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+---- Thread: [Training] just a trim at the tips (/showthread.php?tid=12438)
just a trim at the tips - Thalassa - 01-26-2026
Considering the new discoveries of her siphon magic, Thal takes her time putting distance between her and the town of New Haven. She ignores the smokey scent in the air, ignores the bit of a glow on the horizon. The fires have become familiar, the season full of dying foliage. It's why she doesn't think anyone will notice a few more dead strands of grass as she reaches out towards the stalks waving in the breeze around her.
Fingers brush the dry pieces, watching with morbid fascination as the magic in her pulls gently at their life force, the greenery turning dark and withering beneath her touch. It leaves a path of shriveling grass in her wake, her eyes fixating on the sapping life until an arrow nearly pierces her hand.
[say]"What the hell?!"[/say] She snaps her hand back and to the hilt of her daggers, crouching into a defensive stance as she scans the hillside, looking for the source so she can retaliate in kind.
RE: just a trim at the tips - Colt - 01-27-2026
Fighting off a grin without much luck (or effort, really), Colt watches with no lack of satisfaction at Thalassa's quick retreat from the still vibrating arrow. Crouched down behind the rise of a grass-swept hill, one speckled with trees here and there, Colt watches the familiar woman. Her boots press into the dry ground, heat-bleached by Longheat, her jeans wrinkling around the bend in her knees. Her button-down shirt begs to capture some wind, but for now none comes, and instead the pale blue fabric clings to the sweat already running down her back. Colt angles her head away from the reach of her arm as she pulls out a new arrow from her quiver on her back, and the movement tilts her pale hat brim away from her arm, wig-hair swaying mildly.
The sharpened point of the arrow she draws out of the Pencil Sharpener gleams as she nocks it on her bow. Steadily, she closes one eye again, taking fresh aim at Thalassa's left foot. She draws in a breath, steadying the pull, and on the exhale, releases her fingers on the bowstring, sending the arrow flying. Shortly after she pops up from behind the hill, calling down brightly. [say]"HIIIII! Just wanted to see you dance a bit!"[/say]
1/4 fires a quiver-sharpened arrow at Thal's left foot
The Pencil Sharpener | An earthen quiver that sharpens any arrow placed inside.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Upgraded | Cost: Action
RE: just a trim at the tips - Thalassa - 01-27-2026
Another arrow comes streaking towards her, partially obscured in the smoky sunlight until the last second. Letting out a colorful curse, she blinks out of existence as her dart magic carries her a few feet away, barely missing an arrow slicing through the toe of her boot.
She still hasn't spotted the source through the haze, narrowing her eyes in the direction of the attacks when a bright voice suddenly sings through the air. Mouth agape, Thal crouches amidst the grass, looking instinctually for the blonde. [say]"Colt?!"[/say]
Laughing at the absurdity, she dares to raise her head, the dark horns and platinum hair hard to miss over the strands of grass. [say]"You know, you could have just played some music!"[/say] There's a brightness in her blue eyes, tail twitching playfully behind her now that she knows who dares to fire an arrow at her. A mischievous grin spreads wide while she searches for the woman hidden somewhere on the hill. [say]"Are you hiding because you can't bear to show your face?! I've already seen you without hair!"[/say] It can't be that much worse, and no matter how amused she is, she can't let Colt off that easily.
1/4 Thal darts out of the way, then ducks low behind the grass as she searches for Colt.
RE: just a trim at the tips - Colt - 01-29-2026
One might say firing arrows at your friend (?) isn't the warmest welcome. One might even say it's a grumpy holdover from that same person shaving you bald (source of the idea aside). Colt would not say either of these things. She's nearly certain Thalassa wouldn't either, because if there's one thing she's certain she's got pinned down about this ancient, it's that Thal can appreciate a bit of sharpness, especially when it's got good aim.
As Thal darts away, Colt's gaze steadily scans the meadow below, trying to refocus on the reappearing ancient. At the suggestion of music and the sound of Thal's good-natured laugh, a grin stretches higher into one side of Colt's cheeks, her own light chuckle tossed out onto the breeze. She's already reaching back into the quiver for another sharpened arrow, drawn into this game now. [say]"I'm making my own music!"[/say] The subtle sigh of an arrow splitting the wind is the rhythm to which she intends Thal to dance.
Pulling back on the bowstring, she exhales into her shot again, once more targeting Thal's left foot. Though she waits, a touch, to see if the crouched woman might stretch out a touch before unfurling her shot, not keen on accidentally embedding one in Thal's ribs by mistake. Proof, perhaps, she ought not to be fucking about like she is, but she's got full confidence Thal can at least dart to safety if nothing else. [say]"Think mine turned out better than your dye job! I originally mistook you for more of the dried meadow with that color!"[/say] Colt fires back. When she does, literally, she drops back bahind the meadow, keeping out of view for a moment and listening.
2/4 fires a quiver-sharpened arrow at Thal's left foot
The Pencil Sharpener | An earthen quiver that sharpens any arrow placed inside.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Upgraded | Cost: Action
RE: just a trim at the tips - Thalassa - 01-29-2026
[Say]"Then you need your eyes checked! Grass doesn't usually have horns!"[/say] Thal doesn't hide her laughter at the quips and jibes, surprisingly unbothered by her new hair color. After all, the number of people approaching her has multiplied tenfold, the blonde apparently making her look more 'approachable' - although 'easy might be the better word for it. She might not have expected to like the color, but it might be growing on her.
Then another arrow is whistling towards her while she's searching for Colt in the wrong direction, and she only barely manages to dart away before it embeds in her leg. But when she reappears a few feet closer, it's with a sharp burn and heat of pain across her calf. The wound isn't deep, but she sucks in a pained breath of annoyance through her clenched teeth. Her grin sharpens a little more as she seeks to return the favor, throwing her voice over the grass where she crouches awkwardly, [Say]"Mind sticking your head up?! It looks like you might be do for another trim!"[/say]
2/4 Thal darts again, but earns a cut to her leg, moving closer to Colt's hiding place.
RE: just a trim at the tips - Colt - 01-30-2026
Colt could argue that with all the highland cows around, grass frequently does have horns here. Since it's not a worthwhile quip and just some education, it isn't worthy of lending air to, which would help reveal her position further, priorities and all. Still, Colt chuckles at the joke, shaking her head as she leans against the hillside.
She's counting breaths, trying to pause long enough to pop back up when she suspects Thal might be less intently looking, but with her own sight blocked when hiding it's all a gamble really. Thal certainly sounds a bit closer, and that means the odds of keeping her spot all to herself are low. Making a run to a different hill won't fare her much better, not with the dips between that'd make her stick out like a sore thumb. Better to milk this position she's got until she's caught and the game's up. [say]"I can offer you the same service! Turn ya into a redhead this time,"[/say] she grins, the threat humming beneath the joke lacking all heat, nothing at all like the one in her hand.
Sharpened arrow pulled from the quiver again and nocked in her bow, Colt tilts back up to get a view and a line over the hill to Thal. She aims once more for the Ancient's left foot, letting loose her arrow before sinking down behind the hill once more for another round of this cat and mouse.
3/4 fires a quiver-sharpened arrow at Thal's left foot
The Pencil Sharpener | An earthen quiver that sharpens any arrow placed inside.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Upgraded | Cost: Action
RE: just a trim at the tips - Thalassa - 01-31-2026
Her leg angles uncomfortably beneath her, the combination of a slight stinging pain and darting so many times in succession making her balance worse as she throws her voice, [say]"I think Dygra might like that more!"[/say] What better way to look like a living flame than to have her hair dyed red?
Grinning despite the discomfort - she really is having fun - Thal peeks her head up again, just in time to see the next arrow. She darts diagonally forward, her leg giving out when it retracts from the pain, knocking her knees into the dried dirt. Her teeth clench tight and her frustration is only smothered by the satisfaction of spotting Colt's retreating form. Before she can vanish completely, Thal throws her dagger, giving it enough clearance not to behead the woman, instead aiming for the space behind where it can catch fire in the grass, maybe giving Colt a little bit of a scare.
3/4 Thal trips after dodging the next arrow, but spots Colt and throws her dagger near her head, intentionally missing to set a fire in the grass behind her.
RE: just a trim at the tips - Colt - 01-31-2026
Just as she's ducking back down behind the dry hill, she senses the dagger's approach. It's a glint of metal in the muted light of the smoky day, a warning flash that doesn't fully register at first, not until the air is whining beneath the swipe of the blade as it passes her ear. By then, it would've been too late, and it's only luck from ducking down and leaning to the side to flatten out that keeps her from getting any further of a haircut—that and Thal's intentionally close-call aim, not that she's aware of that little detail, or the aspect of the dagger that lands in the ground behind her and quietly begins to spark.
Grinning with a smug triumph at missing the blade, Colt nocks what she figures will be her last arrow now that her spot is given up. She pops up once more, catching sight of Thalassa and sweeping her bow and arrow towards her. Pinpointing her left foot again, Colt lets the sharpened arrow fly, but this time she doesn't go back into hiding. [say]"So what're you doin' here besides fancy footwork?! Wanna—"[/say] It's here that Colt catches a whiff of the smoke, and the crackle of flame becomes more apparent as the dry meadow catches like each blade of grass is just a matchstick. She twists to glance behind her, color immediately paling from her. There, in the stretch of burnt vegetation, the dagger gleams ominously. Cursing under her breath, Colt runs forward over the hill. [say]"You better be able to fucking snuff that out!"[/say] If not, she could channel the Flood. Fire's eating this region well enough on its own, and the risk is especially bad this season, so Colts suddenly found all her humor and smiles have fled her.
4/4 evades the dagger and then fires a quiver-sharpened arrow at Thal's left foot
The Pencil Sharpener | An earthen quiver that sharpens any arrow placed inside.
Type: Dark | Style: Offensive | Level: Upgraded | Cost: Action
RE: just a trim at the tips - Thalassa - 02-01-2026
Keeping the fire leashed with her magic, she once again barely dodges the next arrow in a flicker of darkness. But her attention is fixated on the space behind Colt, grinning sharply at the shock - although she doesn't appreciate the lack of faith in her abilities. [say]"Had to get you to stop shooting arrows somehow!"[/say]
The diversion having served its purpose, Thal appears in a ripple of reality at the rancher's back, silent as death, but much prettier.
Her magic snuffs out the flames, leaving only a glistening dagger and smoldering earth in its wake. Shifting her stance off the burning of her calf, she holds a plain dagger to Colt's back, just close enough for the woman to appreciate the sharp tip. The playful voice is airy, slightly out of breath and accented with a teasing smile. [say]"It's your turn to dance. Do you think fireballs to the feet will set a good rhythm?"[/say]
4/4 Thal darts away from the arrow, appearing behind Colt with a dagger at her back.
RE: just a trim at the tips - Colt - 02-01-2026
She barely has her response loaded on the back of her tongue, irritated that fire is the stopgap of choice given all the smoke and ash that regularly threatens her region and livelihood, much less intentionally set by the hand of someone she knows. Thal is suddenly behind her though, and Colt's breath sucks in sharp, a response to the startling effect of the dart and the cool press of the blade leveled at her spine. Not for the first time, this damn ability has wrecked her sense in a fight, and she's beginning to wonder if Frey might not be able to make her something that could give her a similar skip to her step as both Thal (and most Ancients) and Vesper have. It's so damn useful, and terribly annoying and frustrating when turned against her like this.
The ire settles when the familiar snap of flames dies out suddenly, smoke billowing white rather than black before it too fades into nothing, leaving a patch of charred ground. Steadily, Colt's hands raise at her sides, bow clasped between thumb and forefinger on one, a display of defeat. [say]"I think the only dance you're liable to get here if you keep using fireballs is everyone tapping up and down your ass with their heels,"[/say] Colt snorts, angling her gaze over her shoulder back at the ancient. Sighing out the anxiety of another flame outbreak, a tired smile creeps into place. [say]"I'm a bit better at a distance, wouldn't you say?"[/say] Compared to a close-quartered brawl in a bar room, at least.
[say]"Blonde does look good on you,"[/say] she admits with a huff of a laugh.
RE: just a trim at the tips - Thalassa - 02-01-2026
Huffing a bit of laughter at the playful threat, she waits until Colt has her hands raised before lowering her dagger. She sheaths it at her side, taking a deep breath to clear the demand aching there, although she doesn't dare relax yet. Limping back a step, she glances down to where blood glistens against the black of her pants, invisible beyond the slight gleam of moisture. [say]"Pretty damned good. Sliced my leg open."[/say] And she's lucky it didn't turn out worse with all her darting around.
Thal shrugs her shoulders, feeling the pull of effort after the exertion. Looking up at Colt, she grins at the compliment, taking in the rancher's new hair that looks impressively similar to her original. say]"Thanks. Your wig looks nice."[/say] An eyebrow raises as she doubts her assessment, never knowing what kind of magic hides throughout Caido. [say]"Unless you grew it back already?"[/say]
RE: just a trim at the tips - Colt - 02-03-2026
Surprise streaks through Colt and her gaze immediately falls towards Thalassa's leg to see for herself. She hadn't been able to watch the follow through of her shots as she normally would, not with needing to duck back behind the hills as fast as she could to keep hiding, so she hadn't even thought she'd struck Thalassa. [say]"Oh shit, I didn't actually mean to tag you. Sorry, sugar."[/say] Choosing not to pour salt on the wound and point out that she better take some dance lessons, Colt instead nods her head over her shoulder. [say]"C'mon then, let's get you into town and clean this up. I suppose I owe you at least a drink now too,"[/say] she grins, because if anything it's just an excuse for her to have a drink.
As she turns to walk, waiting for Thalassa to step into stride at her side, Colt's hands rise to her wig. [say]"I did consider it,"[/say] she murmurs, sly look sliding towards Thal. [say]"However, the potion wasn't very straightforward and seemed at risk of making all my hair grow, so yes, a wig. From the Gilded Market, so it's more secure and less hot than your average wig."[/say] She shows it off with a strong shake of her head, the item much more secure than all her earlier models, though not infallible. [say]"So,"[/say] she begins as they walk to town. [say]"You must stay for the rodeo I'm putting on rather soon. I think you'd have a good time."[/say] She continues on, describing the events and potentials.
[FIN]