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 Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 6:22 am
It was strange for Lawrence to be on the training fields during the day, normally whenever he practised with Butch it was in the smallest hours of the morning, dressed in one of the long mission cloaks used when it was important to obscure identity. To be here dressed instead in his plain hunter coat and loose fitting clothing felt somehow wrong, but it was a concious decision, certainly his weapon could be linked back to him, but it was also important to get one on one experience in now and then if he was ever to overcome the frustrating barrier that America's shield represented.
The most remarkable thing about the pale man on meeting him was generally how short he was in person, compounded by both his rail thinness and perceptible age void of a lot of the softness of youth. His cheekbones were angular and even when smiling there was something cold and uncanny about his pale eyes. When Dawson arrived, he moved to shake his hand with an amicable smile.
"Howdy pardner, thankya for comin' out here." His accent too was strange, an exaggerated caricature of southern. "What sort of weapon do ya use?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 12:23 am
Be polite. He had to remind himself of that, because whatever bullshit Lawrence or Jan or ******** did, it did not immediately constitute being discourteous. He wasn't directly involved in any of that mess anyway, and Dawson had been nosy enough. Just a spar. Be polite.
It didn't necessarily mean be nice.
Every word in that God damn accent grated on his sensibilities, and still he managed his usual easy going smile because his mouth was so used to it. "No problem, man. I got me a shield," he replied as he gave Lawrence a firm shake. "Funny kinda thing in battle, but she's got her uses." His face wrinkled in a goodnatured frown. "I gotta ask, though, n' ya prob'ly get this a lot, but where ya from? M'not used t'hearin' tha' accent."
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Baneful rolled 1 20-sided dice:
12
Total: 12 (1-20)
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 6:27 am
A shield was a curious weapon for anyone to wield and for just a moment he wondered what sort of person one would choose. Another fact of note was that Dawson was one of Horace's friends and he would be surprised if this man did not know what had transpired between them both before the podding.
"Florida." he said with a grin. "Had a holiday home near Miami, long term home up further north." The accent always got some kind of reaction, whether it was suspicion at the duplicity or a sense of cleverness at finding him out was a good measure of whether he was dealing with a problem or a mark.
Dawson smelled to his instincts like a problem, so he intended to tread carefully.
Stepping back, he summoned Butch, the long gleaming claws on both hands and apparently mobile on both, twisted up in spiked choke chains of the sort that at one point had marked Horace's throat.
"I'm sure this'll be interestin' pardner."
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medigel rolled 1 20-sided dice:
17
Total: 17 (1-20)
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 10:43 pm
He scratched his chin and lamented the beard he was having to regrow. Lawrence's short stature was a surprise--this was the first time he'd actually seen the guy in person--but without his facial hair, Dawson felt more vulnerable. Nevertheless, he didn't stop himself from saying in true Southern passive aggression, with the same pleasant smile, "Yeah? Funny, I was told you was from the other side a'the pond."
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medigel rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 10:59 pm
Either way, those claws looked nasty as hell, and his smile disappeared at the sight of them; Dawson had to fight not to gulp. He was grateful for Syn's bulk for once, even though her new form strained him with the weight, and he welcomed the effort it took to hold her if it meant a line of defense. And maybe a little for the snarling chimera face emblazoned on the weapon that he liked to think was made in his stead.
He didn't want to know what Lawrence thought was interesting.
"Aight, let's see whatcha got, then!" Dawson challenged, rapping his knuckles against the side of his shield not made of spikes.
hp: 50
damage: defending for 1 neutral
charge:
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Baneful rolled 2 10-sided dice:
6, 7
Total: 13 (2-20)
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 7:20 am
"Really?" he said cheerfully. "Well I have lived abroad in my youth, perhaps that is where the confusion stems pardner. It is no lie that I spent a long time in Florida." His tone turned a little exasperated and he sighed and shook his head. "There are just so many ridiculous rumours about me these days, I have no idea quite where they are all coming from."
He tensed, and with startling quickness, leapt forward to slam one set of talons against the shield while the other reached out towards Dawson's face and neck.
"I am mostly harmless, I assure you." he said with a flat calmness that clashed uncannily with the viciousness of his assault.
HP:50/50
DMG: 7
Charge: 1
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medigel rolled 2 10-sided dice:
3, 8
Total: 11 (2-20)
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 11:36 pm
A grunt of exertion left him as they collided. Lawrence's strikes were hitting a lot harder than anticipated, and it was more instinct than training that had Dawson pushing back, antsy of those claws sinking below his shield. Even just scraping against the arm he held up to fend off the attacks to his face was extremely unpleasant. It was nothing at all like fighting against guns and bows and axes and swords; it felt a little too up close and personal. It certainly didn't help that his voice was devoid of emotion.
(He couldn't help but think of America and Maebe and Horace entangled in those chains, and the burst of anger helped.)
"Yeah?" Dawson said with a final bash of his shield, taking a few steps back to try and put distance between them again, laughing half-heartedly. "Somethin' tells me tha' ain't quite true, you bein' able t'hit like that. Thought you said you was a pacifist."
hp: 44
damage: 5
charge: 2/3
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Baneful rolled 2 10-sided dice:
10, 4
Total: 14 (2-20)
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Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 1:02 am
There was a calculating edge to the way Lawrence fought, but it was different somehow from someone who understood fighting intrinsically or in any instinctual way, any advantage he gained seemed to be on the back of having no real sense of hesitation or fear. He reeled back from the clash of the shield against his light and slight body and registered the flash of pain through his ribs as the hit connected though did not outwardly react to it.
"Oh I am a pacifist pardner, I don't do this fightin' thing hardly ever. I just have some beginner's luck I reckon." And again he leapt forward with the kind of dogged determination which said he would swipe in at Dawson's throat, his eyes, his shoulders as many times as it took, and all the while there was that strange blankness behind his eyes.
"You are Horace's friend?" he said as he dug his talons into the other man's shield and Butch barked with delight.
HP:45/50
DMG: 8
Charge: 2
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medigel rolled 1 8-sided dice:
7
Total: 7 (1-8)
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 1:30 am
It was eerie the way the flatness in those eyes stood out from the action of combat and the way his own eyes kept being drawn towards them. There wasn't precision so much as there was a lack of pattern, and coupled with the clink of chains and his own knowledge of the man, Dawson could see how he had earned a reputation so fast: there didn't seem to be a care at all how this ended, the resolution behind each attack more an attempt to clean him from the space than a counter in the spar, an obstacle to be tackled rather than a person, living, breathing, thinking.
Born without emotions, America had said. Born without a soul more like. How could Horace delude himself to love someone like that?
Lawrence was given a wary smile. "Beginner's luck, huh?" He rubbed at a particularly sore spot on his neck and lifted his shield again, changing his stance to be more grounded against the inevitable barrage and anticipating more attempts at his poor ol' head. "Uh, yeah, we bros. What, he never talk about me while ya'll did yer love nestin'?"
hp: 36
damage: defending for 7
charge: 2/3
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Baneful rolled 2 10-sided dice:
4, 7
Total: 11 (2-20)
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 9:15 am
"He has mentioned you." the man said. "Was why I mentioned it pardner, I don't get to meet many of Horace's friends, especially not lately with that whole unfortunate podding incident." He didn't seem even slightly upset or remorseful over it, speaking about the whole thing as if it was merely an interruption in his month and an inconvenience. "You seem pleasant enough." That was a lie, Dawson had that air of caution about his friendliness which to Lawrence felt like someone who was too smart to be an easy mark, he would stand up for his opinions, it would be a long drawn out fight that wasn't worth waging right now.
Instead he was content to needle the man a little further and see what lay beneath that friendly exterior and how deep his loyalty to Horace truly went.
"He speaks highly of you." This time his swiping claws met nothing but the shield itself, but he did not seem to notice, almost robotic in his indifference to stimuli which should in all likelihood have warranted a response, a reaction or a change in tactics.
The runes on the claws lit up brightly and Butch snarled in delight.
HP:45/50
DMG: 8
Charge: 3
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medigel rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 1:19 pm
It was a miracle Dawson didn't just lunge at him right then and there for acting so blasé about it. As if the entire incident hadn't broken Horace in more ways than one, heart and body and mind, as if his friend hadn't utterly withdrawn and languished over a man who couldn't give less of a damn because he wanted to be worth it for someone. But Dawson wasn't a subtle man, and his grin easily became a show of teeth, his grip on his shield whiteknuckled to hold himself back. "Yeah? Aww, here I thought he was just a Twitter troll at heart." Fending off the claws, he heard Syn's cue to let the charge go and felt the Fear hum in his weapon. A fiery illusion exhaled through the chimera's maw, flowing backwards and coating Dawson's barrier with an extra layer of golden light. The warmth gave him the boost in courage he needed. "But I'm more curious what you think so far, Porcelain," he said. "Yer a curious dude." T3 Barrier in effect!: 15/15 (2 turns)hp: 36 damage: charge: 0/3 (Y3 used)
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Baneful rolled 2 4-sided dice:
3, 4
Total: 7 (2-8)
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 7:13 pm
"At heart he is so much more." Lawrence said with a smile. "Though he is so readily inclined to think he is worthless. It is a real pity." He had spotted the moment of tightly restrained something in the other man's expression though - as always - he was not quite familiar enough with the intricacy of emotion to fully comprehend why he responded that way.
The shield made him incline a brow, uncertain what the strange glow meant but undeterred, in his head Butch was going more insane than usual, snarling, barking, pleading and in an oddly human voice - demanding that he use the charge. He fully intended to, but like everything with the pale man, he took his time.
Stepping back, his smile turned a little more smug. Porcelain. He took it as a compliment and for a moment dwelt on the delicate and beautiful material rather than what he was asked. "I couldn't say for certain how I feel. Perhaps with more information."
And this time when he struck, it was the barrier itself, there was no pain, only a cold that bled through the fear, a cold that readily made itself apparent as what had to be Lawr himself, a smothering void of numbness that resisted emotions and suppressed them while stealing away and violating everything that it touched. It was a flatline, an unemotional and steady landscape of numbness that was almost maddening. It grew and it grew until it threatened to numb everything before abruptly being cut off as the other man stepped back.
All that lingered - if anything - was a shard of chill cold in the chest and a lingering sense that something essentially broken and unfeeling still lingered.
"But you certainly work had to be seen as the good sort, dontcha pardner?"
HP:45/50
DMG: --
Charge: - The Bite used 3 turns 75 percent absorb
medigel The Bite when Lawr uses it usually creates a brief link with the other person emotionally, but its totally OOCly optional if the char is immune or not, so feel free to have Dawson feel none of it if you can't be bothered with it or if the barrier blocks it smile If he does feel it, its up to you what if anything Lawr'd feel back.
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medigel rolled 2 10-sided dice:
9, 3
Total: 12 (2-20)
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Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 11:23 pm
He made a motion that said of course. Always with more information--like he didn't make himself loud and clear anywhere he went.
< And yet you smile when you mean to sink your teeth. This one isn't prey to toy with, cub. > Syn was aflame with primal instincts after the charge's activation, hungry for more Fear and with little patience for Dawson's attempt to mask his emotions.
The chilly strike was what shook him out of it. With his extra barrier still up, the numbnesss was mostly kept at bay by its warmth, but he couldn't shake the shard that Lawrence had planted: an utter nothingness like nothing he had ever experienced before. Syn growled in frustration, but the fire remained for now. Neither of them had faced this type of attack before, but he didn't remain still enough to question it further. She emboldened him, and Dawson charged again to bash the other man, swinging the shield almost like a sword so that its pointed end aimed at him.
"Ain' nothin' work about it," he grunted, no longer smiling. Lawrence's connection could only feed him fragments of Dawson's emotions through the extra shield, snatches of suppressed anger smoldering like embers. "S'just who I am."
T3 Barrier in effect!: 15/15 (1 turn)
hp: 36
damage: 6
charge: 1/3 (Y3 used)
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Baneful rolled 2 10-sided dice:
9, 7
Total: 16 (2-20)
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 1:17 pm
The sensations were fractured, though to Lawrence it would not have mattered if they were raw and entire, they slipped between his fingers like sand and the anger was a sweet and vivid light in the cold darkness until it splintered off. He did not understand it for what it was, simply as something rare and desirable, something which to understand he needed to possess entirely, the whole tree roots and all, not simply the scattered leaves.
He could not believe that it was possible to simply be a good sort of person, it was illogical, good was a concept which flexed and changed depending to the morals of each individual, in order to be truly morally good one would have to twist and turn, change what you were, shift and alter. In essence you had to lie and that in itself was a contradiction in the sincerity bound up with the very concept of good itself. To someone like Lawrence, there was nothing but a great number of illusions and Dawson was just another charlatan, another trickster wearing the skin of trust. "Sure ya are pardner." he said with a wink.
"They all trust you. And here you will only ever let them down if you don't work, if you don't work to reassure them and pander to them every single day of your life. That does not sound an easy life to me, but what do I know?"
He leapt forward again in another flash of talons that did not quite hit home.
Butch asked, confused, unsure why like plate glass there was something in the way. He sounded upset and uncertain, moreso than his usual rambling insanity.
Lawrence did not understand what the creature was talking about and did his best to simply ignore him.
HP:46/50
DMG: 10
Charge: - The Bite used 2 turns 75 percent absorb
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medigel rolled 2 10-sided dice:
7, 2
Total: 9 (2-20)
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 7:17 pm
The attack was absorbed by the shield, but the words couldn't be protected against. As the charge faded and Dawson lost his glow, it was much easier to feel the current of emotion--and this particular man had always felt just a little too much about things. People. Lawrence had hit a nerve, and it showed in that brief, white flash across the bond, the only thing left that was at ends against the cold seed still sapping him. (Indignity, offense, insult.)
"What do ya know?" Dawson retorted with a scowl, trying to push the psychoanalyzing off of himself. His swing was an after thought, a comma in his sentences he barely remembered making. "Huh? What's a guy that got no emotions know 'bout ********' trust? Stalkin' people n' cuttin' their ********' fingers off like it's all peachy?"
hp: 36
damage: 3
charge: 2/3 (Y3 used)
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