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 Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2017 4:51 pm
Seren was sitting in a dry spot near the sparring field, watching people as they walked by. She kept hoping to see some one who was heading to the field, because she felt like she needed to get still more practice in. Well, she wasn't going to lie, she knew that if she wanted to survive, practice was mandatory and a long term commitment, and she DID want to survive. This meant sparring as often as she could find partners, but she still didn't feel she knew enough people to just start texting for spars. Also, different partners meant she'd get different fighting styles to work against. All of this sounded like a good plan, when it came to making sure the Horsemen she'd heard about didn't kill her.
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kuropeco rolled 1 20-sided dice:
12
Total: 12 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 6:53 pm
The training field was not one of Merric's favorite places.
For one thing, it was still raining. It had been raining for weeks now, and the rain was starting to affect his mood. For another, he felt absurdly and ridiculously unused to fighting at all, not to mention highly incompetent, and Merric was not someone who took well to feeling incompetent.
His pick was already out, dragged along the damp grass, Rinzler making irritated noises in his head, jabbering on about something that Merric was resolutely trying to tune out. He caught a glimpse of someone sitting beneath a nearby tree and slowed his steps, Merric holding an umbrella in his free hand.
"Seren. Good afternoon," he said politely, because it would have been rude to just continue walking past without greeting her.
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Aria Starstone rolled 1 20-sided dice:
9
Total: 9 (1-20)
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Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 6:58 pm
"Merric! Hello!" She gave him a friendly smile, and considered him for a long moment, before asking "Heading to the sparring field? I could use a partner for some practice if you're up for it." She carefully stood, so as not to trip over herself, and tilted her head at the man curiously, her bright blue eyes focused on his face. "I mean, if not, I understand... But I'd really appreciate it, you see." Her fingers brushed along the Star pin that was Diwata's totem form, which she currently had attached to her scarf. "So... what do you say?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:29 am
He did not actually want to spar - in fact, it was the last thing that Merric had any inclination to do, for a variety of reasons, but it felt rude to turn down the offer, just as how it felt rude to not say hello. Merric turned to look at Seren, the rain pattering on the top of his umbrella, everything wet and shivery and cold.
"I...suppose that would be acceptable, yes," he said at length while Rinzler thrummed with approval. "If you wouldn't mind."
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 11:31 am
Seren beamed, a bright and happy grin gracing her young looking face, at Merric's accepting her offer. "OH sweet! Thank you so much." She moved towards the actual field, figuring Merric would follow now that he'd agreed to join her. "I appreciate it. Every spar here is more experience before I go out on the front lines." The sun hunter sighed, a little, and shrugged. "So how have you been? I haven't seen you since that somewhat awkward Dares night. I hope you're settling in ok?" She hoped to all the gods that anyone had ever prayed to that he did NOT remember her having a meltdown during dares. That was one thing she wished hadn't happened, though she still felt incredibly grateful to Kai for helping her calm down, and Rhys for making her laugh.
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kuropeco rolled 2 8-sided dice:
3, 3
Total: 6 (2-16)
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:24 pm
He would have to do away with the umbrella, for the time being. Merric slowly lowered it, carefully folding it down to its closed size and trying not to think about the look of mingled horror and outrage on Roswell's face if he could see Merric about to fight in his carefully pressed clothing.
"Ah, I forgot you were Sun Division," he said, as he set the umbrella down, lifting the pick so that it rested horizontally across his palms, fingers curling around it. The rain was cold against his face, beginning to sink into his shirt already; it was extremely unpleasant. "Life isn't required to be at the front lines."
Her smile had likely the opposite effect of what it had intended; Merric's expression flickered, a frown touching his lips, and he readjusted his hold on his weapon, holding it properly this time.
"I've seen you, just not in person," he said, and swung, though it was a miss. "I've been well, thank you. Yourself?"
HP: 40 / 40
DMG: 0
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Aria Starstone rolled 2 8-sided dice:
2, 2
Total: 4 (2-16)
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:59 pm
She watched him quietly as she called her sword to her hand, and waited quietly while he prepared. "Yeah, and I'd prefer not to end up dead early on because I can't fight." She said softly. "So lots of practice it is. Each one could be the one that teaches me the thing I need to not die." His frown, his flickering expression, all of that combined to make her shoulders droop a little. She remembered accidentally offended him on twitter, and she felt the weight of that. She hadn't meant to do so.... And she wondered if the issue she and Lysander had was leaking to others. Her eyes went sad, but she simply responded with "Well enough... meeting people, at least. I've friends..." That last bit was said in an almost wondering voice. His missed swing had her shifting and trying to bring her sword up in a curving slash that... swooshed right past Merric. HP: 40 / 40 DMG: 0
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kuropeco rolled 2 8-sided dice:
8, 2
Total: 10 (2-16)
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:43 pm
Seren's sword was unreasonably massive. Merric gave it a startled look as it was summoned, hearing Rinzler's snort of disagreement inside of his head, the rain a deafening thing around them. "I'm sure they don't expect trainees to know what to do right off the bat," he said, swiping a hand across his forehead.
Her initial swing - like his own - missed, merely sending a rush of displaced air ghosting over Merric. He cast Seren a narrow eyed look, and it was likely overstepping, but he had no real way of going about this, no understanding of how friendships were even supposed to work. He did not know her well at all, but it didn't change the fact that he had not liked what he had seen.
The look in Seren's eyes made him flush a little with embarrassment, but he couldn't forget what had happened.
"Real friends?" he managed to say, though he couldn't pull off the cold spite no matter how hard he might have tried - and he didn't try very hard, so it came out more as a simple question.
The pick swung around again, aiming for Seren's side.
HP: 40 / 40
DMG: 4
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Aria Starstone rolled 2 8-sided dice:
3, 5
Total: 8 (2-16)
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:46 pm
"No, I doubt they do, but if I'm suddenly faced with a Horseman, I doubt... they'll care if I'm a trainee or not, I'm just food." She said it with a blunt honesty, the kind that said 'I accept this could be my fate.' She stretched her arms, eying his pick curiously. Her eyes widened at his DIG about 'real friends', and she cried out "I NEVER SAID I WAS HIS FRIEND. HE MADE ASSUMPTIONS." She looked offended, hurt, and very, very young. Her upset meant she didn't even anticipate his swing, and it hit, causing her to go "OOF!" And step back. Her eyes focused on him and she moved in, taking a lower swing towards his legs. HP: 36 / 40 DMG: 2
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kuropeco rolled 2 8-sided dice:
5, 8
Total: 13 (2-16)
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 4:21 pm
"Perhaps not," said Merric, blinking rapidly to get the rain out of his eyes. "They seem keen at throwing us all straight into the fire here, so perhaps they don't care."
He himself cared a great deal about that, but Seren's sudden and upset reaction made him stumble, Merric's feet sliding on the wet grass as her sword smacked against the side of his left leg. He dragged the pick around, hearing Rinzler's yell of anger reverberating in his head, Merric sucking in a breath.
He hadn't even needed to say Lysander's name.
"Should he not have?" he said, fingers tightening on the hilt of his weapon. "If you spend time with someone, if you eat with them, if you see them consistently, isn't it natural to think that you're friends with someone? And even if it's wrong to think that way, is there a reason why you were polite and nice to him instead of just telling him from the start you had no interest in becoming friends?"
Merric swung hard, staggering a little as the momentum carried him forward.
"Why not just say so from the start? Why lead him on?"
HP: 38 / 40
DMG: 7
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Aria Starstone rolled 2 8-sided dice:
6, 7
Total: 13 (2-16)
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 4:38 pm
She snarled in fury at his hit, stumbling hard, and also at his words, her eyes frustrated. "WHY is my issues with him your problem?" She yelped, angry, and added "I was trying to be polite, nothing more! I've said it repeatedly! I didn't think he'd accept what I'd posted on twitter, given the argument he and I had had on there. When he did, I was trying to be POLITE. You can be polite to people you don't like, you know! Especially when they're tall, powerful rich men!" A statement said with emphatic force, the kind that came from having reason to fear the powerful. "I just wanted to be polite! Why is that so wrong?" She swung her blade in a overhand attack. HP: 29 / 40 DMG: 7
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kuropeco rolled 2 8-sided dice:
3, 1
Total: 4 (2-16)
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 5:01 pm
He was a little startled at how angry she seemed; something in Merric's chest twisted painfully hard, echoes of voices rising in his head. Seren's sword collided with his shoulder and he staggered violently to the side, gasping in pain as the blow ricocheted all the way up and down his arm.
Merric gathered himself together, gripping the pick.
"He's my friend," he said, which felt both wrong and right, somehow, on his tongue. "And you didn't have to call him out in public, over Twitter, where everyone saw. If you wanted to be polite, you could have saved it for a lesser obvious time."
He tried for an overhand blow of his own, Merric swinging his weapon up and missing.
HP: 31 / 40
DMG: 0
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Aria Starstone rolled 2 20-sided dice:
13, 15
Total: 28 (2-40)
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 5:20 pm
((WRONG DICE ACK ignore))
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Aria Starstone rolled 2 8-sided dice:
8, 7
Total: 15 (2-16)
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 5:21 pm
"Should he be spewing out public judgement of how the poor live, when he knows nothing of the life, on twitter then? Because ******** hell, Merric, it hurt like HELL to know that the apparently convivial, nice guy from Dares thinks some one who lived like that is trash!" There was honest pain in her face at those words, raw and perhaps a little too near the surface. "Maybe I should have but... I felt trapped, I felt upset, and I... frankly didn't know how to handle it!" Her face crumpled some, and she said "I'm sorry I upset your friend, but his words still ********' hurt." She reversed her swing, her face an expression of frustration, and curved the blade up and over his head, aiming for his other side. HP: 29 / 40 DMG: 9
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kuropeco rolled 2 8-sided dice:
1, 8
Total: 9 (2-16)
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 5:37 pm
Seren's anger was a physical thing, a ringing voice inside of his head that reverberated around alongside Rinzler's angry snarls. Merric took a breath, trying to steady himself, trying to ignore the instinctive, anxious fluttering inside of his chest that was making him feel unsteady.
"No," he said, and then, "No, I'm not saying - he should have - but he wasn't trying to be - malicious about it, I think he just doesn't - doesn't know any better - "
The words were hard to get out, his throat thick. Seren's sword crashed into his side, Merric gasping; his legs gave out beneath him, one knee slamming painfully into the ground, mud splattering around him, soaking into the legs of his slacks.
< Get up. > Rinzler snapped. < You useless - >
The pick was planted into the ground, Merric hauling himself vertical again and using it as a levee to get himself up, clutching his weapon tightly. His fingers felt unsteady, trembling slightly as he readjusted his hold as he tried for another hit.
"Just because he said some inappropriate things doesn't mean that you should feel the need to do the same back to him."
HP: 22
DMG: 3
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