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 Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 11:04 am
"Hullo Enoh," Dragonfly said cheerfully, setting Lance down as they neared her, "Lance and Vincent have something they'd like to ask you. Moreso Lance though,"
She chuckled softly, fuzzling up the dragon boy's hair fondly, before letting him walk towards Enoh, gazing up at her with his hardest, most serious crimson gaze.
"Mrs. Love, I was wondering if it'd be alright with you if Vincent trained me. I wanna be a knight an' all, but without someone to help me learn it'll be a little bit difficult, ya know?"
He smiled lopsidedly, jumping back and 'drawing' his sword, brandishing it towards her with ferocity, yet still with a childlike innocence.
"I'm going to become a knight, no matter what!"
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 2:30 pm
"Hullo 'Auntie Dee', Lance...And Vinny too" Enoh replied with a giggle, using the name for Dragonfly that Vidya always used. Vidya merely assumed Dragonfly was her Aunt, since she saw the woman often. Enoh...well, Enoh just thought it was cute. The shapeshifter's ears flicked in curiousity as the boy walked over to her, surprised by the complete seriousness of the boy's air. Whatever he wanted to ask, it was very...
...Well then. That explained everything.
"Training?" She repeated softly, looking between the gunman and the dragon. Lance's determination made her want to say 'Of course!' instantly...but if she said that, she'd be losing a babysitter. Darn...tough choice. Well, not really...Enoh had enough kids to play babysitter, but it was just so much fun to make Vincent do it. In reality, her decision in the matter was rather quickly made.
"I have no problem with it if you don't...and if Vincent's up for it." She was looking down at Lance, though her question was more directed towards Dragonfly.
"It was my idea in the first place."
"Well then...Hah, Sure, thats fine with me." The shapeshifter smiled down at Lance, ruffling his green hair. "He's not gonna go easy on you, though." She informed him with a playful wink.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 2:40 pm
The smallest of giggles escaped Dragonfly's lips as the other adressed her with Vidya's name for her, and she smiled towards Enoh, her yellow eyes sparkling. Dragonfly too, thought it was cute, though she still felt that she had no business intruding on Enoh's life, it was nice to have so many people under one large roof. It would have felt extremely lonely if the home had been occupied with only her family...
"But what are you going to do when they leave...?" she questioned herself, knowing that sooner or later, the day would come when Enoh's home in Gambino was repaired, and she would return there, "Alas..."
She wafted the thought away quickly, more interested in the conversation at hand. The Loves leaving was something to think about at another time.
"It's completely alright with me, and I'm sure that Lance doesn't mind," Dragonfly replied, trying to find the will to smile once more, as hers had faded.
Lance on the other hand, was completely extatic. The dragon's whole face had lit up with the sudden reality that Vincent would indeed be training him, now that Enoh had agreed everything was set!
"Thank you Mrs. Love!" Lance said, grinning, before doing an uncharacteristic thing. He hugged her. His arms wrapped around his waist as much as they could, and he squeezed her tight before letting her go, positively beaming.
He spun around, almost hitting her in the shin with his tail to gaze at Vincent.
"I'm ready for everything he's got," Lance said firmly.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 2:53 pm
I'm gonna miss them... Enoh thought sadly, unknowing that her thoughts were mirroring Dragonfly's. Like Dragonfly, the shapeshifter brushed off all thoughts of leaving a house with so many people (Enoh loved having a housefull, she really did...even though their house would certainly still be full when they moved back), and brought herself back to the present situation.
"Its settled then...I'll tell Shin-Ra I ordered him to train Lance, that way we won't get in trouble at Headquarters. I should go call them now, before I forget!" Enoh had a much easier time faking her smile, and shuffled off towards the nearest phone after brief goodbyes to the trio in the hallway.
"Its a pity you want to use a sword. I'm much better with a gun...but I can still use a sword." Vincent's eyes lit up the slightest bit at this turn of events. No more babysitting! Now he could fight more than he did previously...then again, he would be training a little one, and that in on itself would be considered babysitting. This was fun babysitting. "Gives me a chance to brush up on Swordsmanship, however."
The gunman then turned his attention towards Dragonfly. "We can start whenever you say we can."
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 3:14 pm
For a moment or two, Dragonfly watched Enoh leave, barely listening to what Vincent had said.
"Wha? Oh? You two can start whenever you want," she murmered, obviously distracted, "I'd like to talk to Shin-Ra too, and if you don't mind..."
She smiled briefly, before turning away, and following after Enoh. She wanted to have a few words with the other, as it seemed they hadn't had a moment to talk togethor in a long time, if ever!
"The sword is a more honorable weapon though," Lance replied, before watching his mother leave, and frowning a bit. Of course he was happy to be able to start training extremely soon, but he was worried about the look his mother had had on her features. He didn't like to see her in such a state...
Well, he was sure she'd be fine.
"Can we start now Mr. Valentine?" Lance asked, turning to gaze up at Vincent once more, "Tybalt, he's a big cheater. He doesn't know what honor is, y'see, and I want to beat the living daylights out of him, and show him,"
Lance's gaze hardened, and the grip on his wooden sword tightened as determination once again burned in the boy's eyes.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:21 pm
Vincent was also worried about Dragonfly...but something told him that if she needed someone to talk to, she'd come to him. She had done so before, so there was no stopping her from doing it again. Perhaps, if she didn't seek him out, he'd go to her later on, once Lance was exhausted.
"Well, if Tybalt's a cheater then a more honorable weapon won't really matter now will it? I'll teach you how to use a Gun as well...that way you can either play his game or go the honorable path. Don't worry, I'll prepare you for him." The gunman also had an accomplice in this, though this particular accomplice had no idea about this agreement between Gunman and Dragon. He made a resolve to start listening to a certain blue skinned child, just incase she starts talking about training or something.
"We'll start today then...I just need to go find my Bokuto. How about you go wait outside until then? I won't be long."
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:51 pm
Lance thought the prospect of learning both over for several moments, before nodding his head. Whatever upper hand he could have with Tybalt, he wanted. Not that he needed it, of course... He was already better than Tybalt anyway.
"Yeah, okay," he nodded, a smile still plastered on his features, "See you in the garden Mr. Valentine!"
Lance raced off, towards the outdoors again, where his destiny would begin.
---
"Enoh?"
Dragonfly had followed the sound of the shapeshifter's fleeting footsteps to locate the other woman, who looked as though she was just about to dial the phone, or was just hanging up. Which it was, Dragonfly couldn't tell.
"When you're done, I'd like to talk. Do you mind?" she asked, tilting her head a bit, allowing the soft wisps of grey to fall out of her left eye, revealing the gold beneath for a short time.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 7:38 pm
"...Okay, bye." Enoh sighed, slowly hanging up the phone. She hadn't had the heart to tell HQ right then and there that she was considering quitting for the sake of her family...especially since she married Nio. She needed a safer job, of course. So lost was she in her thoughts that Dragonfly startled her.
"OH. Oh Dee...You scared me. Hi." She then gave the other woman a curious look. "...Talk? Sure...What about?"
---
After Lance left, Vincent had moved into the basement, back into that little room that he had placed his coffin. He had hidden his Bokuto in there...why, he had no idea. But it was there. Once he aquired what he'd been looking for, he headed outside and walked right up to Lance from behind, tapping his green hair with the tip of the wooden sword the gunman held.
"For future reference, you can call me Vincent. Alright...I want to see that you're capable of now, alright?" The gunman took a few steps back, not lowering himself into a ready pose. "Come at me, then."
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 8:10 pm
"Oh, just a couple of things," Dragonfly murmered, for the moment being as vague as she could manage.
She walked into the room, and shut the door behind her, making her way across it with a sudden feeling of aprehensiveness. She let out a shaky breath, though she didn't know WHY she was so nervous all of a sudden...
"I just have a couple of things to ask, is all," she said, smiling weakly as she finally crossed the room, and sat down across from Enoh.
Silence descended upon the two, and Dragonfly dropped her head, wondering how she was going to begin. She stared at the floor for a long time, before her voice probably came to.
"I... I'm going to miss you and your family," she managed finally, lifting her head, and smiling, though there were tears in her eyes, "I mean, I know that you have to get back to your own home and stuff, but it's... It's been so nice having someone my age around... Someone that I don't have to babysit, or who isn't trying to murder me or yelling in my face and fighting with me or..."
She trailed off, finding she had to wipe her eyes before continueing.
"I don't... I don't really have any friends, Enoh. Or at least not ones that I manage to keep... I'm scared that once you and Nio leave that... That you'll just fade away... It's silly, I know, but it's happened to me so many times..." she tried to smile again, but she couldn't, and she was glad that her hair concealed one of her eyes, as tears had begun to leak from the corner of her eyes. Better Enoh see only one tear, than both sets that were threatening to flood.
--
Lance waited patiently for Vincent's return, and as the gunman approached him it became obvious that the dragon-child was deep in some form of meditation. He stood stone still, his sword tip nudging into the ground before him, his hands resting on the hilt. His breathing was slow, and even, and other than that, he was silent.
Slowly, his eyes opened once more, but it seemed... It seemed almost as if this was no longer Lance. His eyes were sharp, and battle ready, and the fighting spirit that every fibre of his being posessed reared up as he lifted his sword before him. The pupils of his eyes were sharpened slits, and the softest of smiles curled upon his features, before he attacked.
He ran at Vincent with everything he had, his sword raised, just as in King Arthur. He sent a blow towards Vincent with everything he had. Yet, as an amateur, before he had even swung he knew the other would block, and he would have to be ready with a counter attack.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:06 pm
Enoh's eyes narrowed with concern for her friend, and stood in silence as Dragonfly stepped into the room and shut the door, cutting them off from the rest of the house. The shapeshifter's expression became somewhat curious, and she sat down slowly as Dee did. She could already tell that something was wrong, and she knew from experience that it would be best for Dragonfly to come out and tell what was wrong her on her own.
As Dragonfly found the courage to speak, Enoh found her heart clenching in that very same pain, and it seemed that her heart pumped nothing but lead. The longer she listened to Dragonfly mirror the emotions she too had been feeling, the harder it was for the shapeshifter to contain her tears. When she was finished, Enoh leaned over and pulled Dragonfly into a hug, her tears running silently down her cheeks.
"I know exactly how you feel Dee. You've become like family to me and...and I really don't want to lose that!" She sniffled, letting her go. Aside from Nio, the only two people she saw that she could consider friends were Inle and Dragonfly...and as of late, she'd barely seen either of them, and it hurt. She loved her husband and family to pieces, but there were times when she just wanted some girl talk with people who weren't within her real family. "But...we're not gonna let that happen, okay? You're always welcome at our house...and...and I'll keep visiting! You'll get to see a lot of Vincent too, since he'll be training Lance. Don't worry Dee, alright? You're one of my two friends, excluding Nio since he's my husband and all...and I'm not going to let a friendship fade away, okay?"
---
Had Vincent allowed it, he would have shown how impressed over the change in Lance's aura. The gunman could tell that the dragon was putting everything into what he was doing, and Vincent really did admire that. However, now was not the time to admire, now was the time to test the boy's skills.
As Lance came at him, Vincent waited for the last second before stepping back, getting out of the range of the opponent Bokuto as its momentum swung it in an arc, compliments of Lance's swing. The gunman, knowing that momentum was a difficult thing to break, took this opportunity to crouch slightly, pushing himself foreward and lightly tapping his own Bokuto against Lance's now exposed side. Damn, training a kid like this was hard.
"Point."
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:20 pm
Dragonfly clung to Enoh, and tears flooded free from their damns. She cried lightly upon the other's shoulder. She ignored the firey pain in her left cheek that accompanied this, and for the moment didn't think of the ordeal she had dealt with only a few days ago, until she realized there was blood mingling with the tears upon Enoh's shoulder.
Her visible eye widened, though she was glad Enoh couldn't see, and slowly she pulled away from the other.
She found herself faltering again. As happy as she was to hear the other's words, she didn't want Enoh to discover that something was wrong, and that Dragonfly had been hiding it since her change in hairsyle a few days ago.
"I'm happy..." she managed, smiling to Enoh, "You have no idea how happy I am to here that. You, Nio and Vincent, you're definately a part of my family... I feel like I could always turn to you, and talk to you..."
She let out a heavy sigh, and pushed onward. She trusted the other, and she could only hope that Enoh would understand.
"And because I trust you... I'll tell you..."
A heavy silence descended upon the room once more, and slowly, cautiously Dragonfly lifted a hand to push her hair out of the way, revealing a short slash up Dragonfly's cheek, across her left eye, and onto her forhead. She couldn't open her eye, knowing that it caused her too much pain, for the moment anyway.
"Remember a couple days ago, when I didn't come home from the ferry from Cetalu like I was expected to?"
--
Lance's learning thus far had been through only instinct, and watching animes, movies, and television Dragonfly hadn't wanted him to watch. His greates teacher thus far had been Zatoichi, the blind swordsman, though Lance could claim none of the skill his role model had.
He grunted as Vincent made the touch, and twisted his sword to send his own weapon forward after Vincent had tapped him, before stopping the blow completely, and swinging to aim for Vincent's lower leg, as apposed to his chest.
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:35 pm
Enoh had felt a strange warmth on her shoulder, but she just assumed those were tears...but as the very faint scent of blood began to reach her nose, the shapeshifter began to worry. Seriously worry. Her eyes narrowed a little bit, focusing on Dragonfly...and barely hearing anything the other woman had to say until she spoke something about telling a secret. Then the shapeshifter pulled from her thoughts of worry and revenge to listen to this part, however.
"...Yes..." She breathed out after a great length of time. "I remember. What happened?"
---
It had been so long since Vincent even touched a Bokuto, and the gunman had told someone much, much shorter than he to come at him. What a great plan, Vincent! Luckily for the gunman, he managed to remember enough lessons from his past to be able to get over this height handicap.
His keen eye, well guided by many, many years of sharpshooting, caught the change in muscles along Lance's arm, giving him the information he needed; the boy was going to reverse his swing. To the gunman, this was moving in relatively slow motion; that was a skill he managed to aquire from sniper work. Vincent tugged his Bokuto back and away from the boy's side, instead turning it and his body to fully face the blow from the opponent Bokuto, catching the attacking weapon just above the hilt with his own wooden sword, the tip of his "blade" pointing towards the sky. Then, with a downward arc, the gunman used the hilt of his bokuto to catch and hold the one that Lance was holding, and then pushed his arm downwards, trapping the opponent blade between the ground and the hilt of Vincent's weapon.
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Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:48 pm
She hesitated in continueing her story. She tucked her hair behind her ear, so that the other could see the injury that had been done to her. She stayed that way for several moments, before brushing the hair back to cover it once more.
"I got into a fight with someone I never expected to see again,"
She let out a shaky breath, and slumped forward, holding her head up in her hands.
"He... He's someone from my past. I thought he died... I thought he was slaughtered like the rest of them... But.. now somehow.. Somehow it's my fault..." her head lifted, and her good eye stared hard at Enoh, "He wants revenge for things I didn't do, and he won't listen to me when I tell him otherwise,"
It wasn't exactly what had happened on her way home from Cetalu, but it was summary enough.
--
Lance grunted as the other easily blocked his sword, and he pulled his blade back, taking a few steps back to ready himself, and make for another attack. He was outmatched, he knew, but he wouldn't give up.
Without a moments hesitation he jumped to the side, sumersaulting to come at Vincent's side before springing into action, his sword charging towards the other once more.
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Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 7:49 pm
Enoh's red gaze darkened a bit once her orbs surveyed the injury. To the shapeshifter, friends were the dearest thing in the world to her; they were as close as her family. And, like with her family, she felt a sort of protectiveness towards such friends...and when a member of her family, or even one of her friends get injured like this, Enoh felt the need to seek revenge. After all, a shot on her friends was a shot to her personally.
"...Your fault...?" She repeated slowly, quizzically. She hadn't known the other woman to be violent unless provoked. Sighing softly, the shifter shuffled forward, wrapping her arms around Dragonfly once more.
"I don't...quite understand, but what I do know is that he has no right to attack you like this. If he won't listen to you..." She cut herself off, shaking her head. "Dragonfly...I don't want you to go out alone anymore. Call me paranoid, but please...take someone with you." Enoh didn't want to offer to go with Dragonfly whenever she needed to; after all, if Enoh ever found that man, or if he showed his damned face...well...the shapeshifter couldn't promise not to kill him.
"...Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Dee?"
---
Still, the gunman was impressed by the boy's determination. His concentrated eyes shifted with every move the dragon boy made, and when Lance sumersaulted to get a view of his side, he understood...and, of course, had already planned his counter. Vincent waited patiently where he sat until the last minute, where he used his already crouching position (after all, the dragon boy was MUCH shorter than he) as a springboard to propel the tall man backwards, safely out of the current path of the wooden sword. As this was done at the last minute, Vincent had the perfect shot, swinging his own wooden sword in an arc and tapping Lance on the back as he passed.
"Alright." The gunman breathed out, pushing himself back onto his feet, as his full height. "I've seen what I need to." He stated simply, putting up his stoic mask. Oh, he still watched Lance, but he had long swung his wooden sword around, and was now using it as a leaning post.
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