Cast: Millie (Cyber) and Sally (Nerf)
TLDR:
Support Points Earned: 2
May 31, 2018
June 1, 2018
June 2, 2018
TLDR:
Support Points Earned: 2
[1:55 PM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie found herself practicing alone again. It seemed like this was all she ever did when she didn't know what to do. Swing the sword over and over and over again. Feeling nervous? Go work on footwork. Feeling angry? Do stance drills.
Today was no difference. Millie's silver hair fluttered around her like a cloak as she pulled out of a spin and thrust the ironwood forward into a tree.
"Dammit!"
She let go of the sword and threw her gloves onto a rock with a satisfying slap. Her sword still stuck out from the tree, the etchings now fading with their source of energy removed. She took a swig from her waterskin, and grimaced from the taste. After what happened the other day she had to double the dose of her medicine, but it was definitely taking its time.
"Stupid tree."
She wanted to break the tree. Force her magic into the bark and rupture it from the inside. She extended her arm towards the tree and flexed her muscles, pooling her mana into her arm.
But she wasn't a mage, she didn't have any control over the energy. The only thing that happened was her sword, which briefly glowed and twitched. Millie groaned and yanked the sword back out.
"Stupid..."
[2:38 PM] Nerf: "Um..."
The first sound that came out of Sally's mouth as she walked into the clearing was a bit louder than what was probably needed, in what was most likely a polite attempt to let Millie know she was no longer alone in her practice. Standing a couple steps away from the young girl, her gaze went from the sword in her hand to the tree and then back to the sword again, as if she was wondering if this was a good time to start a conversation or not.
"You might want to consider using a different approach", she finally added, at the same time she pointed at the hole in the tree with one of her hands.
Without saying anything else, she patiently waited for Millie's response, her cautious demeanor making it evident she had noticed her comrade was in not the best of moods.
[3:27 PM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie whipped her head around at the noise. Her hair fluttered with her, and she used her left hand to push away her bangs. Her right hand returned to the sword.
"Oh it's you."
Her shoulders sagged and she heaved a sigh of relief.
"I thought you were a-"
She didn't finish her sentence. Just didn't feel like it. She looked up at the sky and noticed the sun was beginning to set realizing she had been training for hours.
When Sally pointed at the tree she shrugged.
"The tree was in the way."
She tried her best to smile, and took a seat on a nearby stump.
"What brings you to this part of the forest?"(edited)
[4:24 PM] Nerf: "Nothing too interesting," she shrugged. "I was simply sending a letter."
Taking Millie's question as a signal her presence there was welcome, Sally closed the distance between the two of them, albeit she didn't sit yet. Instead, she stopped midway to look at the tree, her agile fingers going over the small cut as she examined it with interest.
"With a pigeon, I mean", the Branded woman clarified before Millie could ask, her eye still fixed on the tree. "You've seen them in the convoy, haven't you? If no one can see them flying out of town, they are a lot harder to intercept. Call me paranoid if you want, but at this point it's become a habit."
Seemingly now content with her examination, the criminal turned around to face Millie once again.
"I know it looks quite suspicious, but that's about as much as I can tell you. After all, we all have our secrets we want to keep. Don't you agree, Milaya?" She asked with a big grin.
[4:40 PM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie shrugged at the mention of her real name. She wasn't in the mood to care, and she didn't hide her real name that hard anyways.
"Did Lucifel tell you?"
It didn't matter if she knew or not. If she tried to kill her then so be it. If she spread information to bounty hunters then she'd kill them. She was tired of hiding.
[5:02 PM] Nerf: "Lucifel?"
This time Sally was unable to hide her surprise, clearly caught off guard by the mention of the banker's name. Frowning in disgust upon Millie's assumption, it was apparent she was to some degree offended by it.
So he has already confronted her about it...
"I'm afraid you are terribly mistaken", she clarified as soon as she regained her composture. "I have nothing to do with that man. Although, if you've managed to make an enemy out of him..."
Looking at the silver haired girl with a somber expression, for a moment it appeared Sally almost pitied her.
"...then you are in a lot more trouble than you seem to realize. Trust me, I know that much."
[5:58 PM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie snickered.
"Lucifel? Possibly sure, but I'm sure he has better things to do than chase women when he can't even take a few insults."
She took another swig of her medicine and got up.
"I have a pet chicken that doesn't like the pigeons. Everytime she goes near their cage she stares at them like they might fly out and attack her."
The hole she had cut into the tree was deeper than she realized. Perhaps she could cut through the tree completely.
"Who were you sending the pigeons to?"
[7:28 PM] Nerf: "Do not mistake Lucifel's fragile ego and lack of social skills for incompetence", Sally warned, despite also laughing at her comment. "He might not always seem like it, but he is not someone to be taken lightly."
Absentmindedly driving her fingers through her dense hair, the criminal watched as Millie made her way to the tree.
"However, I suppose that is none of my business. I have no intentions of getting involved in whatever affairs you might have with him."
There was a special emphasis put in the word affair, as if she was trying to bait a reaction out of Millie just for her amusement.
"As for my pigeons, I sent them to one of my subordinates", she briefly explained, being intentionally vague about her answer.
[8:04 PM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie shrugged. It was probably the medicine getting to her head but Lucifel didn's scare her anymore. He was just another Retattian snob, and if a member of the Symvoulvio couldn't kill her what could he do?
She turned away from the tree and chewed on a lock of hair. She didn't know sally well enough to determine if her advice was worth taking, or if she was just paranoid. But talking about Lucifel was not making her feel better.
"...whatever affairs you might have with him."
Millie's eye twitched and she flicked the hair she was chewing on away from her face as she turned to face Sally. She felt her face burn, and the pressure of her sword strapped to her waist became ever more present.
"Before you get any funny ideas, there isn't anything between me and him."
She stepped back from Sally and looked away.
"Sorry... I lost my temper."
She dropped her sword on the ground and stared at the bottle of medicine.
[11:13 PM] Nerf: During the entire exchange, Sally's expression remained unchanged, the only sign of a reaction being her subtly moving one of her hands towards the inside of her cape, only to stop before reaching her objective as soon as Millie took a step back.
"Well that was...something."
Seemingly not very bothered by Millie's small outburst, the criminal leaned back on one of the nearby trees, her head resting over both of her hands.
"I think we might have started off on the wrong foot", she nonchalantly added. "But, believe it or not, I am not trying to pick a fight here. I was simply curious to know what sort of relationship you have with Lucifel. We are what you could call...business rivals, so if he's interested on you for whatever reason, it's only natural I'd want to know why."
Finally taking a glance at the bottle of medicine, she moved away from the tree to get a closer look at it.
"Are you feeling sick or something?", Sally inquired, moving the conversation to a topic that would hopefully be less sensitive.
[12:41 AM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie took a deep breath. Perhaps she just wasn't really prepared for social interactions today.
She tilted her head when Sally asked if she was ill. Did she look ill? She quickly looked around herself for a pocket mirror but didn't find one. She never carried one around anyways, so she had no idea why she looked.
"I'm fine. Do I look ill?"
[9:47 AM] Nerf: "No. But you look like you are taking some medicine. Either that or your water does not taste very good."
She followed her statement with a blank stare, as if the reasons behind her question were something evident.
[12:34 PM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Either Sally was extremely good at figuring things out because she was getting really good at stepping on sensitive subjects.
"I should forge a new rapier, this katana is fine but something lighter may be more useful."
She capped her waterskin and put it back in her bag.(edited)
[12:59 AM] Nerf: The sudden change in topics didn't go unnoticed for Sally, though she decided to let the issue go, at least for the time being.
"A rapier? That is quite a big change in style. Have you used one before? It is nothing like a katana."
Before her words could be seen as condescending, she made sure to follow up with:
"I'm sorry, I'm sure you know that better than I do. Just...make sure that whatever weapon you decide on is something you are comfortable using. Wouldn't want to go on the battlefield with something you are not familiar with."
[1:16 AM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie's eyes spsrkled as she realized this was her opportunity to talk about swords.
"I've used all sorts of swords. Rapiers, katanas, shortswords, longswords, scimitars, scythes, and sword and daggers as well. I'm actually most comfortable with the rapier but the katan hits much harder for combat."
[10:12 PM] Nerf: Sally raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
"That many? Why? You look pretty young, so you can't have been working as a mercenary for long."
A skeptical expression followed her question, as if she didn't fully believe Millie's claim.
She seems to be quite prideful. Lets see if I can use that to make her talk about herself.(edited)
[1:55 AM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie used her foot and flicked a stick into the air and caught it with her hand.
"Well technically I didn't become a mercenary till I joined you guys. But I began sword training when I was..."
Wow it's been forever.
She inspected the stick absentmindedly, and swung it around like she would a rapier. It was much lighter than her sword, but the balance was off.
"Since I was 7 or 8? It's been so long I can barely remember."
[2:48 AM] Nerf: She nodded at her response, seemingly satisfied by it.
"Why?"
Sally gave Millie an inquisitive look, at the same time she brushed aside a strand of hair away from her face.
"You don't give a child that young a sword unless you expect her to fight."
[3:02 AM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: "It looked cool."
Millie shrugged and dropped her stick.
"In Rettati fencing isn't just a way to fight its a sport. You didn't learned how to fight because it could save your life, you learned to fight to prove your superiority."
She lunged with her stick at the tree, aiming for the hole she made with the other. It impaled itself into the the hole, and Millie stepped back with childish satisfaction.
[3:40 AM] Nerf: Attentively watching this one-sided duel between Beorc and tree, Sally had to resist the urge to tell Millie there was nothing cool about disarming yourself with your finishing blow, even if you were not using an actual weapon. Instead, she simply put both hands in her pockets, at the same time she shrugged off.
"So it's like a gladiator duel, but less bloody?", she compared it to something she was more familiar with. "Sounds fun."
"However...", a large smirk formed in Sally's face. "...I doubt those sort of games would be of much help against someone with actual combat experience. Even the greatest of swordsmen pales against life when it comes to teaching someone how to fight."
[3:48 AM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie's eye twitched again.
"Just because swordfighting is a sport in Rettati doesn't mean it won't help in a fight. And duels are still dangerous, people have died before."
Millie was starting to get pissed again, but the medicine was beginning to take effect.
"Well maybe you wouldn't understand since all you do is throw knives around."
[4:05 AM] Nerf: "Am I supposed to feel insulted by that?" She spoke in a dispassionate tone, as if she found the topic boring. "I know how duels work. Dangerous or not, a fight governed by rules will never be able to prepare you for the real world. It's just simply how things are. There's no reason for you to feel offended about it."
Leaning further back in her position, Sally gave Millie an honest look.
"Maybe you will understand once you get a taste of the real thing. After all, you are still pretty new to this."
[4:08 AM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie put her right hand on the hilt of her sword.
"You're right, I could use a bit more training."
[4:14 AM] Nerf: "Is that supposed to be a challenge?" She gave a puzzled look to Millie, as if she was somehow surprised by this development. "I'm afraid I would dissapoint you. As you can see, I don't exactly have the complexion of a fighter."
Moving away from the tree, Sally pondered about it for a few seconds.
"Still...I suppose it would be unpolite to refuse. Just promise you'll go easy on me, ok?"
Pulling her hand away from her pocket, Sally extended her arm for handshake, as if to signal she intended this to be a friendly duel.
[4:35 AM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie raised her eyebrows as she took the handshake.
"Sticks or swords?"(edited)
[4:52 AM] Nerf: The moment her hand met Millie's, Sally moved her index finger out, revealing a small sewing needle between it and the middle finger. With one quick motion, she pricked Millie's hand with it, before quickly pulling away from the handshake. While there was barely any force behind her maneuver, making it unlikely for it to do anything but maybe get a single drop of blood or two, there was a clear provocation behind her move, making it evident her intentions weren't as friendly as they originally seemed.
"Sticks or swords?"
"That doesn't matter", she shrugged off as she waited to see how Millie reacted to her actions, without making any actual moves to start the fight.
[5:02 AM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie stared at the drop of blood in her hand, registering the pain with mild interest.
"Swords it is then."
She drew the sword with her off hand and charged Sally, wondering how she'd respond. She purposefully made it seem like she was attacking in full force, but kept her arms tucked in until she was certain she could strike.(edited)
[5:07 AM] Nerf: Such a response would never come. In fact, all Sally did was stand frozen in place, wondering how long would it take for Millie to realize she did not have a sword to counter her attack with in the first place. Raising both empty hands up in the air to evidence that fact, she smiled at her opponent as she got closer.(edited)
[5:17 AM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: Millie ended her attack with her sword at Sally's neck. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, and stepped back into a guard.
"You accepted my challenge so I assumed you had something to fight with."
After the stunt with the needle she didn't dare lower her guard again.
[5:32 AM] Nerf: Rather than directly answering Millie's implicit question, Sally raised the needle that was still in her hand up for her rival to see, showing a single shiny drop of blood at it's tip.
"Did you know that there are poisons that can kill a grown man in minutes? They are not very common, but if you know where to look for them and have some money to spare, it's not too hard to get some doses. And you rarely will need more than one."
With one single movement, she cleaned the blood of her needle with the border of her cape.
"In other words, if this was a serious fight you would be agonizing in pain right now, only to die a moment later."
Staring directly at her opponent, the smirk in Sally's lips grew wider.
"I believe this counts as a win for me, so there's no need to unsheat any weapons. I hope you enjoyed this match as much as I did."
[5:46 AM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: "Tch."
Millie's face reddened and she sheathed her sword with disdain. She tried to keep her face neutral but her arms crackled with electricity.
"Good luck getting the enemy to shake your hand on the battlefield."
She turned her back and headed back towards the caravan. Perhaps if she was in a better mood they would have gotten along better, but people like her reminded Millie of Rettatian politicians. Slippery and always looking for some kind of loophole. She could have probably killed Sally before the poison crippled her anyways.
First insulting me and then telling me I need real combat training. What a jerk.(edited)
[1:36 PM] Nerf: "Good luck getting the enemy to shake your hand on the battlefield."
"Exactly! You get it now?" Sally grinned widely, even though such a gesture could not be seen by Millie now that she had turned around. "No one would ever fall for such a simple trick. And yet you did. This is what happens when you expect your opponent to play by the rules."
Watching her opponent walk away, Sally made no attempts to follow, still standing next to the tree.
"If it makes you feel better, I'm sure you would have won had I played fair. But if you were expecting me to do so, I don't think you deserve to win anyways. I mean, sticks or swords? Who would ever make such an offer in a real battle?"
[1:55 PM] Cyber | Likes Sippy Cups: People like her have no honor.
Millie riped the bow off her head and stuffed it in her pocket. The wind carressed the tips if her hair, letting it flow like a waterfall of silver.
That's why Rettati is so corrupted, that's why Laqueos is in turmoil.
Millie dumped the contents of her waterskin into a river.
"I'll show her. I don't need to break the rules to defeat my opponents."
=== RP END ===
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