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

[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.]

[Oh, hells. As expected, Kratos has depths that Devin can't hope to withstand at this point, and even that slight increase in force is making him very aware of that fact. He's strong and he's fast, but the force of Kratos' blows is getting difficult to meet equally.

Backing off isn't an option just yet. His arms are tiring in the face of this kind of onslaught, and he's certain he's going to be feeling this duel tomorrow. The feinting takes advantage of how much Devin is relying on instinct, although it might be better termed as wrestling with instinct. It'll betray him to just react to Kratos' moves, even though that's where his body wants to default to, and quite suddenly he becomes aware that he's floundering towards being on the defensive rather than leading. That makes him no less determined.]

[Devin's tenacious. Good. It's still not Yuan's fierce baring of teeth, daring and delighting at once -- but it's still pulling more from Kratos than he'd expected to have to give. And that -- feels good. It's been a long time.

[But: how far will Devin press, and how unwisely?

[Now Kratos wants to know. He relinquishes some restraint against the seal, and his blocks become more solid still; he still attacks, but Yuan's the one with speed and strength, who comes at others fast and lethal. Kratos wears down, absorbs blows unyielding and sends them back undaunted. Devin's blows become more jarring still against the wall of Kratos's defence.

[In retrospect, they should have expected the swords to give out first.

[Between one block and a retaliation, Kratos's sword splinters by the hilt; and reflexively his hand snaps up to catch the flying naked blade before it hits either one of them in a more vulnerable place.]

[Devin can barely spare a thought to wonder if Kratos is treating this as another kind of test, but all of his attention has to be on the duel. He's been in tighter spots - though not often, and it's a good thing that Kratos isn't trying to kill him. Making desperate or stupid moves would be more likely, if he were fighting for his life.

There's more than a few moments when Devin is sure he's going to get cut a third time and only avoids it by a hair's breadth, and blocking the strikes makes his bones rattle. A noise not unlike a growl escapes him as he struggles to throw Kratos off.

He doesn't flinch when Kratos' blade splinters, just comes to a halt, panting. Looking down at his own sword, it's badly cracked in the middle - a catastrophic failure. There are nicks and chips all along the rest of of it.]

Seems you were right, mercenary. They did not survive the bout.

[Kratos lowers the piece he caught, opting not to toss it aside so they can return it to a blacksmith, or someone who would pay good money even for broken metal. He is oblivious, at this time, to the blood running the broken length of blade; his pain being turned off means he can't feel it.

[Rather, he's inspecting the hilt, rueful.]

No. And there seems little point in continuing, without swords.

[Not that it looks at all as though he's just been fighting as hard as he has been. He might have just finished a light walk on a warm day.]

That would be rather pointless. I'm not in much of a mood to break that pretty face of yours with my fists, anyway.

[As though he'd be all that much more effective unarmed. The stinging pain Devin's learned to associate with injuries cause by sharp blades is starting to filter in now that they've stopped, but it's nothing he can't handle. After sticking his broken sword far enough into the ground that it'll stay upright, he inspects the slice at the back of his arm. It missed the artery, which was obvious by the fact that he didn't pass out within thirty seconds of receiving it, but still good to know for certain. The one at his back is more difficult to assess; it'll have to wait until there's a mirror around.

His blood is a little darker than one would expect of the average human, staining his clothing. The vampire makes a faintly annoyed sounding huff.]

It seems shopping will be in my near future.

[Kratos glances toward him in something resembling amusement.]

If you didn't factor that into your decisions beforehand, I shall not be held responsible.

[He transfers the broken edge of blade to his other hand, so he can grip both without harming himself. His injured hand he lifts, drawing mana, casting it in green light around Devin. First Aid.

[He'll take care of himself in a minute.]

I won't send you the cleaning bill.

[This is dry, and shortly replaced by surprise when he starts glowing green.]

What are you--?

[The question is answered by the pain fading, and the cut on his arm closing smoothly. He recognizes the magic, he thinks, as the same spell Raine used on him when he first arrived in Keeliai.]

Ah. Not intent on leaving scars, are we?

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

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