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AnasAbdin
Cosmic Funnies
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RMH
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Peter Solarz
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ojovivo
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@justicefanged
Currently not a part of TOA!
They Have 900 Numbers For That
“Hm," he hummed, "well, then sorry for the apology." The sarcasm was something that he couldn't help, not entirely venomous but impatient, tired of the stifling, the prodding, the sensation of intrusion that now seemed to lace every glance that laid upon him. Linus didn't seem entirely a man to push another's buttons deliberately – didn't seem smart enough – but Raven wouldn't underestimate his desire to watch someone squirm.
Just like his vicious brother.
"Step up." The instruction was clipped, and he barely waited for Linus to comply before heaving him the extra inch or so onto the little partition that led them to the appropriate path for professors' quarters. He couldn't have pretended he knew where Linus's room exactly was, but it didn't take a genius.
A frown. It shouldn't have, anyway.
"Come on, you need to move your feet. I'm not carrying you the whole way," he said, as though it was not very quickly devolving into just that, more and more of Linus's weight coming down on his shoulders, until he groaned. The metaphor was beginning to grate, but he grit his teeth and trudged forward regardless.
"Look. Almost there."
"Sheesh, look'it you, mister...mister 'pology ov'r here," Linus huffs out, not fully catching the sarcasm. He almost drags to a full stop when Raven says to step up; while he'd been frowning down at his feet already, that didn't mean he was focusing on them or what they were doing very well. Raven was clearly through with giving him leeway, as by the time Linus got himself focused on that small edge, he was already being moved across it.
His boot caught on the edge and he stumbled, but managed to catch himself with the thud of his other foot against the floor -- and most of his weight inevitably fell onto Raven's shoulders.
"Fuck, did that on purpose--" he complained, pulling his gaze up to drowsily shoot a look at Raven before dragging away again to realize he did...sort of recognize this area. It did all still blend together a bit, but this hallway felt more familiar than where he'd stumbled into Raven's room.
"What, ya don't wanna do that again?" He was fairly certain neither of them wanted a repeat of what had happened in those caves.
"But yeah, yeah-- 's fine, I can...I can figure it out from here, Red," Linus blustered, clumsily pushing off of the other's support. Not smoothly, or in any way convincing, but he didn't immediately fall on his ass so he'd take it. It was just a matter of a few steps at this point, right?
"Thanks fer pointin' me in the right direct, Red, but ain't it past yer bedtime or summin'?"
Oh, wow, turning around to try and talk while walking was a bad idea. He went staggering down the hall, his stomach turning a bit at the abrupt movement, before catching himself against a doorframe.
The...wrong doorframe. This was not his door. Pulling a face at the wood, Linus squinted down the line of rooms -- that one? No, not that one. Wasn't he right next to that one guy with the lazy voice and the loud friend? Oooh, wait...he's on the wrong side of the hall...
"...Sorry for bustin' in on ya at...whatever the fuck time it is. It'll happen again," Linus slurred over his shoulder with a thumbs up, oblivious to how he'd misspoken, as he finally reaches his destination. The slightly scuffed door is opened, leading to the dark space of his empty room and as soon as he slams the door behind him, he's stumbling over to the general direction of his bed--
And promptly passing out, legs hanging off the edge. Mission...accomplished?
[ END ]
"I was hoping I could get your advice about something." She sits down next to him in the dining hall. Maybe it isn't the ideal place to have a heart to heart but it'll do. "I'm thinking about leaving the monastery. Not to go back home, not yet, but I don't think staying here as an assistant professor is really helping anyone."
She'd seen how things were in Gautier and Goneril first hand. The monastery needs rebuilding, of course, but there are other people out there who don't have the full force of the Knights of Seiros and all the talented people that reside within its now battered walls.
"If I took on work as a mercenary, I could go where I was needed. It's what I grew up around, too."
She leans her head against his shoulder. "It would pull me away from you sometimes, though. Leif, too, but all of his friends are here. I don't even know if he'd notice I was gone."
Her hand finds his and their fingers lace together. "What do you think? Am I rushing into something?"
Linus was halfway to putting a forkful of food into his mouth when Altena sat down next to him, eyeing her with a bit of confusion as she spoke up. It seemed sorta serious from the way she was carrying herself, and how many people asked for advice about something small?
Speaking of advice...
He huffs a little chuckle, completing the paused action of shoveling food into his mouth. Not pausing to finish chewing, he asked in response, "You want advice. From me? I mean, shoot if ya think I can actually give ya any help, 'Tena."
And, yeah, his initial reaction to her saying "I'm thinking about leaving the monastery." was to choke a bit on his mouthful of food and cough. But, after sputtering for a moment, his brain caught up to the rest of what she had to say, and relief was a short but welcome balm that was quickly pushed aside for raw excitement.
"For real?" Linus asks, grin already spreading across his face as he sets his meal aside to give her his undivided attention.
This was totally a sign, right? He'd never even meant to get a teaching gig here, and his heart longed to get back into mercenary work. And, well, with things on shaky ground with Lloyd and...other parties, maybe distance would bee a good thing. Besides, if he followed Altena, they'd be a perfect team!
"I mean, if I quit teachin', I could just work with you and then we wouldn't have to split up our time," he says, wiggling his fingers a bit as she laces theirs together. "I grew up among mercenaries, too; it's what we did before comin' here. I've missed doin' real work, and i think we both know I ain't much of a teacher -- least not in this sorta place -- soooo, if ya want a partner, 'Tena, the Mad Dog'll be right behind ya!"
There is no hesitation. He just agrees. He tells her he wants out of the classroom but her stomach still fills with butterflies to think that maybe, just maybe, she has something to do with this.
A smile forms at the corners of her lips but soon brightens her whole face. It's rare that something feels worthy of smiling like this but with Linus it's different. His offer, his willingness to walk away from what he has to follow her makes her feel special. He looks past her blood and her ability to wield a weapon and sees her.
His hand extends and she reaches for it with a firm grip. "Let's do it. You and me."
When she's with him, she feels like she belongs.
Altena smiles, really smiles, and Linus can't help but feel the buzz of excitement running through his veins. She looks happy, like he isn't butting in or forcing a burden on her, and that just settles it for him entirely. If she goes, he'll go, too -- no matter where, or for how long.
She grips his hand, and he grins wolfishly as he gives hers a competitive but ultimately loving squeeze.
"You an' me," he repeats, pulling her in a little to bump foreheads, "Wherever we go, whatever we end up doin', I don't...I don't think I could get any happier." Linus was a pretty upfront guy about how he felt, but...the softer stuff was always a little harder to get out. But he wanted to make sure she knew. He wanted this, and he wasn't going to regret it.
[ END ]
"I was hoping I could get your advice about something." She sits down next to him in the dining hall. Maybe it isn't the ideal place to have a heart to heart but it'll do. "I'm thinking about leaving the monastery. Not to go back home, not yet, but I don't think staying here as an assistant professor is really helping anyone."
She'd seen how things were in Gautier and Goneril first hand. The monastery needs rebuilding, of course, but there are other people out there who don't have the full force of the Knights of Seiros and all the talented people that reside within its now battered walls.
"If I took on work as a mercenary, I could go where I was needed. It's what I grew up around, too."
She leans her head against his shoulder. "It would pull me away from you sometimes, though. Leif, too, but all of his friends are here. I don't even know if he'd notice I was gone."
Her hand finds his and their fingers lace together. "What do you think? Am I rushing into something?"
Linus was halfway to putting a forkful of food into his mouth when Altena sat down next to him, eyeing her with a bit of confusion as she spoke up. It seemed sorta serious from the way she was carrying herself, and how many people asked for advice about something small?
Speaking of advice...
He huffs a little chuckle, completing the paused action of shoveling food into his mouth. Not pausing to finish chewing, he asked in response, "You want advice. From me? I mean, shoot if ya think I can actually give ya any help, 'Tena."
And, yeah, his initial reaction to her saying "I'm thinking about leaving the monastery." was to choke a bit on his mouthful of food and cough. But, after sputtering for a moment, his brain caught up to the rest of what she had to say, and relief was a short but welcome balm that was quickly pushed aside for raw excitement.
"For real?" Linus asks, grin already spreading across his face as he sets his meal aside to give her his undivided attention.
This was totally a sign, right? He'd never even meant to get a teaching gig here, and his heart longed to get back into mercenary work. And, well, with things on shaky ground with Lloyd and...other parties, maybe distance would bee a good thing. Besides, if he followed Altena, they'd be a perfect team!
"I mean, if I quit teachin', I could just work with you and then we wouldn't have to split up our time," he says, wiggling his fingers a bit as she laces theirs together. "I grew up among mercenaries, too; it's what we did before comin' here. I've missed doin' real work, and i think we both know I ain't much of a teacher -- least not in this sorta place -- soooo, if ya want a partner, 'Tena, the Mad Dog'll be right behind ya!"
"You would do that?" She looks up at him, eyes widened slightly. His brother is here, too, and they are much closer to each other than she is to Leif. Though she supposes that hadn't stopped her when she left Thracia to come to Fódlan.
"You'd do that for me?" That is the real question. He says he's over teaching and would like to return to life as a mercenary but he could also set off on his own. He doesn't have to agree to do this with her.
Of course he used to be a mercenary though. They'd never really talked too much about their lives before coming here with each other but it hasn't been hard to guess what he did. He just has the merc vibes about him. It's part of what caught her interest in the first place.
"If you're serious, I think I'd love that." As much as she could tell herself it won't be so lonely as long as she has her wyvern with her, she does know setting out on her own will be lonesome. Having a partner, especially this partner, sounds really nice. "We'd make a good team and I..." Her cheeks flush just a little bit. "I'd miss you if you stayed here."
"Hell yeah, I would."
The response is spoken without ay sort of hesitation, no wavering or fumbling. Linus had never been apart from Lloyd for very long, it's just how things had always been, but...he really cared about Altena. If she was going off to help people, well...Linus wanted to follow. Coming here had never been his idea, working at this place had also not been his idea.
And, as frustrating as it could be and how ill-fitting he was to teach, it had been the reason he was even here now, getting to think about working alongside this fiercely incredible woman.
He wasn't ungrateful for the things he'd been given here in Fodlan, though he was aware he could sure act like it. It had been a safe place for them to land after...everything, someplace they could recover and have a chance. He'd made a few friends -- not that many, really, but some folks put up with him well despite, well, himself -- and, of course, there was Altena.
It was complicated, and some aspects had only gotten more so. But this...this didn't feel complicated to him. He wanted to get back to his roots, and he wanted to stay by Altena's side while doing it.
"I don't think I've ever been more serious 'bout anythin' in my life. I think we'd make a kick ass team, and, well, I ain't ready to not see you every day." Even if it was just for a short, passing moment, Linus liked getting to check in with Altena or do something quick and fun. It'd be...very different not having her around as often, and when he thought about that possibility...he didn't like it -- found it hard to even picture.
"So," he grins, offering a hand out to her like they were making a deal right here, right now, "What d'ya say to partnerin' up and doin' some ol' fashioned good?"
"Happy birthday." Altena stops to kneel and give Honk some attention and pets before holding out a stack of papers. She was glad when the Blue Lions beat the Golden Deer in the mock battle and she won her bet against him. It gave her the perfect idea for something he actually wanted and might make his life a little easier. She knows how much he dislikes doing them and she does have some experience now. "It's a month's worth of lesson plans. No strings attached this time."
She fidgets a little before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a single key on a leather cord. "I thought maybe you'd like this too. It's, uh, well there was an extra one to the room I'm staying in in town. You know, if you wanted to visit. Maybe it would be easier if you had your own key."
"Hey, what--" Linus accepts the papers, more than a little dumbfounded since he's well aware he lost their bet. "Pretty sure I'm the one who owes you a week's worth of wyvern stall muckin'," he tacks on a little awkwardly, thumbing at the edges of the papers as he smiles despite himself at the gesture.
She didn't have to do this, but she'd clearly put in a lot of work and went out of her way to get it done.
"Well, shoot, you didn't have to...," he starts to say, but then trails off when he notices Altena fidgeting before producing a key. While the lesson plans had definitely been a surprise, this was something else entirely. They'd been together for a good bit now, and though they'd never really talked about things too deeply or made any big plans, this was a step. There was some space between them now that Altena wasn't working directly with the academy anymore, and she was choosing to let him have access to her own space.
Like...that was big, right? This was, like...a big thing. It was just a key, but it did leave him a little speechless for a moment.
Once he'd stopped gapping like a fish, Linus grinned and rushed forward to pull Altena into a bear hug; his hand closing over hers and the key. Honk pranced around their legs, tongue lolling as he reacted to the nervous-excited energy of his owners.
"You fuckin' bet I wanna visit, 'Tena! You're gonna get tired of me buttin' in!"
The name on the roster was unmistakable, but it was the titled and tenured position next to it that Lyn could not quite reconcile.
It could have been any man named Linus who was a professor, or any professor surnamed Reed, but the combination on the note to deliver syllabi to Linus Reed - Golden Deer Professor sent her mind scrambling for explanations.
She had seen him fight and had seen him fall, and in the chaos of everything that had followed had heard no more of the Black Fang. Although she supposed that this was the proclivity of a group of high level assassins, she could not imagine a man less attuned to the shadows as Linus Reed.
Was this some other ploy of Nergal's, then? Another animated construct of his, another morph infiltrating a position of high prestige?
Her footsteps took her down the spiraling stone staircase and into the quad of the academy, and her eyes sought out the Golden Deer classroom where her quarry awaited. Shouldering her way into the classroom, and without any further ado, she plopped the paperwork onto the desk where the man sat, catching his gaze and holding it sternly for a moment before she spoke.
No gold in those irises but sunlight.
"What are you doing here? Not chasing my friends anymore, are you? If you are, I'll have no reservations in striking you down!"
He really, really did despise doing paperwork -- but, he figured, slogging through it himself was better than another weird stand off with that giant bald guy.
Maybe.
Honestly, depending on the day, it was a toss up between which one he wanted to have happen least.
So, boots planted up on the desk and leaning back in his chair, Linus throws a sour look at the door when it opens and someone enters the otherwise empty classroom with quite the determined stride. And papers. A fat stack of bloody annoying papers.
His expression shifts, however, at the accusations that immediately come out of this young woman's mouth. Brow furrowing in confusion, Linus pulls his feet down off the desk with scrape of bootheels against wood and stands opposite her at his full height. He stares her down for a solid minute, before his nose scrunches up and he huffs out an irritated, "Do I know you and your friends, lass?"
And, at first, he didn't recognize her or know what she was talking about. But the longer she stands there, fiery eyes and proud stance, the more she seems sort of familiar.
"Wait, wait, wait-- I do know you, don't I?" Linus growls, eyes narrowing. "You were with those Lycians, back home. I ain't here for any of your friends, but if it's a fight ya want, I wouldn't disappoint!"
She wasn't a student, and she had technically threatened him first, so surely he couldn't get into hot water if this did turn into a fight, right? Besides, it seemed both of them hadn't let go of all that had happened in Elibe.
March Activity Check
Status: Passed
Total Skill Points: 38 → 41 Monthly Activity SP Earned: 1 Event Activity SP Earned: 1 Other SP Earned: -- Thread Completion SP Earned: Completed +1 to Gauntlet
Invested SP: +1 to Sword A → to Sword A+ (2/3) +1 to Axe A → to Axe A+ (2/3) +1 to Gauntlet A → Gauntlet A+ (2/3)
Accessed Classes: --
Mastered Classes: --
Legault doesn't make the same mistake twice. His entry into the Mad Dog's space is a quick and clean affair this time around, timed between the bells that start and dismiss the classes at the monastery.
The only sign of intrusion in Linus's dorm is a piece of paper placed on top of the bed, partially obscured by a second smaller note on top.
Thought you'd rather see his face than mine on your special day. Have a good one, wild pup.
Beneath it lies a portrait of a heavily-scarred man framed by abstracted fangs at the edges of the paper. Despite his hardened features, he looks to the viewer with a slight smile. It's not the expression Brendan Reed wears in Legault's strongest memories of him anymore, but he grasped for the shape as best he could.
It was definitely a different experience trying to teach when the monastery was in a heap, but Linus found it suited him better than what was expected before. Most things right now were a lesson in practicality, and it strayed more into teaching some of these kids how to not hurt themselves doing manual labor than any sort of combat training.
Which, as much as he put his all into fighting, even he knew was just as important. If you were going to lead people in a war, you sure as hell better be able to help them pick up the pieces afterwards.
It was good. Not just for getting things back to normal or teaching these kids some useful skills -- hell, not even just because it felt good to do simple, physical work. It sort of confirmed to Linus something that he'd been feeling for a while now, but hadn't put much serious thought into until Altena had brought it up: working at the monastery as a teacher just wasn't for him, and he needed to get back to what he was really good at.
He wanted to get out there and help people again -- and it wasn't just Garreg Mach that needed that.
So when he finishes up for the day and goes to crash in his quarters, he doesn't notice anything off at first. He shucks off his coat, cleans up a little and it's only then that he turns around and spots the papers on his bed.
Papers rarely made it into Linus' room as it was, but never did he leave them on his bed (the unused desk or the floor is usually where they landed if they crossed the threshold). So alarm and suspicion are his first reactions as he stomps over to investigate, swiping up the papers-- and then comes to an abrupt halt when he sees a familiar face staring up at him from one of the pages.
It had been years now, since their father had been killed, but it was a loss that Linus had yet to get over the injustice of. If he ever would. So seeing this sketch, knowing who had left it before he confirmed it by looking at the attached note, was like a punch to the gut that took his breath away.
Linus ends up sitting heavily on the edge of the bed, his grip tightening on the paper before he forces himself to lighten his touch to avoid crinkling the sketch too bad.
His vision goes a bit blurry, turning the sketch of Brendan into a grayscale smudge, and he doesn't realize he's been holding in a breath until his lungs spasm and he's forced to choke in a gasp.
Followed by another, and another.
Until he's hunched over the picture with a hand messed painfully tight into his short hair, face hot and wet as he sobs in the small safety of his quarters.
Water, Earth, Uh--*looks at smudged writing on hand* Fistfight?
They were both beginning to flag. In any other circumstance, this would have been the signal of an end, or of a victory for one side or another – but with each blow it seemed it make them both angrier. Raven wasn't sure how that had happened – his frustrations were clear, but that was all they were, weren't they? His control tight enough on himself that he could not have lost himself in the roar of wind and water around them.
He didn't realize that he was still shouting; "If only you had the decency to feel the shame before it happens! Maybe you could actually prevent so many of these regrets you claim to have!" His fist reached forward, grazed along the curve of cheekbone – an amateur move, aggressive and stupid – and he felt it immediately in his knuckles, the crunch of compression, ignored it, reached those same fingers around Linus's neck to drag him forward to knee him in the gut.
[Linus 4.5/10]
"Barreling forward without a care, whining that you have feelings too, as though everything you've done couldn't happen any other way! As though the consequences of your actions are a funny joke, a story to tell later rather than - "
He couldn't even hear the words coming from him any longer, couldn't even comprehend them behind the blinking of white and dark in his vision, the beating of his heart giving everything a vibrating red frame, drowned out by the roar of emotion and element around them until all that he could hear was the raggedness of his breathing and the shredded hoarseness of his voice grown tighter with the closing of his throat and the burn behind his eyes.
The bubble of emotion didn't come from no where, he knew that – but he had expected to be better at preventing its burst, at tamping down the bile before it spewed from his throat and burned anyone but himself. Linus did not seem to care, or seemed to care too much, and that enraged him as well, the inherent cruelty of keeping himself shielded from the fact that his decisions affected other people, the lingering vestiges of another's choices never far from its vice grip on his heart.
Now how the hell did that make any sense?!
"Why the fuck would I feel shame or regret if I ain't even fucked up yet in order to feel it?! D'you just walk around feelin' bad for shit you ain't even done yet?!" Linus snapped, shout tapering off into an abrupt wheeze when he's dragged down and a knee connects roughly with his middle.
Their fighting and arguing has devolved into a blur of words and actions. The only thing that mattered was being the one left standing now, and any sort of cooperation or understanding was shoved far out of reach.
It was almost impressive how, small as they were compared to the forces of nature that had brought them to this arena, they were completely ignoring the vaguely-featured silhouettes within wind and water. And, though the fight was brutal, perhaps the Elementals felt a bit...ignored with their two champions so focused on one another. Or, maybe, a winner wasn't being decided quick enough for their liking.
Whatever it was, as the two men continued to sloppily beat the tar out of one another, there comes a sudden howling of the wind -- followed by the crash of water against the dirt walls of the arena. Cracks begin to form underneath the joint tempest tantrum of the Elementals, until the walls begin to erode into mud and wind-frothed water sweeps the combatants off their feet and out of the now melting arena.
It seems that the main event is about to begin, the day having worn on into fiery sunset and swiftly approaching moonlight. They couldn't be late for the party, now could they?
[ END ]
🧃"Great job out there darling! I don't think I've seen your brother around, is he taking a break today?"
For once, Linus can say he's not sulking when he accepts the consolation juice box. It always seems like he fumbles at the battle of the eagle and lion, so even though he didn't make it to the end, it was still improvement.
"Yeah, he's around," Linus responded, taking a big, long gulp of the juice -- sweet, but not too much, and refreshingly tart. "Bet he's avoidin' me 'cause I got further than him, though. Good as a win, in my book!"
Finn wasn't sure he knew the louder man's name. Linus....was it? He should at least commend him on a job well done. While he did a poor job striking the enemy, Linus did quite a lot of damage. Yes, this is the way a battle should go.
He'd never met him otherwise, though. How to go about it... Well, an official congratulatory was always welcome, right? All in the spirit of battle and all that.
Finn finds him when the battles have wound down. It's a rare moment of quiet and he pounces on it.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Finn starts, waving a stiff hand, "I must commend you for your efforts in the battle. You truly kept the team together. Your prowess on the field is impressive."
Where I could not.
"Please enjoy your victory. Until next time then."
Linus was just taking a look at the shield he'd managed to find, glancing up at the stiff and rather awkward greeting. Oh, yeah, the super serious and kind of dramatic knight guy.
"Hey," he replies, short and casual. Really, he got being a knight and all, but did so many of them have to be stiff as boards all the time?
He shrugs, setting the shield to the side with a weighty thunk as he gives the man a very unsubtle once over. "Pfft, now you're just blowin' hot air up my ass. Wasn't like I was givin' orders or nothin', and strategizin' ain't my thing, so I don't really think I had anythin' to do with the team stayin' together. We just worked well together, that's all. Though--"
And he cuts himself off, a wolfish grin showing off sharp teeth.
"Ya might wanna relax a little next time! Have fun with it! 'S not like you're a student gettin' graded on how well ya did. Maybe ya won't be as inflexible and have as many troubles in the future if ya get that knightly stick out of your ass!"
"I am glad to have found you! I wanted to give you my thanks for your assistance in our battle. Without your boisterous rally, our team's morale would have been quite lower! And as unfortunate as the glitter incident was, making us aware of its existance has saved us quite a bit of a headache. Do you require any further healing? It would be my pleasure to assist!"
Sheesh, he thought this was some kind of act or something she put on out in the field -- there were spectators, after all, even if the majority of them were school staff -- but no, she really just spoke like that, huh?
"Uuuh, yeah, sure; glad I could help out," Linus puffed out, tired and a little disappointed at how he'd gone out, but mostly amused at the girl's whole...deal. "Wish I could've done a bit more, but damn, you and that other dramatic girl really had it down on lock! Makin' the Deer proud by handlin' that fight as well as you did, basically just between the two've ya!"
Because, really, outside of taking some hits, Linus had hardly contributed. And, as much as he ached to do good in a fight, he supposed he could take some pride as a teacher in how well they had done on their own!
"Is that...glitter?"
Linus groaned at the very word, slapping a hand over his eyes.
"Fuck, don't even mention that shit to me, I'll be findin' it in my clothes forever," he complained, letting his palm drag down his face so that he could get a proper look at Altena. "Looks like we both took a bit of a beating this round, huh?"
Which sucked, he'd wanted to face off with her on the battlefield to really put their bet to the test. It was just more fun to have a direct hand in the result.
"Bet ya gave 'em a run for their money, though! Think I shoulda grabbed some different loot, it didn't really help me do much before I got blinded by glitter and then blasted to hell by two li'l mages." As much as Linus hates magic, he has to admit, those two stuck it out longer than he would have thought from the start they had.
"How's the field look, though? My Deer still kickin' the Lions' asses?" he smirks, nudging her playfully in the ribs.
hey if someone dies in BOEL do we automatically get an A or
BOEL round 2
The time has come. It's what Cynthia has been looking forward to since she saw Morgan. Everything had been building up to this. She's poised to strike. Electricity sparks within her.
She's ready.
When they were little, they had played war games like this. Owain, Gerome, Cynthia and, most importantly, Morgan - their tactician. It feels good to best their tactician. It feels right. All his planning had failed, and Cynthia reigns supreme.
L'Arachel will shoot, a symbol of their duel to begin. Cynthia steadies herself. She's ready.
Until Morgan screams.
"Wh- huh!?"
Oh gods. And here Cynthia thought she was a klutz! Morgan is on the floor, in pain. She'd had a whole plan. She would defeat him, and he'd be on the floor, and she'd have her lance to his throat and she'd say something cool.
Something about that feels in poor taste now, even if Morgan has been defeated.
"Hang on, I can carry you, okay? You couldn't walk on that thing," she says, gesturing to his leg. She crouches down with the intention to lift him, princess style. (Of course, he does have the option to limp while leaning on her. Really, it's his choice.)
@justicefanged
Dragon's breath, this shit really was lethal...!
Linus felt like he'd been coughing and sputtering and pawing at his face for minutes -- way too long to be standing still in a fight, that's for sure. Rubbing at your eyes did not help, by the way! Just made it all worse! And whatever this horrible, sparkly stuff was, it just seemed to catch in his throat and stay there.
So it was no surprise that, open to attack as he was, the next hit that came his way he was utterly unprepared for.
With a startled shout, Linus is whipped off his feet -- heavy fucking shield and all -- by the whirling wind magic and thrown several feet away from the cluster of their little battle amidst the larger clash of the Eagle and Lion (and Deer). His back hits the ground with a thud, and his shoulder is jarred something awful from the weight of the shield coming full force down on top of it.
"Guh..."
Fuuuuck, everything was spinning...
Linus lays there for a moment, still hacking away, before he dizzily tries to stand back up. He staggers, the world continues to spin, and the Mad Dog stumbles over to a bush to vomit up a truly unhealthy amount of glitter.
Maybe...maybe he'd lay down right here for a bit.
Somewhere, a horn blares an end to this round.
[ END ]
hey if someone dies in BOEL do we automatically get an A or
BOEL round 2
“Ghk – !”
The pig-tailed woman isn't pulling punches. That blow hurt, whether or not she meant it to. Azelle wonders if they know this is meant to be a mock battle, because it feels like they're taking this very seriously!
“You ladies really don't mess around, do you?!” he calls, just enough time for him to pull out his tome and ready a spell.
There's not really a good target to focus on. There's not really a bad one either. His decision is made with his teammate's interest in mind; they're in a position where they can both target one of two people, but he'll put himself in danger to allow Morgan flexibility.
Azelle 2/6HP hits Linus 5/5HP with Fire. [ Roll: 8+2=10, -1.5HP; Linus 3.5/5HP ]
That huge shield the big guy is carrying doesn't have anything going for it on the magical side of things. Azelle's fireball is easily weaved around it and hits him pretty squarely. For now, he's hoping it will be enough.
@justicefanged
"That's what I like to hear!" Linus grins, howling with excitement as he finally, finally gets into position to be able to attack. The two mages left on the field to oppose them have both taken some good hits, so all he has to do is help mop up! This couldn't have been easier--
Fire suddenly flares up in his vision, and in spite of raising his shield, it seems to spark around with little issue to sear along his arms and sides.
Hissing at the sudden pain, Linus shoots a the redhead a severe I'm going to get you for that glare before turning his attention back to the target he can reach right now. "Your friend's tryin' to play distraction, but unfortunately for you, I ain't that easy to distract-- WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" he bellows, eyes stinging when the wind shifts and...is that glitter?! Glitter deployed as a weapon of evil! It's in his eyes! It's in his mouth, son of a bitch--!
OCHAIN SHIELD activates! Linus 3.5/5HP recovers 0.5HP, Linus 4/5HP. Linus 4/5HP misses Morgan 2.5/5HP with Steel Sword [Roll: 3-2=1; -0HP, Morgan 2.5/5HP]
His swing completely misses as Linus swipes furiously at his watering eyes, trying to clear his vision.
hey if someone dies in BOEL do we automatically get an A or
BOEL round 2
Before Azelle fully has time to register the changing of the ranks, their opponents are already striking at Tine.
His heart sinks as she falls into the mud - he lunges towards her to help her back to her feet, but she's there before he can offer a hand, and then she's gone. He feels awful. Surely their opponents can't know how difficult her life must have been as a twice-blooded bastard child, but Azelle can.
He'd wanted to protect her especially this match, but his ability had come up short. It's a thought that tangles in the pit of his stomach and sits there uncomfortable. He just hopes it won't make him nauseous for the remainder of the fight.
Morgan calls out a tactic, and Azelle processes it with the deftness of some one familiar to combat. There's only one thing for it all, now, after all.
“Right!” he replies. “The only way out is through!”
So he raises his sword.
Azelle 6/6HP hits L’arachel 6/6HP with Wrath Strike Iron Sword. [ Roll: 2+4=6, -1.5HP; L’Arachel 4.5HP ]
Azelle lets out a cry as he brings his sword across the green-haired woman's body; aiming for a blunt blow in her side - it will bruise, but it's a solid hit regardless. His foot nearly slips in the mud, but despite that momentary loss of control, the blow is clean.
“Just because you've taken out Tine doesn't mean we'll let you go easy. If anything, I'll make you pay for ganging up on her!”
@justicefanged
It feels good to have everything he's used to fighting with on hand -- sword, axe, shield -- but hell, this shield really is a fuckass thing to lug! It's a bit of a hassle, and he hates bringing up the rear of the pack in any sort of fight, but he does feels utterly confident having all his tools for once.
He sees a cluster people getting into it, two of them bearing the colors of the Golden Deer, and knows where he's gotta move.
By the time he actually reaches them, however, the two young women had completely whipped one of their opponents and had her limping off the field. One down, two to go -- and it looked like they were both mages. "Well, shit, y'all started havin' fun without me! C'mon, let's show these Lions why they gotta FEAR. THE. DEER!"
Linus 5/5HP rotates the Golden Deers to the right. -- Morgan Azelle L’arachel Linus Cynthia
"I didn't get to catch much of it but were you really fighting against someone wielding a load of bread? Did they really think they stood a chance against you of all people with that?" She isn't sure if she should be horrified at the thought that someone might think that was enough or impressed that they were so confident with their own skill that they thought it could work. Maybe a little of both. "Glad to see you made it through the first round. Maybe we'll get to face off against each other in the next."
There's a desire to inch a little closer to him but she refrains. They are on opposing teams, after all. She wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea of where her loyalties lie right now. Her eyes do glint with a hint of playfulness though as an idea pops into her head.
"Do you want to make a game out of it? If my house fares better than yours overall, you have to clean Peaches's stall for the next week. Are you in?"
Linus snickered, mussing a hand through sweat-damp hair as the two caught up in the brief downtime. "Yeah, I didn't realize it 'til halfway through, but that kid was whackin' folks with honest to Saints bread! I'll give him points for creativity, I guess -- and hey, he was an annoying li'l bastard to try an' pin down!"
He wondered where the kid had gone off to. He feels like he should have seen him in one of the med tents, but eh, it's not like he was about to snoop around where the healers were.
"I know! Feels fuckin' good to not get knocked out in the first go around!" He always seemed to get too overeager in these fights, and he'd get knocked out of them faster than he could complain about. "Bet you got through without a scratch, huh? Beat the shit outta whoever stood in your way!"
He grins wolfishly at that, snapping the fingers of his right hand before pointing at her, "If it don't happen this time, we'll just have to do it ourselves after. See who's top dog."
They hadn't really gone up against each other since that cage match, after all. It'd been way too long!
"Ooooh, bettin' now, are we? Ya know I ain't a coward, you're on! My deer will stomp your lions! And when I win," he leans in, teeth sharp as he smirks, eager for the challenge, "You'll have to help me come up with lesson plans for the next month. FEAR THE DEER! FEAR THE DEER!"