One that she totally could have made the trek to herself if she absolutely had to, she would have sworn if confronted.)

"Oh man and with scars like those--are you some kind of brawler!? You must hit like a truck!"

Rasali motioned to the pile adjacent to them with her horn.

Rasali hummed and dropped the lumber onto the pile with the rest of the wood she'd collected. Upon completing her task, she stood straight and clapped the dirt off her hands. She gave Reemus a skeptical look all the while.

"You sure don't sound like a heavy-hitter. Not with an attitude like that! A huge bod like that and no fighting spirit is a total waste if you ask me." Rasali sighed and shrugged with both palms in the air.

She pointed at Reemus, barely avoiding prodding him in the chest. "You should definitely fight me. Get the blood pumping. The Phoenix Initiative needs members that are willing to go ALL OUT! At ANY TIME!"

Rasali kept a sly smirk on her face as Reemus clearly processed her demand request. It immediately fell off her face at his reply. She hadn't been expecting that. "You... You want a snack?" Rasali supposed she'd heard of dumber reasons to pick a fight with someone. A greenblood-that-would-not-be-named flashed briefly in Rasali's memory. She straightened out of her "pointing posture."

"Sure! Why not? Nothing like a good ole fashioned sparring session to work up an appetite! We can get dinner after this." Rasali was certain she wouldn't be going back to her construction project after duking it out with this brick wall of a man.

Rasali unfurled her chain. She certainly wasn't out scavenging in the swamp without it.

"Let's see what you can do!"

HP: 17/20
Military Weapon: +1 DMG

"OOF!"

Rasali hadn't expected someone that big to move that fast. What was more she hadn't expected him to be keeping a pair of brass knuckles in his pockets. She supposed she had that torso blow coming. She also had been just a touch too curious how hard this guy could hit. With her question answered, she wasn't about to let it happen again.

Rasali started swinging her chain.

HP: 15/20
Military Weapon: +1 DMG

Rasali had enough of a warning by this point that she was able to guard Reemus's next punch. Somewhat. It was definitely going to bruise. And it hurt. A lot.

Rasali masked her grimace with a smirk as the two of them fell back into waiting stances. It was obvious that no amount of grappling moves gleaned from Ganyma were going to help Rasali win against Reemus in a fist fight, so she'd just have to rely on the superior range of her weapon.

She couldn't tell what Reemus was about to do with all that bouncing, so she took the initiative herself to just plain old throw the weight of her chain at him. Get along lil doggy!

HP: 10/20
Military Weapon: +1 DMG

Holy s**t. Rasali had expected power from a guy of Reemus's size, but certainly not this level of ferocity in a guy wearing a fuzzy sweater. He had a mouth like a ******** bear trap. In her shock, Rasali was yanked forward and up by her own weapon. The momentum ceased abruptly with a fist to the abdomen. She practically felt his knuckles against her spine.

She rewarded Reemus's incredible strike by throwing up next to his feet. It was in both of their favors that they were operating on empty stomachs. Rasali used her vulnerable position to sneak in a stomp to the foot and a weak punch in the knee. It was less of an attack and more of a reprimand. Rasali was going to get him back for that.