tushanshu_logs | City pulls me in closer than I've ever been

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City pulls me in closer than I've ever been | July Catchall

Characters: Pepper Potts, Devin Parker, and you!
Date: Throughout July
Location: Around Keeliai
Situation: Pepper is getting settled after several busy and unpleasant months, and Devin is making dumb decisions.
Warnings/Rating: Violence, possibly blood.

A. [Pepper] KPD | Throughout July | Open

Things have at least started to settle down some in the city, so while Pepper is busy she's no longer stretched to the limit. Her schedule is more regular, and she's taking fewer night shifts this month to try and catch up on sleep. All in all, she's in a much better mood when she's at work, helped in no small part by mending fences with Valdis. The ship is righting itself, finally, but that makes her no less vigilant.

B. [Pepper] Sky Sector | Throughout July | Open

The heat and lack of rain aren't uncomfortable for Pepper - New York could get positively sweltering in the summer - and it's decent weather for practicing summoning in the backyard. She does usually wait until early evening, when the temperatures cool down just a little.

When it does rain, though, Pepper pretty much drops everything and races out into the downpour. She's missed thunderstorms and the torrential rain they bring. Pepper will spin around with her arms out, head tilted back and mouth open to catch the drops, completely unconcerned by getting drenched from head to toe.

C. [Devin] Outside Water Sector | Early July | Kratos

At the gathering to decide the leadership of the Foreigners Guild, Devin and Kratos had decided to spar. More specifically, they had agreed to duel at dawn with swords. The events in the city had made it somewhat inappropriate to engage in fun activities like that as early as they had intended. After things had settled some, they'd reestablished the day and time. The additional time had meant Devin could acquire himself a beater sword - functional and sharp, though not particularly pretty - and shave off some of the rust that had been building over the years. The sun was just starting to come up when he reached the appointed location, carrying not one sword but two.

D. [Devin] Wood Sector | Throughout July | Open

Most of the time, Devin does his best to stay away from the Hotel. It's not hard, and he's still working on his mental map of the city. June was all about Metal Sector, and this month he's largely wandering through Wood Sector when he isn't working or sleeping. From time to time, he'll pause and find somewhere to sit, all the while taking notes in some kind of shorthand.

OOC note: Let me know if you want a specific starter or write your own adventure!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Kratos has already been there for an hour or two, running through some mana patterns. He's getting more than enough practice with lightning lately, and wind is something of a side-effect; so he's working with fire, for the heat.

[It looks like a martial pattern, save that he's not carrying a sword and his hands glow with soft red light -- when it isn't moving around him in a manner suggestive, but not quite manifesting, flames. He doesn't turn right away, when Devin approaches, instead drawing mana to an adequate finish and loosing it as a billow of warm air around him before turning.

[His head tips at the sight of the weapons.]

I already have a sword.

[... Although that may be the difficulty.]

[Devin isn't sure what to make of the magic Kratos is using when he arrives. It's the first he's really seen of Kratos' abilities period, aside from that brief glimpse of wings.

The vampire's mouth curls into a wry smile.]

Yes, and I've heard it's magical. The only other one I know of in the city, I have no interest in handling. Call it evening the odds.

[He tosses one of the sheathed beater swords towards Kratos.]

Catch.

[Kratos catches it easily, eyebrows lifting faintly with amusement.]

Magical.

[Well, Devin's not wrong. He unsheathes the blade enough to examine it, and the downturn of his mouth shows what he thinks of the quality of the sword.]

I suspect you're under a misapprehension of Flamberge's capabilities. This isn't going to survive the bout.

[He slides it back into the sheath and considers Devin's sword.]

But yours doesn't look much better.

Blame the Lady Valdis for the description. It was either these, or bringing Revelations.

[He's fairly certain neither of them would want that. The vampire scoffs.]

They're stronger than they look, but I'll tell the metalsmith you doubted his ability to create serviceable weapons for this particular task. At least this way, we're both handling something a bit less familiar.

I doubted whether the metalsmith forged the swords knowing they were going to be used for a bout between an angel and a vampire.

[But it's a fair enough request, even if it's founded on the perception that Flamberge is more special than it is to anyone but himself; so Kratos ties the sheath to his belt.]

Terms remain as they were?

A vampire, at least. I did make a public announcement, you may recall.

[He circles a few paces away, tying his own weapon as he walks.]

No magic, swords only, to the point of disarming or a suitable attempt. And if you succeed in significantly damaging me without making me drop my blade, mercenary, don't stop dueling until I say so, or I will be dreadfully disappointed in you.

Very well.

[An interesting request. Kratos hesitates for a moment. He's talked more about the seal here than anywhere. It's not the sort of thing he still wants to talk about; and he's still vaguely nettled by Raine's dismissal of it. If it matters not at all, is there a point in saying anything?

[Probably not.]

Only if you don't still have your sword raised against me.

[It's something of a warning. Kratos draws his blade in one smooth motion, and holds it before him, hilt down, tip up. He doesn't move. It's his style to wait for his opponent to come to him.]

[Good. Kratos doesn't intend to go easy on him. ~~Devin, not beating the crap out of you isn't the same as going easy~~. It goes without saying that Kratos doesn't need the same assurance; he's the better swordsman by far.]

May the best non-human win.

[He considers saying something juvenile, but abandons it in favor of motion, advancing with blade drawn. The vampire is fast, though he's not pressing his speed to the utmost yet - no point in giving away the extent of his abilities this early on - and swings low towards one of Kratos' knees. Speed aside, Devin's outward appearance is very relaxed. The smirk hasn't vanished yet.]

[Kratos doesn't move at first, tracking Devin's motion. Fast, but not alarmingly so -- though Kratos can tell it's testing, rather than intended to get anywhere.

[Even when the blow comes, Kratos uses the minimal amount of effort needed to block it, then shifts to retaliate in a series of blow, his movements likewise fluid but easy. Testing, not trying.]

[Hand-to-hand combat doesn't directly translate to any ability with a sword, but it helps. He parries the blows, concentration causing the slightest pinch at his brow though he's still smiling. It's been a while since done this.]

Do you do this sort of thing with just anyone who asks? [the vampire inquires, briefly backing out of range and circling around Kratos.]

Not many people ask.

[Kratos reverts to defensive position, blade still and gaze tracking Devin's route, turning only to match him. He's watching Devin's shoulders and hips, waiting for the next sally.]

Pity. They're missing out.

[The last word has barely left Devin's mouth when he darts forward, a little faster this time but still visible. Just before he's close enough to swing at Kratos, he changes direction to the side, intent on striking his shoulder.]

[The words have the slant of innuendo unique to Devin, and it might ordinarily make Kratos pause; except that he has enough confidence in his skill to choose to take it straight, and blow right past any implications.

[He matches the strike to his shoulder with a twist of his sword, and then presses in with a flurry of short, sharp blows, cutting and thrusting. It's an easy, fluid set, neither holding back nor pushing Devin unduly hard. He doesn't feel taxed yet; the seal isn't even rising.]

You're not committing.

[Kratos may not be pressing the advantage he has by his very existence, but Devin is having to concentrate to prevent any of the strikes from landing]

This is no time for me to take a knee, mercenary. But if you insist--

[In a blink, he zips away faster than the human eye can see, reappearing on Kratos' other side only long enough to slice at his legs and blur back to where he started.]

[Take a knee --? Kratos puzzles over that phrasing for all of a split second before he can't. It's reactive, when his sword slams down to protect his legs, and then slices up to meet Devin's blow to the other side. His eyes are abruptly fierce with approving startle.]

Better!

[This is much like Yuan -- everywhere, seemingly all at once. Seemingly. But Devin doesn't have a six-foot blade in hand, isn't bending momentum and force to his will to conserve his energy. He's a smaller target, however. Kratos pushes back, this time harder than he had been; still keeping place to force Devin to come to him, but relying on slashing tactics to force Devin to cut his speed or run into the cutting edge.]

[This is more like it, has Devin smiling sharply in a way that's entirely genuine. The fact that Kratos is staying put is a tactic he's not terribly fond of, but he can see why it's being used.]

I live to impress.

[Devin slows his speed a notch or two, just so he doesn't overshoot Kratos and to give himself another a better chance to react. Somewhere between his speed and his rusted skills, he parries a slash just a moment too late, the blade slicing open his arm.

The vampire moves out of range, hissing slightly at the pain though it's done nothing to dull the edge to his smile.]

Now we're getting somewhere.

[Rather than daunt him in any way, the injury seems to have spurred Devin on, and he dives back towards Kratos. He contains his speed to better fend off the slashing attacks, and puts more raw power behind his own blade.]

[Kratos does not pursue as Devin pulls back, adjusting his grip on the sword. Devin, at least, is smiling; and Kratos's assumption that first-blood drawn is hardly a stop to the match is borne out.

[When Devin comes back, Kratos is prepared for the shift in speed, but the blows are most definitely stronger than they had been. He grunts, still hardly shifting from the small space of ground he's allotted his territory, but adding the strength of his second hand, using it to brace his sword against the force of Devin's stikes. In return, the slashes turn to thrusting parries.]

You're almost making me wish I had my shield.

[The difference in Kratos' responses suggests that he has a lot more yet to give when it comes to countering Devin, which also means that he has a lot of work to do if he's to pull the mercenary's full strength to the surface.]

Oh, good. I'd hate to be a disappointment.

[This is dry. There may be Feelings behind it, but there's also just a lot of concentration demanding his attention. Devin weaves aside when the direction of the attacks change, meeting them with as much force as before with the intent to make it hard for Kratos to strike back unless he actually started to move more.]

[A lot more work. Even still, Kratos is somewhat impressed by Devin's defence, blending speed to create a veritable shield of blocks and parries. It would be tough to get through that head-on.

[So Kratos doesn't try. Instead he's one moment there, the next flipping over Devin's head to land behind him, blade cutting toward his back with significantly angelic force.]

[Getting Kratos to move took annoyingly long, which just goes to tell Devin that he really needs to up his game if he ever intends to come close to beating him. Unfortunately, where Kratos ends up is behind him.

Even tracking the flip, Devin can't turn quite fast enough to avoid Kratos' blade. It bites into his skin, into his oldest scars, and there's suddenly a different fire in Devin's eyes when he's facing Kratos again: something wild and dark restrained only by relentless control. The vampire slashes at Kratos with almost all his strength as he pivots, not even a blink of hesitation to suggest he even really notices the pain.]

[It's faintly unexpected, to feel the sword bite; Kratos doesn't usually fight someone he can be sure of matching him enough to at least make it seem challenging. Kratos checks himself automatically -- and then finds that he can't, quite abruptly. He parries the slash, and the one that follows; and while he's not overwhelmed, that wild darkness in Devin's eyes nevertheless drives Kratos into a defensiveness that isn't by his own design. That's -- hm.

[Fine. Kratos keeps them at this pace, pushing back just enough to see if that fire remains, and whether Devin needs it to be burned low against someone who won't be killed as a result of it.]

[It's hard to say if Devin would be more careful if he knew about the seal; in all likelihood, he wouldn't be. He's not terribly concerned with his own well-being.

The vampire has spent enough of his life fighting to recognize when the brutality of his baser nature wants to bleed through and shred everything around him, but he's not in this to kill Kratos. He is not Bobby, and he is not Devin's parents. Any wound is just a wound. Anger and adrenaline will be his undoing; emotion is to be ignored.

The fire remains, for now, but it takes on better focus in response to the defense, like it's breaking some of the rust off his muscle memory. A few decades have passed since he was in a proper sword fight, but Devin is remembering more of the steps to this dance. He can mull over the relative danger of that happening as the result of the injury later. This is the edge of his ability, here, and even if he knows he'll eventually lose, he's not giving up easily.]

[Not uncontrolled, then. Good. Kratos lets that go on, lets Devin break off his rustiness against Kratos's defence; but the longer it continues, the more Kratos is aware of the steel-cord of the seal's influence up his spine.

[It doesn't like it when he holds back against a foe potentially capable of laying a mark -- but it has no reason to think he's in genuine danger, either. Not unless he deliberately stays his hand, and that's ... impossible, at this point.

[Kratos resists the urge to end this quickly, to prove that he can resist, to push that limit. He needs to know he can still hold back, if he wants to. Even still, his parries and blocks become an odd sort of fluid, the sort which indicates pain or muscle exertion is no longer an influence; he stops breathing, quickens ever so slightly, stops having to endure the jarringness of Devin's blows, as if force rattling him is something to be dismissed. Working against the seal like this -- he can't keep up the concentration to maintain physical mortalities.

[Even still, there's no wings. He's ignoring physical functions -- but he's not being pushed to limit.]

[Devin doesn't quite notice the shift in Kratos on a conscious level. Something about his movements is odd, easy in a way he wouldn't expect in the middle of a duel. Then again, Kratos is an angel, and Devin has never seen him fight before, so between not being able to pinpoint the change and his lack of knowledge, he just rolls with it.

The persistent question in the back of his mind is enough to shake off more of the residual anger - not enough to distract, but enough to rein back whatever snapped. That doesn't change how he's fighting, only broadens his awareness beyond the narrow frame of the duel again. Unlike Kratos, Devin is breathing hard and has to pay attention to that, to hold his focus despite physical impediments. It's not back to being fun, exactly, but it's taken a step back in that direction.

And Kratos is moving faster now, in addition to the oddity of his movement. Devin is going to ache tomorrow, but he's never been one to shy away from hurts, appreciating them for what they're worth.]

[There. That's some semblance of awareness returned, replacing wildness in Devin's eyes. Kratos nods, and submits slightly to the thread of the seal pushing him to unleash his full strength.

[Slightly. Instead of defending he shifts to the attack, pushing Devin a little harder still, and holding that level in defiance of the seal. He opens himself up a little, shifting from that single patch of ground; feinting with slashes to follow up with thrusts, taking Devin's returning blows in solid blocks which should have rattled his arms but didn't. He's banking on them rattling Devin.]

B. OUTSIDE WATER SECTOR

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