isleofavalon | 🌸凶 ahead on our way

Entry tags:

🌸凶 ahead on our way

🧙 WHO: Cloud Strife & You!
⚔️️ WHAT: March Catch-All
🕒 WHEN: Early to Mid-March (Unless stated otherwise!)
🗺️ WHERE: Around Camelot
⚠️ WARNINGS: None! Fighting in one prompt maybe?

Take All Comers • Camelot Training Grounds

[ The sound of steel ringing through the field is synonymous with the open grounds where knights and warriors of all walks can hone their skills. From archery ranges, to a multitude of dummies ripe for testing weaponry on, to the designated circles that make for a battle ring, there's a place for everyone. Considering the myriad of dangers that can arise, those that enter these grounds and agree to duel are generally bound by the honor of sparring. Improvement didn't come to those with nary a bruise, after all.

Speaking of which... ]

Hmmph—!!

[ "Gah!!"

It wasn't uncommon for small gatherings to come and observe when two fighters would challenge the other. So those in attendance were just in time to observe as the latest knight decked out in full armor was sent barreling over himself backwards. A hard indent is left in the man's chest plate where they were struck. Some recognized the other man, with spiky-blond hair and wielding a sizable claymore that favors a single edge. While uncommon, it wasn't like there weren't other swordsmen that once carried around such large weapons. But it had a tendency to slow them down in battle in exchange for the raw crushing and cutting power.

For Cloud Strife? That wasn't so much noticeable. Instead, whilst he still holds the weapon with two hands still, he swings it like it were a larger broadsword. When he first arrived here, his own weapons were too unwieldy... Given time to adjust (and build up a bit more natural muscle), and he saw himself fighting far above his weight class for the blade he wielded. It ain't the Buster Sword or the Fusion Sword...but, it still serves him well enough. The downed knight groans as he struggles to sit upright as onlookers clap at the display.

Sheathing his weapon to his back, Cloud wastes little time in closing the distance between himself and his former opponent, extending his hand with a calm, confident expression. ]

Not bad.

[ "... Hahah, that's rich." But the man accepts the blond's help anyways, getting hoisted to his feet with a limp. "Coming from the lad that came in here drawing lines in the dirt with those things."

Cloud finally breaks his lined expression, faintly smirking. It's true. When he first arrived, he stubbornly attempted to continue using the Fusion Sword, be it dual-wielding it or trying the larger set. But it was too heavy and unwieldy for him now. He could, but he wouldn't last long in a fight when it counted. In due time, he got stronger and swapped the weapon out for something simpler for now. But that simple blade, combined with his Elemental Magic, helped him adapt to a new style for this world.

And to show it? Well...that dent in the man's armor wasn't directly from the steel breaking through. Cloud was finally getting the hang of infusing magic through his sword. Getting hammered by a wind blade packed a wallop. Conceding his defeat, the knight retires for the day, leaving Cloud standing tall. But still not exhausted. He can keep going! And so... ]

Anyone else?

No Work All Play! • Hop Skip and a Jump

[ Spring is in the air. The Equinox is coming! And there are a myriad of festival activities to help ring in a new year of blooming opportunities. Everything from Barrel Rolling races, to Brewing, and now as the blond minds his business through the crowds of people, the bigger crowds gathering around for the magically explosive event that is Hopscotch! At first, he simply watched with curiosity as holes opened up on different spots.

Then someone decided to cast Dark Magic on the opponent and suddenly they were moving waaay more sluggish. Clearly they don't mess around. But he stands out just a little too much, apparently. It's enough that locals attempt goading the young swordsman into participating. It's kids stuff.

"Not interested." he said before his pathway was cut off by people wooing and encouraging him to go on! Some heard about Cloud! That farmboy who suddenly appeared, carrying a large sword and eventually making a name for himself at the training grounds. He really should have been able to excuse himself and get a move on. But like all other shenanigans that have unfolded in his life...one way or another... ]

Just a hop and a skip...right?

[ Cloud finds himself at the start on his side. Whether it's the crowd that nudged him alongside a random opponent...or maybe your character is the one who managed to goad him into it somehow! His footwork and Elemental Magic are all he's got in this little impromptu showdown. He never even played this kinda game back in Nibelheim...

Hell with it. Bring it on. ]

Flower Shopping • City of Camelot

[ Even if the farmland that he lives on with Weiss was mostly taken care of by their landlord, that didn't stop Cloud from attempting to keep some of his green thumb intact. On Gaia, he mostly watched over the flowers in the old ruins of the Sector 5 Church. It wasn't until he was whisked away to Prismatica that he took more time to actually tending to them in his own apartment. Sure enough, he would rotate the types he'd have in a vase on his table.

Now with the both a new season and the Equinox upon them, it only makes sense that the house gets a new lively batch of flowers blooming. Weiss had been wanting to learn how to garden more, so he really didn't mind taking a backseat to her giving it a try. In fact, that's exactly why he's in town today! ]

How much for these lily seeds? [ He asks the merchant.

Elaine, the elderly farmlady that took the two in, tasked him with a list of things to pick up. It was easy when he was given the money for it... But now he had to make sure he didn't overspend. She'd told him to just pick and choose what he felt was right.

Today, you can find him outside various flower stalls, carrying around a little paper bag that's got some packets of seeds in it. ]

Wildcard

( ooc; This prompt is for anything you wanna play out that's not above! Need something more slice of life? Got something with action in mind? Maybe something from the event or other TDM prompts that you wanna try out? Go ahead and ping me either at my journal here, Discord (Kuraudo@0214) or PM me on Plurk at Clandon. As an aside, I'll have an event top level for the Spring Equinox up in a little while when that log goes live!

Laters! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The mention of magic gets a small downward twitch of Lightning's lip. She has magic, but implementing it into battle? She can hardly get a healing or shield spell to properly go off when there's nothing else going on, and while neither of those things can hurt anyone should they go amiss, is it a risk she's willing to take anyway? In the name of keeping things interesting and equal?

She'll have to play that by ear.

Lightning makes no mention of it, and nods in agreement instead, her confidence easily masking doubt.]

Sounds good to me. [A short stretch and a roll of her shoulders, and she calls her moogle over.] Count us down? Don't wanna jump the gun.

[~~Ha ha, get it? Because she has a gun. She thinks she's hilarious.~~

Mogsby is thrilled to be part of it—he hasn't seen her fight against anyone in the training grounds yet—so he flits over to the ring and lowers himself into its center.]

"Roger that, kupo! On three?" [A glance to Cloud, to Lightning, and then a nod.] "One... two... three... fight!"

[And she wastes no time getting the show started. Lightning kicks off the ground and dashes forward, faster than Mogsby can get out of their way. In a panic, he stumbles through the air to make an escape, but she catches him with an elbow just as he's leaving her projected path, sending him reeling towards the crowd. Thankfully, someone catches him...!

As for the two of them still in the ring, Lightning's movements are swift, but she makes sure they're easily predicted. Rather than swing her sword in an arc in front of her when she reaches him, she sidesteps, intending to blindside him from the back. She can sense that, in comparison to Cloud, she isn't as physically strong, so she'll need to use her speed to her advantage instead.]

( ooc: figure we can keep the fight itself pretty short! I'm intending to have Lightning attempt magic and have it backfire on her at some point, so we can either end it on equal footing, or Cloud can use that to his advantage! 😎 )

[ Though he says nothing of it, the light nuance in her expression doesn't go unnoticed. For all intents and purposes, he's not going to say anything about it unless she does. Thankfully, it doesn't come to that and she agrees to his terms.

Seems without saying a word, Cloud intends to play it by ear too. Magic is a finite pool with him. So he'll just have to be selective in how he uses it.

~~No need to go into Ravager mode if it's just gonna be some Commando-on-Commando action.~~

As she takes a short stretch, he'll settle for a couple squats to get the blood pumping again. Only fleetingly distracted at the sight of the little Moogle fluttering down to count the two down, Cloud's focus returns to Lightning as he sees her fully prepared. His own fighting stance is reminiscent of the Buster style, having foregone the use of his Fusion Sword thanks to its complicated weight. Digging his back heel in, he tenses up as Lightning kicks off the ground and bursts forth to meet Cloud, who rushes forth in kind. ]

— — —

[ On the sidelines where Mogsby was thankfully caught by an onlooker after getting ~~yeeted~~ knocked out of the way, he'll soon be accompanied by the feathery companion of Cloud's. Flapping its tiny little wings, the Chocobo Chick peers at Mogsby with curious eyes before pecking gently at his cheek.

"Wark?" That's...probably Chocobo for "You okay?" ]

— — —

Hmm—!

[ Fast as he is for swinging a sword that big, he's still not fast enough to turn around in time to meet her face to face. With some swift maneuvering, he lifts his claymore up, tilting the blade down his side as his arms cross, narrowly succeeding in blocking the swift strike from Lightning's sword. Even if he's physically stronger, there's still pressure and intent behind her attacks, something he needs to answer in kind as he pushes back. Shuffling his feet now that he's blocked the blow, steel ringing from the impact, he repositions himself to face her, still holding the block before he attempts to forcefully shove her off balance. ]

( ooc; I'm game for that! Also okay with playing the short fight by ear till we reach a stalemate or Cloud's win. Just kick his ass next time. o7 )

[His attempt almost works.

Lightning has to dig her heel into the dirt when she feels him pushing back, and she's both surprised and thrilled that he'd managed to block the attack at all, with the only show of that being the amused smile she flashes him between their blades before she uses his own firm grip on the ground to push herself back. She doesn't go far, and while she gives the audience a moment to gasp and clap at the two of them for the exhilarating start, she returns to the fray quick enough.

She brings her sword up, but her body remains crouched low, and the swing of her sword is a trick maneuver she hopes will distract him enough—her real focus is a swift kick to his ankles and, if that lands, an elbow to the back of his knee, in her own attempt to get him to the ground.

Five seconds is all she needs.]

[ The audience clapping and murmuring amongst themselves doesn't even register in his thoughts. Even if he doesn't smile back at Lightning in the moment, there's a terse hum of approval that tells him they're ready to keep going at this rate. Not planning to give her another inch when she pushes herself back safely, he's already taking those demanding stomps forward to try and pressure her again. He anticipates and expects Lightning to match him again, but he's not quick enough. A minor overestimation of his own ~~nerfed~~ speed, and he not only does the horizontal swing of his claymore miss her sword, but he's feigned out for it.

Not that he's against grappling and kicking in a swordfight (use what you've got), but she's a practiced fighter. The kick to his ankles lands true. Hard as she lands, it's less about the pain for him and her successfully getting him off balance. Gritting his teeth, her combo works as he's driven to one knee from the elbow.

Five seconds. If he were still thinking two steps ahead anticipating her, he would have already set himself up for failure. Faced with a completely new fighting style, Cloud has to return to instinct to get himself back up. He doubts she'll let him get up so easily though. Lightning needs him down for five seconds?

He settles for two. Steeling the throbbing from getting kicked in the ankles, he puts his weight on the good knee she didn't elbow, leaning his body forward as he pushes himself up and away from the former soldier. Spinning midair as he rights himself, he feels his knee wobble as he reasserts the grip on his sword.

His stance changes again, slowing down the pace as he prepares for her next strike. This time, however, the wind begins to pick up subtly. If he can help it, he's not going to let himself be caught off guard by that feint a second time. ]

[One, two—and he's up again. Damn. She was so sure in those two seconds that she had gotten him, and she's a little unprepared for when he's back up, pushing himself away and granting the two of them some distance again. She stumbles back a step before she straightens to mirror his stance, bringing her sword up to eye level, staring down its side while she surveys him and their surroundings, calculating her next move in her head.

The wind picks up, but it's not so obvious that she takes note of it, besides the gentle breeze that flutters her hair into her line of sight. The audience is silent, waiting with bated breath to see what the two ex-soldiers will do now that they're back on equal ground. ~~It looks like a scene straight out of a Western, except they have swords instead of pistols.~~]

Not bad.

[Gotta give credit where it's due. He's giving her a run for her money.

Anyway!

Lightning figures that he'd expect another feint from her, which is why her next maneuver is made to be a more ~~showy~~ obvious one. She zig-zags across the ring, sword brought to her side, but rather than run at him at full speed, she leaps up high, spins, and hurtles towards the ground blade first. It's a riskier move, given what little space they have to work with in comparison to what she's used to, but she has to keep up somehow. She has no doubt that his sword could cut through the Blazefire Saber with the right amount of power put behind it, and that it wouldn't hold up to something that size, so no better time to improvise than the present. If only she still had her anti-gravity device...

Meanwhile, back in the stands, Mogsby leaps up from the knight's arms and pats the chocobo chick to make sure it's looking. "I didn't know she could do that, kupo! What's he gonna do!?"]

[ She's experienced. And not just in the traditional "been in a lot of swordfights" kind of way. Calculating the best approach. Exploiting the finest of weak points to bolster her advantage. The only thing he knows about her is that she's a gunblade wielder, and that she probably has similar creatures to his world. Call it a hunch, but...he has a feeling while he inherited his skills from the legacy he carries on his shoulders...

Lightning then... Hm. ]

...

[ Every time the warrior rushed across the ring, deking the blond's sense of direction and where she'd intend to strike, his own stance falters very little. Rather than attempt to stare down his own blade's length and risk setting himself off balance, this time his eyes are what follow her. Only the slightest shift of his backfoot signifies his position moving a smidgeon. All the while, amidst the buildup, wind billows, catching the stray ends of his belts and the flowing cape across his leg. Beneath those gloved hands, his knuckles render white as he grips the broadsword tight. ]

(Come on... Come on, where're you going...)

[ "Kweh~!!" Flapping its itty-bitty wings, it calls out to its master as Lightning finally reveals her hand. Spectators gawk at the grandiose albeit lethal-looking attempt to strike from above. He can't just attempt to swing it away! She's already hinted at the prowess of her hand-to-hand combat and all smacking Blazefire Saber aside would do is just leave him open ~~to a Snow face punch~~ if her trajectory doesn't change. The girl behind the sword is just as lethal. Cloud has to get out of the way...! ]

...

[ Then, ]

[ Why wasn't he moving? ]

There.

[ He sees it. At the last possible second, he doesn't swing or step out of the way. Instead, he holds on tight to the handle, lifting the blade and tilting it down his side. The shock from the impact is dulled by the fact both Blazefire Saber (and Lightning) are forced to slide down the deflecting length of his sword, straight to the ground. That's when Cloud finally reveals his hand. It's a counter, the wind downright howling as it encircles the two. He's channeling air magic through his sword, the weapon taking on a soft glow as he winds back. ]

HYAH—!!

[ Spending his built-up mana, Cloud releases it in a single go as he aims to deliver what can only be described as a~~n anime as hell~~ golf swing. Whether he makes impact and blows Lightning away or not, he's already switched the side his blade would hit with. No sharp and point bits for his sparring partner today. Just an attempted blunt smash. ]

[Lightning sees it in the split second it takes for him to wind up the swing—the sight of magic makes her eyes go wide, and she braces for impact. She's able to block the swipe of the sword just fine, and steel rings loud in her ears when they collide again. She can feel the impact in her arms and feet, and she tries to push back, but it's the wind that catches her completely off guard.

In the moment when she's sent reeling back, her reflexes kick in, and a barrier spell goes off. It's hard to tell in the heat of battle whether it was intentional on her part—not even she knows—because even she seems surprised when a shield appears around her. It doesn't protect her from anything, but instead, it shatters into a burst of what she can only assume is more magic before her feet can even touch the ground and shoots her backwards so fast that she only barely breaks her fall with a tumble.

Dust finds its way into her eyes and her lungs, and when it all settles, she's on her knees, her hair disheveled and covered in dirt.]

"—three, four..."

[Ah. Right. The five seconds. She laughs to herself under her breath.]

Damn it.

"Five!"

[ He could press the agenda. Charge forward once the miniature dust tornado he's whipped up subsides. But instead, as Lightning hits the ground with a dulled tumble, he stands there, as if watching her patiently to see how she'd react. But the damage has been done. Kneeling, hair becoming unkempt... He's been there before. Many, many times. Yet every time he comes out of a conflict the victor or loser, there's a burning curiosity within that goes unsated. What would have happened if they were both at full strength?

In the burst of magic that ensued, he could hardly register the flicker of a barrier that Lightning put up. But what he can remember, is how crystalline the sound of steel ringing was when she actually managed to block him. That's the part that impressed him the most. He didn't even need to switch the blade to the blunt side. Even when put on the backburner, she still found a way to regain some semblance of control.

So when it's all said and done, and Mogsby counts his master down to five, the audience remains in awe, clapping and talking amongst themselves. The younger would-be squires are beside themselves, talking about how strong Cloud and Lightning are. They want to be just like them when they get older! ~~Where can they find claymores and gunblades? MOM? DAD? THE MUST KNOW.~~

The true reason Cloud didn't attempt to rush her down - to even attempt holding her to the tip of his larger sword, was because he was having a difficult time even holding his weapon after that magic burst. His fingers are trembling, but he steels himself, flexing and getting a grip before he flourishes his blade with a practiced victory fanfare. Sighing with relief as he puts the sword to rest on his back, he finally moves to close what little distance remains between them.

Now, a younger, cockier Ex-SOLDIER boy might have offhandedly told her that she put up a decent fight. But instead, while he's not smiling, his expression softens now that the spar is over, offering a hand should she want it. He won't be offended if she gets back up on her own though. ]

Wasn't expecting you to block that one.

[Give her a moment, but Lightning will take the offered hand in a firm grip despite her condition, and she uses it to anchor herself back to her feet. Clouds of dust fall from her hair when she gives it a shake, and again when she brushes her uniform off. Damn, she'd really taken a tumble.]

Wasn't expecting you to make a blow like that.

[Pun intended.

While his magic was impressive to say the least, hers left plenty to be desired. She still isn't completely sure what happened there, besides a barrier backfiring on her and costing her what could have been her victory—not that she's counting. She's practiced some in the couple of weeks she's had up until now, but that isn't enough when you're up against someone as skilled and experienced in both combat and magic as him. It isn't like l'Cie magic... It feels different, like the fal'Cie had imprinted all of the skill when they were branded. This magic is not as easy to pick up and master in a day, and she's learning that the hard way.

With her upright now, Mogsby flits over with her sword dragging under him, and she takes a moment to pause and look it over for any damage it might have taken from the block. Nothing so far, so she folds it up and slides it away.]

Either the training programs here are better than I thought, or you've done this before.

[ Even her grip is sound and full of resolve. Steady on his feet, he takes a step back once she's back to hers. If the Healing Materia that came with him still worked, he would have patched the l'Cie up with a soothing 'Regen' spell. For now, they'd just to count on someone being on the premises or a fellow otherworlder. At first, he's taken by surprise with her pun; if he hadn't been through the journey in Prismatica before this? That pun would have either gone over his head or he wouldn't have thought anything of it.

Instead, however, it's acknowledged with a dry but well meaning, ]

Ha. Ha.

[ For the time being, the Chocobo Chick seemingly disappears, having flapped its little wings with glee that its master won. At some point, it'll come back around when Cloud least expects it. Peering at Lightning's weapon as she assesses for damages, he thinks nothing more of it once she's slid it away. That's good... That doesn't look like an ordinary sword. Did it come with her when she arrived? He's had to forego the Fusion Sword when his power waned. Sooner or later, he'll find a way to wield it properly again... In the meantime? The makeshift (and slightly smaller) Buster Sword would have to do. ]

I've been here for a couple months. [ He shrugs like it's no big deal, before deciding to elaborate, ] Dealt with magic back home before though.

[ With a hand on his hip, that's when his mako-infused gaze fixes on Mogsby. ]

'Kupo'... [ If it weren't for its familiar appearance, he heard the thing earlier. He's tempted to ask if that's a moogle, but it feels rhetorical at this point. Bringing his attention back to Lightning, the crowd is starting to disperse now that the short yet explosive fight has concluded. ]

I'm Cloud.

[ Got a name? ~~They kinda got things backwards. But that's okay they got to introductions, soldier style.~~ ]

[Mogsby, excited by the acknowledgement, shrieks an enthusiastic "kupo!" right back at him and, for a moment, Lightning wonders if he's part of that group that knows about Moogles. Another resident of Eorzea, maybe?]

Lightning.

[Truly a captivating introduction.

She turns to face him full on now, hand on her hip, casual as ever, as if they'd just been standing here talking all this time.]

I meant the other stuff. You put up a pretty good fight even without the magic.

[Not to mention the way that he carries himself. It reminds Lighting a lot of... herself, but she'll never, ever admit to that out loud. It goes without saying, really.]

[ Like looking in a mirror... The two even have a similar casual stance. Not that Cloud himself takes note of it. How she carries herself though...does feel familiar. Perhaps in the same way that Lightning was feeling on the inside. ]

Ah- I got tons of experience. [ A beat. That's all it takes for him to decide whether he should tell a half-truth or not. ] Used to be in the military.

[ But now it's his turn to eye her up and down, until his once mako-infused gaze is back to her. ]

As for you...you don't waste a single step.

[Used to... So, either he still was when he came here, or he left a long time before that. At this point, it doesn't really matter because that's enough of an answer for her and it all makes perfect sense now—any more than that isn't really her business to prod into.]

Yeah. Military training'll do that.

[The Knight who'd been holding her water bottle rushes up to return it to her, and she takes a short swig of it before dropping it into the pocket of her coat, and she gestures to the benches nearby where her belongings are. Walk with her!

There's a sense of gravity filtering into her words that lowers her voice and puts some extra weight into her steps. The Guardian Corps were not the worst of them by a longshot, but they still did things that left a sour taste in her mouth. They may have been labeled as peacekeepers, but the Corps fell under the same umbrella as PSICOM, and in turn, the Sanctum. No thanks.]

But it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

[ Perhaps it'll come up another time, or come to light amidst their current conversation. As Lightning takes a short swig from her water bottle (note to self, bring one...), his Chocobo familiar drops down on his shoulder, peeping at him in congratulations before poofing out of sight. They always come and go as they please unless called for... With his attention now entirely occupied by the pink-haired l'Cie, he follows a short distance behind her towards the benches.

At first, he keeps behind her when she mentions how the military wasn't all it was cracked up to be. That's enough to draw his curious gaze, silently musing what she could mean. Yet, somehow...he has a feeling, without even prodding. To her words, a distant voice echoes in the back of his mind.

"SOLDIER is like a den of monsters. Don't go inside."

Shaking his head dismissively, he picks up the pace. It only takes a second for him to be side-by-side with her as they walk, this time as he looks over. The timbre of his voice hasn't changed much from the time they started talking, but he's reflected well enough on her own admittance to chime in. ]

Funny. [ A beat. ] That's why I left.

[ That's...technically true - even if it means glossing over the gruesome facts of a certain incident in the mountains. The rabbit hole goes deep, but he's not really thinking of dropping that kind of bomb on his impromptu sparring partner. After that, he's quiet for another fleeting moment, studying Lightning's face from a side glance. A terse, albeit soft and thoughtful hum before adding, ]

Better that we take what we got out of it for what's ahead.

[She scoffs, and although there's a thick layer of bitterness on top of it, there's a note of agreement in there, too. A sense of understanding that few she's met will ever get. Whether it was corruption or reality straying too far from expectations that prompted them to leave, it's a hard feeling for her to really put into words, so she doesn't.]

Yeah. At least we both got something out of it.

[For her, it was more than just combat, strength, and endurance training. It was an eye-opening experience...

With a heavy sigh, relieving the tension she's been holding in her shoulders, she throws her things (mainly just her water bottle) into her bag and zips it up. Her lips turn up into half a smile, and her voice is a touch brighter now as she forcefully steers the subject somewhere light.]

Think these knights could learn a lot from us ex-soldiers... First step is losing the ridiculous armour.

[ Some might have taken that bitter scoff as a reason to worry, or apologize for maybe touching on some unseen nerve, Cloud accepts all of it. There's nary a word, a firm glance as his deeper blue eyes study her own from her side. In the same vein that he wasn't about to divulge the trials that lead him here, he decides that he'll leave her own journey to herself. So when there's a lift to her tone as she drops her belongings into her bag, he's just as content in moving on. He didn't have a water bottle of his own yet (get on that, smh), so ultimately no bag. Frankly, he'll just wash his face and eventually head back for the farm.

The benefits of not living in the heart of the city is that he found himself closer out towards these training grounds. With a strained sigh as he stretches his arms over his head, hand on his wrist, he can't help returning that half smile. ]

And they called me nuts for mine.

[ Huh! Left shoulder pauldron buddies. He rolls said shoulder. ]

[Lightning's eyes widen, feigning surprise, as she eyes the pauldron on his shoulder.

That's what they consider nuts!? It has a purpose! Anyone who thinks it's weird just doesn't know the ins and outs of fighting, okay. It protects the left shoulder while you carry your weapon on the right!? Hello!?]

Wow. [Her voice is dripping with sarcasm, but her smile is audible.] How'd you ever manage to fight with that massive thing?

[It's hardly anything at all compared to what the others are wearing.

She reaches up to knock her knuckles against her own.]

At least mine's got lights.

[ Somebody. Who. Understands. 😭 ]

[ As she raps her knuckles on her pauldron, she's given something rather rare from the likes of Cloud. Smiling comes easier to him these days. But that soft shake of his shoulders as he stifles a laugh?

There's the accomplishment. ]

Now that's 1st Class.

[ Lightning can have her ~~LED~~ lights. He concedes. ]

[Lightning seems pleased with herself, and she snorts quietly, disguising it under a breath.]

Work hard and maybe we can get you one with lights sometime.

[She had almost made it to the orange stripes once upon a time. A promotion was in her future, if she hadn't left and burned that bridge down in the process. It's fine, at least she got to keep it.]

Blue stripes, maybe.

[She kids, of course. His pauldron is fine without the flashy lights.]

[ Almost mirroring her own suppressed snort, the little banter did good in putting him in an even better mood. He won't get sentimental on someone he just met, but fair is fair. However this world decides to toss obstacles at them? He knows that he'll do his part to have her back if their goals align. ]

Thanks for steppin' up, Lightning.

[She gives him a firm, appreciative nod.]

You ever need an even match, just shout.

[She'll be there in a jiffy if that call ever came. It was a good time, even if she did get her ass handed to her! It's not every day she comes across someone who can hold their own against her like that!

With no other words needed, so she turns on her heel and makes for the door. Time to go get cleaned up, maybe grab a bite to eat. Mull over what she can do better next time... And with a single wave of her hand over her shoulder, she's gone.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

🌸凶 ahead on our way

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

wrapping!! 🎀🎀