[1v1] Dogfight (Evan/Nora)

[Inle-roo]

For most people on the island, it was early: the sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, painting everything in weak, soft light. It was so quiet at this hour that one could hear the distant crash of waves upon the shore. On this side of the morning, with so few people up and about, it would have been easy to forget--barring invasions or internal struggles or other such crises--that this was anything more or less than a peaceful tropical island.

For Evan, it was round two. Jagged pieces of what had once been wooden dummies were stacked like kindling at the edge of the training field. Whole ones lay beside them like a macabre before and after display, each of them waiting their turn to be placed, in chunks, atop the pile. Evan hummed idly as he lifted one up, hauling it to the spot on the field where its predecessor had stood. His coat and scarf were draped over the only other dummy left standing. It was only because he had needed somewhere to put the--in his opinion--unnecessary articles of clothing that it had survived at all.

Ol-j-man

hi helo i made a thing

 

[medigel]

Nora found quite quickly that Beatrix was an early bird. While used to waking up at ungodly hours thanks to cats, if not her kid, that didn't necessarily mean she liked being up. One mistake of taking an early morning piss in a questionable bathroom in the basement resulted in such a din in her head that the Sun trainee eventually gave up trying to sleep at all. It looked like the only way to get her partner to shut up was some exercise.

I hate you.

But hate is such a strong word, screechheart!

I loathe you quite intensely.

There we go, stretch your vocab! Now let's runrunrunrun THE SUN IS COMING UPPPPPP~

Wincing, Nora made her way up and out with a dreary look, splashing herself with cold water from a fountain in passing (which at least didn't look like rust was the permanent paint job). As she hit the training fields hoping a quick jog would be enough for some peace and quiet, she noticed someone had gotten quite busy already. A rather familiar someone.

Nora gave a low whistle upon approach. "Looks like you weren't kidding about the early bird regimen."

And look, he still has a nice a**! Goooood morning to you, too, sir!
 

[Inle-roo]

The wooden dummy landed post-first in the dirt with only a little bit of a clatter, and it hardly tilted at all when Evan let go of it, so he decided that was probably a good sign. He was much better at tearing them down than he was at putting them up, but he supposed it wouldn't make much difference soon enough, anyway.

He had just turned to retrieve another one when he heard a whistle and a familiar accent, his attention immediately shifting to the freshly-hatched trainee who had wandered onto the field. Evan gave her an easy smile, made that much brighter by the happy yip in the back of his mind and the mental equivalent of a wagging tail.

"Morning, Constable," Evan said as he veered towards Nora, stopping just out of kicking distance. "Don't think the birds are up yet. What brings you out here so early?"

Ol-j-man

 

[medigel]

"Mornin' yourself." Nora yawned. "Sleeping in the dungeon-themed room in the basement is not as fun as it seems," she replied, mentally shushing Beatrix from further commentary (with little chance that it worked). "Lassie didn't like the idea of missing the sunrise either. Do they come with a mute button by chance?"

Nora paused, finally registering what was lying splintered near Evan: a decent handful of dummies.

". . . Not interrupting something, am I?"
 

[Inle-roo]

Dungeon themed room? It was on the tip of Evan's tongue to suggest that she seek out better accommodations--his, perhaps, for as little use as he got out of his bed--when she asked a question he had posed himself more than once since he had popped out of his pod. "Unfortunately not," he replied with a knowing and sympathetic shake of his head. "Got a talker, huh? Hell of a surprise, isn't it?"

He looked over his shoulder at the early-morning destruction he had caused and shrugged carelessly. "Nah, just taking the dog for his morning walk. You're welcome to join us, if you want."

Ol-j-man

 

[medigel]

"Just a bit chatty. Are they all mutts?" she had to ask, frowning. "Guess that'd make sense, seeing as we are now protectors of humanity, but this one seems hazardous for my health."

Mutt?! Nononono why so meaaaaan? I'm helping! Just you wait! Pick a fight, screechheart, I'll prove it!

The incessant whining noises accompanying those thoughts alone were enough to sway her. Nora stuck a finger in her ear with a wince. "Ah, why not? If I'm going to be up, I might as well be productive, eh? Get me some proper Sun training and what not."

A little wanton destruction in the morning might be just what she needed.
 

[Inle-roo]

Gir whined pitifully at the implication that he was just some mutt, and Evan chuckled at the two of them. "Mine is, I'm guessing yours is too? It'll take some getting used to, but there are definitely more benefits than drawbacks."

Usually, anyway.

/Rude!/

Evan's smile widened at hearing that Nora was now a fellow Sun. "If you want to train like a proper Sun," he said, taking a few steps back, "you're not gonna need those dummies." Gir eagerly materialized in his hand, always happy to play. His runes glowed warmly in the morning light as Evan shifted into a defensive position, one hand outstretched, the fingers gesturing in the universal sign of come at me, bro.  

[medigel]

Nora was plenty sure she had a witty comeback ready up until she was face to face with a rather large sword. There wasn't anything eloquent coming to mind beyond, "Well, blow me."

I'm much better! Beatrix complained. That's just an oversized knife! I bash things! Comeoncomeoncomon!

The hammer appeared in her hands for the first time since the Cove, its weight almost immediately causing it to drop from her grasp out of surprise; at least she didn't have to add that to her roster of idiot ball moments. "Got to say, both've ours look nice," Nora commented with a little smile, noting that they even shared the same color scheme. "Right, then."

She paused, getting her grip better established before attempting a wide swing.

hp 40
damage nope
charge super nope
 

[Inle-roo]

/'s a pretty hammer,/ Gir mumbled--not screeched, or shrieked, or yelled--as Nora summoned her weapon. That was odd in itself, but Evan couldn't ever recall Gir commenting on the aesthetics of anything other than arterial spray, and even that was accompanied by a mad cackle or a vicious snarl.

"We like your hammer," Evan replied. "Can't say I've ever seen anyone with one on the island before. Gir thinks it's pretty," he added slyly, prompting a round of loud denials that would be well worth the headache later.

He didn't even have to dodge for Nora's swing to blow right past him. "Come in a little more," he said, gesturing her closer. "It's okay, you don't have to be afraid of hurting me or anything--another added benefit of the voices in our heads, we can take a lot more punishment than the average Joe."

((defending for: wat is defense))

Ol-j-man

 

[medigel]

Nora would've rolled her eyes at all the cooing going on in her head if it wouldn't have distracted her from the battle. That's because I'm unique~! Hit 'em hard, screechy!

"She says 'thanks but we've got to kick your arse'," Nora replied, then added quite pleasantly, "But thanks for the memo." Her next swing was harder, the clang sending a jarring recoil up her arms. Beatrix seemed pleased nevertheless, however, her coos turning into hungry growls. For a moment Nora swore the runes on the hammer lit up.

"I'm guessing their bred or trained to like this?" she asked.

hp 40
damage nawp but it hit at least
charge 1/3

Inle-roo

sob my internet cut out before I was finished editing last night

 

[Inle-roo]

The collision of runic metal against runic metal reverberated unpleasantly up Evan's arms, but his defenses held up. Gir's runes pulsed an answering flash of red, and he whined in confused impatience. The building charge wasn't as satisfying if he wasn't tearing it out of his prey.

Settle down, Evan soothed. "Okay, well, you let me know when I can expect this arse-kicking, and I'll keep an eye out for it," he replied to Nora, his tone light and teasing. He wouldn't fight back--

/Aw noooonononono!/

--but Evan would happily goad her into attacking, if only to let her get over the hesitance a normal person might have in hitting someone with a giant weapon. "I wouldn't say they're trained, really. The Fear that keeps us from getting paper cuts is the same stuff that fuels them. They eat it, or absorb it, or do whatever they do with it, and once they get enough of it, they can convert it into stronger attacks. Speaking of," he said, holding himself in a defensive position, "anytime you want to start, we're ready for you."

Ol-j-man

((HP:50/50
Defending for: a number
Charge: 1/3; 1/1, 1/1))  

[medigel]

Evan's challenge worked. Nora's eyes flashed eagerly, her mouth tugging to the side in a grin a split second before, rather than swinging like a bat, she chose an overhead bash like a proper hammer. The movement felt more natural than the last, and her partner snarled with satisfaction as, finally, she managed to break through his defense.

"Right about now, I think," she replied afterwards, the grin sticking. "So basically they're solar powered weapons, only instead of the sun they prey on whatever makes these things up--Fear, you said?" Made sense: Beatrix had been complaining about getting food, to which nothing about "treatsies" had alleviated. The stronger attacks part intrigued her most.

Soon, screechie, soonsoonsoon~

hp 40
damage 9 - 4 = 5
charge 2/3
 

[Inle-roo]

The sound of clashing metal was loud in Evan's ears as he lifted his sword to defend himself and had it soundly swatted away. Gir snarled in frustration even as he benefited from the brief meeting of weapons. Evan's smile turned a little sharp, a little feral at the edges as he rolled the shoulder Nora had hit. It didn't hurt, not really, but the fact that she seemed to be taking this so seriously made him think that much better of her; certainly, she already seemed more willing, if a little less able--though that would come in time--than the little kids who wandered around looking like they could barely haul themselves around, much less a weapon.

"That's not a bad analogy," he agreed, beckoning her closer with a tilt of his head. "Again."

Ol-j-man

 

[medigel]

Nora fell in line like a good soldier and struck again--it wasn't often you got into a job that actually let you hit what basically amounted to a commanding officer. Though the weight of the weapon was still throwing her off if she wasn't careful, as evidenced by the second success; the hammer swivelled, yet the grating noise only made Beatrix seem to light up in her mind, scurrying energetically and hissing, Yassssssssssssssssssss~ Kekekekekekeke~

She noted that those runes from before were now lit like foerigne LED lights, which was probably the signal her partner had been waiting for. "I'm guessing this is tied to those stronger attacks?" Nora felt a slight hum go throughout her body, energy ready to be released yet waiting on the command. "Hope you're ready, because I'm not entirely sure what's going to happen."

hp 40
damage 5 - 2 = 3
charge 3/3
 

[Inle-roo]

Evan moved with the strike instead of against it, and although the movement felt unnatural--he was much more used to attacking than defending, after all--it was probably all that kept him on his feet; certainly, the attack could have been worse.

Gir growled, low and constant, as he was raised yet again, but not in the way he wanted to be. He was urging, insisting, but Evan was having none of it. "Your weapon will let you know when it's time. As for what's going to happen, well, that's part of the surprise, isn't it?"

((HP: 42/50
Defending for:
Charge: 3/3; 1/1, 1/1))

Ol-j-man