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There was no cover here, not really; even the edges of a battlefield were still a battlefield. Here, at least, they were away from the worst of it. Now was hardly the time for a pep talk but if he waited until Stormy had actually killed someone, it would have been worse. He kept his grip tight until they were out of range of any friendly arrows, and then he pushed her back even further.

"Look, I know you've been having a rough time of it lately and being here probably isn't making it any easier on you, but you can't take it out on the others, not now. We have one objective, and that's to kill the ******** monsters. Whatever beef you have with the trainees can wait until we get home. Got it?" He tried so hard to keep his voice even and gentle, like Stormy was some frightened animal he needed to soothe, and was only partially successful. The day had taken its toll on him, too.

"Ow, what," Evan started as Stormy poked him, holding his own weapon up defensively. He could tell that Stormy wasn't quite herself at the moment--though he didn't realize exactly how much--but he wasn't going to hurt her. Not under any circumstances, and certainly not while they were in the middle of a mission that required all hands to be working towards the same objective.

No matter how tall and rigid Stormy held herself, Evan would always have to look down at her. He blinked at her, uncomprehending, as she started babbling about sickness and wars and emperors. "What the ******** are you talking about?" He asked after spending a moment trying to piece together her words to make them make sense and having no luck. "The only war we're fighting is with the Horsemen. I don't care which green-a** trainee said what to you, it's no reason to attack them in the middle of a mission!"

HP: 51/55
Defending for: a number idk
Charge: 0/3; 1/1, 1/1

When had Stormy gotten so strong? Evan gritted his teeth as her attack powered through his defenses, still outright refusing to fight back no matter how crazy Stormy was acting. "What the hell, Stormy? This isn't a game. Peoples' lives are at stake, for ******** sake--yours included! Whatever breakdown you're having can wait. I know you're better than to let a little trauma get you down." If he sounded disappointed it's because he was, profoundly. For someone who tried so hard to keep everything inside, she certainly picked the worst time to finally let it all out.

HP: 45
Defending for: stuff
Charge: 1/3; 1/1, 1/1

Nothing Stormy was saying made any kind of sense. Had she encountered something in the tower that had messed with her mind? Or worse: was she turning into something completely new and different and wrong, like Chel had?

Evan pushed her away with the flat of his blade. "We're trying to get you home, Stormy, but we have to kill the Horsemen to do that," he replied, trying to reason it out with her. "I am all for vengeance, but take it out on the things that deserve it--are you really going to waste time attacking your allies when you could be killing the things that killed Nevada?" It was a low blow, maybe, but desperate times and all.

Besides, Stormy hit lower. Evan's hands tightened on the grip of his weapon. She was sick, he told himself. She didn't know what she was talking about, and he wouldn't bring it up once she snapped out of whatever the hell was wrong with her because he didn't want to give her something else to worry about. "We're not talking about my issues right now, sweetheart," he ground out. "One set of problems at a time."

HP: 45
Defending for: things
Charge: 1/3; 1/1, 1/1

Horseman? Emperor? What the ******** ********? Evan's distraction cost him as her weapon nicked his shield even through his defenses. He caught her momentary hesitation at the mention of Nevada's name and saw his own opening, lashing out not with his weapon, but with words.

"Think, damn it," he barked in command. "You're not a horseman. You're Stormy Ortega, and a Huntress in the Mist division of Deus Ex. You love Disney and pink crap and you have a midget of a boyfriend that's not nearly good enough for you that you're apparently living with, from what I've heard, and you can't hold your liquor worth a damn, and I know--I know--you know me better than to think I'd ever just lay down and die because you asked me to. You know my name," he said, trying to press his advantage. "How would a horseman know my name?"

HP: 43
Defending for: stuff and things
Charge: 2/3; 1/1, 1/1

At any other time, Evan would have found himself admiring Stormy's newfound strength of will and conviction and being thankful that she could finally, finally speak her mind with some kind of confidence. Now, though, while he was being set on fire--which was quickly becoming his least favorite way to spend an afternoon--he really wanted his determinedly cheerful little sister back.

Gir howled in his mind as Stormy's charge ate away at their shield, Evan cursing inventively right alongside him as he tried to swat the flames out. Thankfully most of the oil missed his lower half, but his jacket and shirt were a wreck and he could feel the heat from the burns on his exposed skin. If his shield hadn't held, he probably could have expected another uncomfortable stay in the infirmary when--not if--they got back. It wasn't pleasant, but it certainly could have been worse.

The pain was intense, but thankfully brief. Evan recovered in time to see Stormy advance, and he stubbornly refused to retreat. It wasn't in his nature, and he was a Sun, besides; the line began and ended with him. He would throw her over his shoulder and haul her away--again--if he had to, but he wasn't about to give her the opportunity to resume her attacks on the other trainees. "Maybe you're not my Stormy after all. She hits harder," he goaded.

HP: 18
Defending for: things and stuff
Charge: 3/3; 1/1, 1/1

"I thought we'd already established that that wasn't gonna happen," Evan replied. "There is no Emperor, you're not a Horseman, and I'm sure the others could use us both fighting on the same side right about now, so shake it off, suck it up, do whatever you need to do to get over it, because this s**t's getting old real fast."

HP: 18
Defending for:
Charge: 3/3; 1/1, 1/1

Stormy was a lot stronger than she looked, and that was saying something, because most of the time she looked like an unkind word might knock her over. Evan was practically two of her, and he was having trouble fending her off. True to his word, he held his position, even as Stormy's weapon started breaking through his defenses. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out, though.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wonder as Stormy abruptly withdrew. It was so sudden that he stumbled forward a few steps as her resistance disappeared, and he dug his sword into the ground to stop himself falling. He was relieved to see that she seemed to be back to normal--and more importantly, back to her senses--but he wasn't going to take any chances. "Stormy," he said, his eyes wary, his hands still tight on his weapon.

HP: 17
Defense: u bet
Charge: 3/3; 1/1, 1/1