Pandaemonium
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Post by Limen on Jul 14, 2016 19:55:29 GMT -7
This was the first time in two years that Limen had a place with a roof she could consistently sleep in without fear of being yelled at for trespassing or attacked by people who didn’t like her or want her there. She never knew when such a thing might happen, and so she had become both a light sleeper and accustomed to sleeping with a weapon. The one solace was that Limen only needed about three hours of sleep every night, usually from about eleven to two in the morning if all was going well, and so only had to make sure she wasn’t going to be found for that period of time. Since she’d taken to sleeping at the dojo, much of those worries had vanished. She’d picked a small room in one of the edges of the dojo, one that didn’t look like it was being used for anything else, to dump her initial store of gears. Since then she’d been slowly bringing stuff to it; first aid supplies, food and useful items for travel, a laptop and a backup laptop, growing it into what she could properly call one of her caches. The items were neatly set up in one of the corners. They didn’t take up much space - much less than one would expect - but it felt weird to have her stuff just out in the open. She’d wondered if Gil would let her store the stuff under the floorboards of the room. She didn’t think it was very likely he would. The majority of the used floorspace went to the bed mat Limen had gotten for herself, and the blankets that, at the beginning of the night, had been on the mat but now were properly scattered about the floor. Limen herself was equally sprawled. Pleased to not have to sleep with her standard equipment, she’d ended up on her back, her right arm straight out to the side, her left was at a ninety-degree angle by her face. The black sleeveless shirt she’d nominated to wear tonight was pulled halfway up her stomach. Her long down hair had created a thin fan around her. The one blanket she hadn’t kicked off in the night covered only the right half of her body, leaving the old but deep claw-like scar on her left shoulder and upper arm visible among the many smaller remains of past burns and injuries. Though under the blanket, the final strike Gil had dealt to her in the theater had joined her collection in the form of a patch of white where it’d finally healed. Limen had always preferred sleeping in the mountains to in the city. It was unfailingly more quiet. Valkyrie |
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Post by Valkyrie on Jul 14, 2016 21:04:03 GMT -7
The night was as clear and still as Valkyrie expected as she entered the dojo grounds. The wall was no match for the disciple, who entered it with the ease of one who knew it as well as they knew themselves. Her footsteps were silent, or nearly so, noting that the floor still had some of the same creaks as it had the last time she was here. More importantly, her room was exactly where it had been last time. As it should be, if Gilgamesh wanted anything to go right while she was around.
Most importantly of all, however, was the girl sleeping in the room furthest from the entrance. In a small room that was as comfortable as the rest of the place lay what Valkyrie assumed was the girl her rival had mentioned. She slumbered easily enough it seemed, and while there was no place for her to hide with great ease, Valkyrie was able to do so on her own for the moment. She watched, wondering what it was about this girl that had made the softie take her in, claim she was his disciple, of all things. Ridiculous.
'Awww, she's sleeping so soundly.' Her lips twitched at the thought as Valkyrie drew a blade, aiming for the girl's head as she stood in the doorway.
Ka-THUNK! The metal thudded with the solid throw, blade shuddering as it landed where Valkyrie willed it - embedded in the floorboard right next to the girl's face.
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Pandaemonium
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Post by Limen on Jul 14, 2016 21:55:01 GMT -7
Even if she no longer slept with a weapon (on her person, at least), Limen was still a light sleeper. The solid thunk beside her ear was more than enough to snap her out of her rest. However, if she had awoken, there were few outward signs. Her eyes remained closed and her body all but motionless. Only the index finger of her left hand, uncomfortably close to the resting place of the blade, twitched. All was otherwise as it had been before.
Feining sleep was not a skill Limen had thought she would develop, and it was one she didn’t often use. There were few instances when it was necessary, but when it was, there was no substitute for a bit of fake sleep.
What was Gil up to? What a strange thing to do, throw a knife at her in her sleep. She knew he liked to drag her into strange activities. Perhaps he was testing her reaction to surprise attacks. “Always be ready” or something like that.
She would wait, be it for his next strike or a snide comment about her inability to wake up in the face of danger. Her ears were tuned to the silent air, listening in case the next blade was meant to hit.
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Post by Valkyrie on Jul 14, 2016 22:11:12 GMT -7
Nothing. Literally only the slightest of twitches as the blade sunk into the floor and nothing more. That was disappointing. You'd have thought Gil would be a better teacher than that, or was this bedraggled thing so new that nothing had been taught? She rather hoped not. That could be fun, sure, but dealing with Gilgamesh's bitch fit in the morning? Less so. Maybe.
MMm, teenage girls. To go with silence, or snide comment?
It's not exactly a dilemma.
The room is silent as she pulls three different knives out, tossing the first one at the girl's exposed leg in friendly warning to either move or wake up, whichever it was going to be. The others would follow if the brunette didn't move quickly enough.
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Pandaemonium
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Post by Limen on Jul 14, 2016 22:49:17 GMT -7
Arrow or dagger, the sound of a projectile flying through the air was a familiar one to Limen. In a single movement, her eyes snapped open, her hand wrapped around the hilt of the dagger, and she pulled her knees defensively up to her chest. With the next, she wrenched the blade from the wood, pulling it before her body, and she lept smoothly from her back to a crouch. The second knife harmlessly struck wood where her leg had previously been.
She was almost disappointed. No pride-filled comment alluding to how much better he was than her? A grin spread across her face as she looked up, preparing a response of her own-
Limen was taken aback. “You’re not Gil.” Her smile faltered, only to be rekindled a moment later as she tossed the blade into her dominant right hand. Was she an intruder? Burglar? No, burglars didn’t attack residents with knives. Assassin was more likely. Why she’d be after her, Occam’s Razor gave one answer.
Aw, wasn’t Gil kind. He’d found her a sparring partner.
She was in the doorway. Limen’s eyes flicked to her bow, leaned against her pile. There was the door and a single window as exits in the room, unless she wanted to make her own (though she figured Gil would appreciate that about as much as her pulling up the floorboards).
Still in her crotch, knife held in front of her chest for defense, she watched the unfamiliar girl. With her speed and skill still unknown, that was the safest option.
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Post by Valkyrie on Jul 14, 2016 23:16:32 GMT -7
"Oh good, the stray knows more than how to play dead." Valkyrie's sneer matched her snide remark, though obviously it wasn't Gilgamesh. Maybe there would be something to this kid, after all. At least, something that would make it clear why he'd chosen to have a "disciple." The idea was still laughable.
"God no. Have you seen how he is in the morning?" She still had two other knives held at the ready in her hand, but she seemed to be watching as much as she was being watched, herself. She saw the girl's gaze go towards the bow in the corner, but not dive for it. There would be no letting her reach that bow.
"Kind of mangy, though."
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Pandaemonium
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Post by Limen on Jul 16, 2016 18:53:15 GMT -7
Limen gave the unknown girl a chuckle at her nomenclaturing of ‘stray’ and the further classification of ‘mangy’. Not inaccurate, that.
With no move made on the other’s part, the turn was passed back to her. Limen was still hesitant to make the first strike. Some said that’s how you win a fight; strike first, but in Limen’s experience, that’s how you ended up knocked out on the ground.
“So, what might your name be, Midnight Raven? And what brings you to my humble chamber?”
She remained motionless, pondering her next move and giving Raven time to respond if she so wished. Her gaze was locked on the girl and her daggers. If only she wasn’t in front of the door. There was still the window, but trying a fight in the forest without a weapon did not seem like a path to success, even if she had already pretty well scouted out the surrounding area.
She pondered what it would take to get past the woman, into another area of the dojo where she could pick up a weapon. Hard, probably. What she needed was something from her pile. A weapon of any kind; she had several, just a little more than an arm’s reach away.
She moved suddenly and without warning. One moment as motionless as an archer in aim, the next she dove, keeping low to the ground as she reached for what was no more than a meter away from her. However, instead of going for her bow, Limen grasped for what was set about six inches next to it; her quiver.
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Post by Valkyrie on Jul 16, 2016 19:20:39 GMT -7
So the girl didn't upset easily. Good. This would become boring pretty quickly if she didn't prove some sort of challenge. Another nickname and witty banter? She smirked, shifting one foot forward as the girl talked. There was a time for banter, and a time for making use of the time someone else's banter gave you. Maybe she wouldn't tear up the other disciple too bad on the first night - perhaps it was the nostalgia of the place that was making her feel a little friendly - but she figured the brunette could use a quick lesson. Literally.
The moment the girl moved, so did Valkyrie. The blonde was fast, unnaturally so, and she was little more than a blur as she launched herself at Limen. What she reached for didn't matter; Valkyrie's hand shot out and gripped Limen's elbow in its grasp, thumb digging into the pressure point on the inside of her elbow while her fingers supported the grip from the other side as she pushed down hard enough to cause considerable pain, lest the girl have some maneuver to prevent it from happening.
"Call me Valkyrie."
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Pandaemonium
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Post by Limen on Jul 17, 2016 8:18:57 GMT -7
Limen suppressed a yell through clenched teeth as pain shot through her arm. She had been correct to be cautious of the girl’s speed; she’d hardly seen her coming. Her skill was unmistakable as well. Given the point she’d hit (and that she was only using her thumb), strength was hard to gauge.
It hurt, that much was pretty clear.
Before the woman had a chance to speak, Limen had reached forward with her empty left hand for the quiver her right hadn’t quite made it to. She drew an arrow out in the instant it would take her to draw it and string it on her bow. Shaft near the tip set firmly between her index, middle, and thumb, she made to jab it hard into the soft spot just below the wrist, on the underside of the arm. She could dig it pretty deep into the arm of a normal person and she was not afraid to do a number to the arm grabbing her own. And then it would release a bust of electricity, about equal to that of a police taser.
“Val, then.” Limen said through her teeth, grinning despite the pain. If Val gave any leeway in her grasp, she would attempt to pull herself free.
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Post by Valkyrie on Jul 17, 2016 8:49:24 GMT -7
With the girl's cry of pain, Valkyrie didn't waste time. She was already bringing a fist to the girl's face when she felt the sharp stab of metal press against her skin. As Limen might have expected, her skin was tougher than that of a normal person, but not as much as Gil's was. And she was just as vulnerable to the shock of electricity that came a moment later. She lets go with a sharp, startled cry and a hiss as the pain rippled through her body. Gritting her teeth, her grasp held on a moment longer before loosening, allowing her opponent the chance to pull back.
A moment passed as she tried to pull herself together and shake off the pain, then another. It was tempting to break the little bitch's hand for that, teach Gil what happens when you claim a toy that isn't yours and put this mutt in her place. Well, okay, that was going to happen anyway, it was just a question of how much damage she--
Oh. Oh she did not just call her that.
Kicking the quiver away to prevent the girl from getting more weapons, Valkyrie actually reached for the bow before rising to her feet. So the girl could play with arrows? The bow wasn't going to be for show, then, and there was no way she was going to just let her use it within arm's reach. There were other weapons in the dojo, sure. She'd trained with them and knew exactly where they were.
Playtime was going to get kicked up a notch.
"Cute trick." If she could grab on to Limen and throw her down, she would, but like as not, it would be a short chasing game as she would follow after the so-called disciple.
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Pandaemonium
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Post by Limen on Jul 17, 2016 14:35:25 GMT -7
The moment Limen felt Val’s grip loosen, she broke herself free of her grasp, dropping away from the other and her punch towards the ground. She made a backwards roll, falling onto her back in a ball and using her momentum to jump onto her hands and feet, coming into another low crouch. The dagger in her right hand and the arrow in the left thumped against the floor.
Her own weapons were out of the question. Val was closer to then and faster than her. There were some elsewhere in the dojo if she could make it there, or she could forgo weapons entirely and attempt to either outrun her, outlast her, or outhide her. Outfighting her was clearly not going to happen. But before she could do any of that, she needed to get out of this small room.
And Limen had an idea. While Val was grabbing her bow, Limen threw Val’s dagger. Not at the woman herself, and only sort of in her direction. She was aiming for something about a foot to the side of the bow. The dagger hit its target with a metallic clang. The small canister began to produce a high-pitched hiss as contained pressure tried to force its way out of the tiny puncture she’d made.
Limen could have hit a smoke bomb. It would have filled the room with a thick black smoke she was used to blindly navigating, and she could have either made her exit through the window or door. This was, of course, assuming Val would be surprised enough for her to make an escape, or wouldn’t be able to get through and out of the tiny and mostly empty room faster than her. Neither was a guarantee, and so Limen had not picked a smoke bomb as the target of her dagger.
Instead, she’d chosen to hit a paint bomb.
The warning whistle lasted for hardly a second before the pressure was too much. The paint bomb exploded, throwing bright red thick liquid everywhere in the room. Those bombs had a blast diameter of fifteen feet when thrown on the street. This room was not fifteen feet wide.
Limen, by this time, was already halfway out of the room. She simply covered her face with her arms as red paint splattered against one side of her body. She ran for the exit of the room like her life depended on it, and booked it down the hall like her afterlife was on the line. Her grin was almost mad.
“So! Still haven’t told me what you want, Val!” Limen yelled forward, not daring to so much as turn her head to look behind her.
As always, she kept her ears tuned to projectiles. Val had daggers and had just picked up her compound bow. Chances were high something was going to be flying her way.
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Post by Valkyrie on Jul 17, 2016 15:15:21 GMT -7
Valkyrie didn't flinch as the knife came her way, instead pulling the bow and snagging the arrows as she heard the sound of punctured metal. The screeching hiss was all the warning she needed to get out of the room. Not only did the girl apparently have powers that could make metal a dangerous toy, but there was no telling what else was in the bag, and now was not the time to find out.
The paint was not appreciated.
'That bitch is going to spend days getting the paint off.' The hard wood floors had been worn smooth over time, now a ghastly red that would probably leave a permanent stain on the walls. It was less than amusing. Let's not get into what would happen if she stopped long enough to think about what it would do to her hair.
The goal was to prevent Limen from leaving the room but, barring that, then the dojo itself would be their playground. What Valkyrie didn't understand was why Gilgamesh would call this girl his disciple, as laughable as that was. His hate for supers was no secret, so she had to wonder what made this girl so special that he had taken her under wing. She was surprised he didn't have a full-fledged zoo or something by now.
Limen would hear the sound of several knives coming at her from the side from a variety of angles, followed by a chuckle further up ahead as Valkyrie ran ahead of her, intending to cut the girl off from her intended path.
“I just wanted to see who Gil's little pet was,” she purred. “ After all, if we're going to be roommates, we should get to know one another.”
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Pandaemonium
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Post by Limen on Jul 17, 2016 17:43:11 GMT -7
Limen could dodge the first couple. Two daggers harmlessly struck the wood beside her while she ran, but the third she had to stop quickly, lest she get a blade buried in her kneecap. The fourth bore into her upper left arm. By then, Val was in front of her.
Her momentum was lost. A grimace flashed across her face as she pulled the dagger from her shoulder. Opponent before her, Limen widened and lowered her stance, holding the dagger defensively before her and the arrow along her left forearm. Paint dripped onto the floor from her clothes, and blood slid down the blade of the knife.
Her smile, once it returned, did not waver. Her voice, like the stance she took, was low but confident. Just because Val was in front of her didn’t mean she’d lost. “First off, I’m not Gil’s pet. If he calls me that, do me a favor and punch him. I’ll buy you drinks for it.”
If anything, this fight was only getting started.
“You want to get to know each other, huh?” She asked, still maintaining her still stance. She was watching the other, waiting for her move rather than making her own. She was going to take that as her invitation. “So how do you know Gil?”
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Post by Valkyrie on Jul 19, 2016 21:30:07 GMT -7
Two out of four? That's what she got for being sloppy. The same could be said for the paint, which was now dripping all over the dojo. It may not have been her paint, specifically, but they both wore it and it wouldn't have gone off if she hadn't pressed the smaller girl. Valkyrie could already hear Gilgamesh bitching up a storm. She certainly would have. Not to mention the piant was going to be a pain to clean up, as well.
"" Not that she needed a reason to punch Gil. She'd roll her eyes if the other girl didn't have the knife in her hands. No point in leaving an extra opening. The bow was out of sight, her position going defensive as well, one fist held out in front of her lower body while the other was pulled back. Both were waiting on the other. Varlkyrie had noticed the girl tended to respond to an attack first if she could help it; even the more aggressive maneuver had been a trick to give her the chance to run.
"WE've known each other for a long time." Her gaze doesn't move from Limen, waiting for a sign of hte girl's next move. "You could say we know each other better than most."
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Pandaemonium
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Post by Limen on Jul 20, 2016 16:48:25 GMT -7
Or maybe this fight wasn’t getting started. Val didn’t move either, choosing instead to watch her. That was plenty fine with her; she could sit and stare at the other girl all day. Gave her an opportunity for conversation with someone mysterious and new.
Limen sighed. “That’s a non-answer, Val. What, did the two of you bond over your innate ability to answer a question without telling me anything at all?”
The small stream of blood beginning its trail down her arm and the dripping of paint were the only hints of movement on the otherwise stock-still Limen. Aside from her talking, that was. That wasn’t about to stop any time soon.
“So, roommates, you said? You training with Gil too? By the way, the pudding in the fridge that says ‘Gilgamesh’ on it is an experiment to see if he’ll eat it.”
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