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 Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 10:28 pm
"You made it to the semifinals with a bum shoulder, Peyton," he said patiently, extending a steady hand to help her up. "That's better than close. Pretty sure that's the definition of making it. Sorry I missed the last one," he added. "Got called off." Which wasn't strictly true--he'd been trying to give other people their space with her; trying his damnedest not to trip anyone up--but it was true enough. "Up up," he added.
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Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 10:47 pm
"I know." She agreed with him she really did. "But.. I didn't except to make it past round one, and I did. and then round two came around, and I got through that too." She smoothed her hands down her thighs, then reached up to take the one that was offered down to her. "And then round three, and I got my hopes up, you know?" With his help she got to her feet, but she did so slowly. "Which was stupid."
When he said he was sorry he'd missed her last match, that he'd been called off, she believed him. She believed him because she wanted to believe him. Because she didn't, as of yet, have any reason not to. It helped to chase just a little of the sourness out of her features. "Did you hear what happened?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 10:56 pm
He gave her an awkward, one-armed hug as she got to her feet. Small gestures of friendship and affection: something else Taym wasn't good at, along with morale. "No. Tell me about it," he said, letting her go.
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Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 11:07 pm
She leaned into him as his arm squeezed around her, and felt her chest tightening. It made her throat hurt.
She'd brought up the last match, but as he asked her about it it made her realize that she didn't really want to talk about. "He threw me." Which was an incredibly vague answer. "He picked me up, one handed, and threw me at the ground." It had been the highlight of the match. The thing Peyton remembered most. Even more then innuendo laced banter or the so casual crack of his sword against the back of her skull that had made her black out at the end.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 4:48 am
Taym was on the ground before Jordan got down again, moving in to see to Peyton, and Jordan approached at a slower pace. Mental note: Taym was faster than he looked. Don't forget that, Jordan said, half to himself, half to Ferros. We won't, Ferros answered. "Good fight," Jordan said, looking to both combatants; as Taym helped Peyton up, he looked to Al, letting his gaze linger thoughtfully and not saying anything.
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:01 am
Al looked as though someone set his little red wagon on fire as Taym set to sorting Pey out. He felt guilt clenching at his little creeper heart... guilt that immediately cleared when he saw that thumbs up and the truer look that Taym gave him.
He flushed red almost instantaneously at the gesture and smiled from ear to ear. His eyes lit up like shimmering lightning bugs in the night. Pride took over where shame left. Then it was gone and he immediately crushed the look on his face before it got the both of them in deep s**t.
He offered Jordan the resulting unreadable gaze as he approached. Did he gain the approval he so desperately sought, or was it all for nothing and now he was an embarrassment to them all?
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:22 am
"Let's head back to the central area," Jordan said, nodding to Al and turning back towards the path. He tucked his hands into his pockets as they walked. After a moment, he said, "You fought well. But that was a d**k move to start out with."
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:28 am
Al followed, tight on Jordan's heels like a well-trained dog. He watched the man with a quiet uncertainty. Was he in trouble or?...
Then he spoke. His face lit up at the 'you fought well' but immediately fell again at the suggestion that he had been guilty of a 'd**k move'. He wasn't sure how to respond, he kept quiet for a while before finally asking, "Which is more important to you?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:41 am
Jordan glanced back, eyebrows lifting a little. "That's a good question," he said. "Depends on the context. When you're fighting for your life, anything is fair, you do what you have to, don't be ashamed of that. When you're fighting someone you're going to have to work with, though, that's different. Or it can be, anyway. You have to ask yourself." He slowed to give Al a serious look. "Is winning important enough to risk pissing off someone who's supposed to be your ally? Do you want to win that bad?"
He paused to let that thought sink in. Then he added, "Even if you do want to win so much you don't really care about the opinion of the person you're fighting, do you want to give them the impression that you're that kind of person?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 6:49 am
"Yeah but this wasn't just a duel," Al complained. "Duels are different they're like.... a game, This was a tournament. Where it might as well have been life or death." He frowned at Jordan feebly. "I'm going to be judged by my standing in this for a while. If I did poor, I would be judged by that until the next one. If I did good... well, maybe people would take me a little more seriously?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 6:58 am
Jordan shrugged one shoulder. "It's something to take into account," he said. "Proving yourself worth noticing isn't only dependent on the tournament, either. You have to keep up the effort. You know that, I don't know why I'm telling you that," he said in a lighter tone. "I lost in the first round, myself."
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 7:43 am
"I do, I do... I just needed a start to get the ball rolling, you know?" Al looked startled, "What?! No way, man. You must have let them win."
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 7:53 am
The corner of Jordan's mouth quirked up. "Not particularly. Is that going to make you take me any less seriously?" he asked, then added, "Anyway, being an a** probably lost you any chance at a date with her. Girls don't like that."
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 8:01 am
"No way. You are a full hunter. You have already proven yourself awesome. At your rank a thing like this is just... sporting fun between friends... for me it's... not looking worthless." He looked concerned for a split second before laughter snapped him back. "You think I'd want to date her?! Ahahahaha!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 8:14 am
"Do you think that the other trainees who lost in the first rounds look worthless?" Jordan asked patiently. "There will be plenty of chances to prove yourself. Anyway, we're getting away from the point, which was that looking desperate for a win isn't always a good thing."
He snorted at the laughter. "Well, I don't know who you've got your eye on. But keep in mind that girls talk to each other. If you're nasty to one of them, they're all going to know pretty soon."
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