Training like a hawk in flight, so swiftly
for Bastien
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
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#1
Luckily (or unluckily, perhaps), Wessex wants her remaining Advisor to survive. Which means she’s going to be proactive in making sure he has a couple of tricks in his back pocket, even if it’s just some evasion tactics.

In fact, she doesn’t carry much with her when she heads to the De Rosieres house, no more than the usual blades she has on her. But those who know Wessex will know that she is more than swords and arrow and staffs - she knows how to make her entire body a weapon and given their unusual enemy, that might be the key. Knocking sharply on Bastien’s door, Wessex steps back and waits for him (or Azrael) to answer.

She shifts a little back and forth on her heels, looking forward to this more than a little. Hopefully he brings his hoverboard.

The Wraith
the bright
the thing in the night
Wessex

Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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#2
BASTIEN
Bastien was a lover, not a fighter.

Sure, he'd had the odd scrap as a teen on the Venetian streets, had occasionally had to fight off someone or hold an asshole accountable with a few punches...but he hardly had a reputation as a violent man. His days were filled with painting, speaking, thinking; any fighting that would be required from him during Longnight was going to be a stretch, but he supposed he didn't really have a choice.

He answered the door with the hoverboard in one arm, a small dagger there too; he wasn't sure what weapon to take and had just grabbed what was around, something Rexanna had left, probably; the handle felt oddly heavy in his hand and his fingers readjusted around the worn leather over and over. "Wessex." Bastien greeted with a nod. "I would say I was glad to see you, but I must admit I am not looking forward to seeing all the ferocity of the wraith directed towards me." Winking, not really thinking he had that much chance of being hurt (he hoped), he stepped back to let her in.

"The back room is much clearer and has space to practice, I think." Leading her to the door by the stairs, he opened the way to a much simpler space than the studio, with plenty of room to move in. "Alright. I don't know how we start this, but well, I suppose I'll let you take charge."
You standing beside me
I'm going to push back, push back, push back
With every word and every breath
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
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Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#3
Wessex actually laughs. I know, we’re all shocked, but the levity is much appreciated and well, it’s rooted in the truth.

While her original plan had been to take him outside, she steps through and into the house - just in case the space he suggests is suitable for what she’s thinking of. And it definitely could be, she decides, once she’s standing in it. “I was thinking we could work on speed and how well you move on the board - are you faster on or off it?” Turning to survey the room again, she starts to build some obstacles in her mind. “We can create rough terrain in here, or we can go outside.”

Turning a slightly fanged smile back to him, she shrugs. “Up to you.” His house, his items-turned-obstacles

The Wraith
the bright
the thing in the night
Wessex

Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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Posts: 1,399 | Total: 8,707
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#4
BASTIEN
"Oh, on, definitely. I've spent enough time on it now that it is comfortable in most situations." Bastien had used the board an awful lot and was very appreciative for his gift from the Voice; it was the one thing that made him feel like he had a chance in this Longnight battle. "Well...I suppose we will be fighting this war mostly outside, actually, won't we? I assume we aren't intending to invite the beasts inside..."

Hm. In that case, then...he opened the back door that lead out to the street behind the Sanctuary, which was rarely used - it creaked as if testifying to that fact as he pushed it out. "As far as weaponry goes...I have this." Reaching into a gap behind the door, Bastien retrieved a wooden staff, thick enough to be hardy but light enough to be easily movable in his hands. "Not the most terrifying of tools, but hopefully enough to knock the beasts back into whatever we need."
You standing beside me
I'm going to push back, push back, push back
With every word and every breath
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
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Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#5
“Excellent!” Bright and encouraging, she is obviously happy to hear that he’s come a ways since the last time he tried to hoverboard around during LongNight. “No, none of them inside if we can help it.” The head back outside, and Wessex finds herself on a street she rarely uses. Of course the Sanctuary has an alley behind it, she thinks, how she never thought of it as Bastien’s back door (ha ha ha), she’ll never know.

Anyway. “We don’t need fierce, we need adept. You are Bastien De Rosieries, you aren’t meant to be scary, so don’t try to be. Play to your strengths.” With a crooked grin, she closes the door behind her and gestures for him to get up on the hoverboard and take the staff. “Balance and speed.” Is all she says before taking off down the street - but definitely not at her full speed - she needs to see how fast he can go on that thing.

“Come on, catch me!” Despite the dire circumstances, she's grinning, the Deepfrost wind whipping through the short tendrils of her hair as she races through the buildings.

The Wraith
the bright
the thing in the night
Wessex

Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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Posts: 1,399 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#6
BASTIEN
While Bastien was a bastion (ha) of self confidence, it was still nice to have praise from their rather icy leader; he grinned, perhaps showing off a little by riding his board out the door, ducking to get under the frame and circling around the alley smoothly. It had been a good hobby to lose himself in in the last year, a good way to distract from the dark depths of grief, learning how to balance his body and control the board beneath his feet.

"Oh, thank the Voice. I thought you were going to tell me to punch things." He said with a laugh, though he was genuinely relieved he wasn't being asked to do too much fighting. As she said, it had never been his skills - now, leading the monsters away with speed and tricks? That he could do.

Ready to show that off, he sped after her, crouching low to increase his speed, arms outstretched for balance before and behind him; the cobbles below no concern for the hoverboard, he could pick up quite an impressive speed. Had Bastien been born late enough in Earth's history to see cars, he might have tried to calculate his mph, but as it was, he just knew he was going very very fast.
You standing beside me
I'm going to push back, push back, push back
With every word and every breath
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#7
Turning to her head to see if he’s following her, delight bubbles up and  tumbles brightly from somewhere unused to laughing. Gods, how long has it been since she laughed? Grinning, chuckling in amusement, yes, all those things come naturally but the Wraith is not often one for bold, unmistakable laughter.

She and Bastien have disagreed on many things in the past, perhaps nearly come to blows, but seeing him rise to the challenge in his own unique way is something triggers a warm, happy feeling inside her.

So - the game is on! Wessex suddenly ducks around a corner and into an alley, knowing that there’s a little alcove one building over where she can slip into the dark corners and hide. She presses herself into the sides of the hole, unsure of how far Bastien was behind her. There’s a plan, though - and she listens carefully to see if he caught her turn (and then the second one into the alcove) or not.

If he zooms past her, she’ll slide out and begin chasing him instead. And if he misses her first turn completely, she’ll wait for a bit and then retrace her steps, turning tag into a game of hide and seek, where neither of them knows who’s the hider and who’s the seeker.

The Wraith
the bright
the thing in the night
Wessex

Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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Posts: 1,399 | Total: 8,707
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#8
BASTIEN
It would have been easy to get wrapped up in the joy of piloting his board (because really, nothing like this had been present in his world, and wasn't really in Caido), but Bastien focused himself, knowing that this, as fun as it was, had a higher purpose of preparation. He did catch a blur of Wessex going around her first corner and with a slightly wider turn than he would have wanted, followed down the alley.

Unfortunately, he was still centering himself after the wide angle and did not see Wessex press herself into the shadows. Bastien sailed past, slowing a little as he did not see her before him; it occurred to him to glance back.

"Ah! Very clever!" He declared, not quite sure how she had done it. Not taking too much time to linger on the exact ins and outs, Bastien really floored it, leaning down to fly as quickly as he could away from the Wraith; quite a terrifying notion, really, to be chased by her. He was glad this was just a training exercise.

Once they'd gotten out of the straight line of the alley, he tried to take streets he knew would bend and loop onto each other, planning to take a nonsensical route through them with the hope of confusing Wessex and losing her for the precious moment it would take to get away.
You standing beside me
I'm going to push back, push back, push back
With every word and every breath
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
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Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#9
A laugh flies out of the Wraith as she jogs behind Bastien and his board - until he suddenly zips ahead and then Wessex kicks it into gear as well. They probably know the streets equally as well; three or four years can seem like a lifetime in the Grounds and as she chases him, the Natural has to give him props for his route choice.

At some point, a resident opens their door and a cat runs out, straight into the Wraith’s path. She slows and sidesteps to avoid it, giving Bastien the time he needs to pull ahead. As she rounds the next turn, her Advisor is nowhere in sight and the trainer has to make a choice. So she decides to keep going straight and then make a sudden right turn, then a left, trying to pre-empt the path he might take and somehow end up near him again.

The Wraith
the bright
the thing in the night
Wessex

Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
Played by: lancydulac Offline
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Posts: 1,399 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#10
BASTIEN
Bastien had embraced the Grounds deeply in the years since arriving in Caido; he'd always had an affinity for streets and residents of small, dark places. The alleyways here were as familiar to him as a lot of the ones in Venice had once been; sometimes he worried that he'd struggle to navigate if he ever got back, the Grounds having taken over his mind.

At the moment though, his knowledge was doing him well. The cat was a pure fortunate twist of fate, but one Bastien took gladly, using Wessex's moment of surprise to try and slip away into a bend and then follow her; this game was dependent on who was chasing who, after all, and the easiest way to win was to be the one in pursuit.

Her route was odd, bending - he assumed she was trying to catch him out, which was why he wore a particularly smug smile as he flew up behind her and called: "Looking for someone, your majesty?"
You standing beside me
I'm going to push back, push back, push back
With every word and every breath
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#11
The thing about chasing is that the one being chased has to be afraid - they need to need to run. The moment the chased turns on the chaser - well, all bets are off, aren’t they?

Such would it be with LongNight, she imagines, (hahah what) full of sudden surprises and the need to act and react accordingly. So when Bastien comes up behind Wessex, she takes a moment to look back at him before abruptly changing direction. “Just some rascal on a board. Seen ‘im?” With a fanged smile, the demigod attempts to close the gap between the two of them and if she can get close enough, attempt to tackle Bastien off the board.

The Wraith
the bright
the thing in the night
Wessex

Bastien De Rosieres
the Dionysian
Ambassador for the Hollowed Grounds / Artist

Age: 41 | Height: 6' 2" | Race: Ascended | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 5 - Strg: 20 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 20 - Luck: 10 - Int:
PITTORE - Mythical - Gremlin (Disappearance)
Played by: lancydulac Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,399 | Total: 8,707
MP: 0
#12
BASTIEN
Bastien grinned as Wessex returned his banter, and probably in an apt display of his weaknesses (tendency to get distracted with the non-practical), was too busy thinking of a response when she lunged forward to tackle him; he fell off the board backwards, landing on the ground with a grunt. Without the pain though, there wasn't much to linger on, so he quickly sat back up.

"Ah, well. I suppose if you were a monster I would no longer have a head. Luckily, the beasts do not have witty lines for me to enjoy." He dusted off his sleeves; it had been inevitable Wessex would eventually win, but Bastien actually felt pretty good about how long he'd avoided capture. Pulling his board back close, he used it to stand back up - if Wessex was on the ground too, he'd help her.
You standing beside me
I'm going to push back, push back, push back
With every word and every breath
Wessex Theskyra
the Wraith
General of the Hollowed Grounds

Age: 47 | Height: 5'8'' | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 61 - Dext: 60 - Endr: 61 - Luck: 58 - Int: 2
LOKI - Mythical - Dragon (Energy Blast)
Played by: Astor Offline
Change author:
Posts: 3,156 | Total: 4,350
MP: 0
#13
It’s true, she would have been pandering to Bastien if she’d let him win and she suspects that neither of them are those kinds of people. Well, her Advisor might be, but she is not - not in this kind of thing.

She’s able to knock Bastien off his board and even though she goes down to the ground with him, she’s satisfied with the whole exercise. He did well. He committed. He used what he had to his advantage. Grinning, even though the game is over, she offers him an approving nod. “No, they’d likely taunt you and say you’re the worst artist ever, just to get you to come out and fight them.”

Or reappear as Rexanna, but shhhhhhhh that already happened. Wessex accepts his offered hand and stands back up, dusting herself off. “Well done. We can train like this any time you like. I’m not all brute force and weapons… there are so many ways to hone useful skills like this.” And if he lets her, she’ll go on until they arrive at either her place or his, parting ways in the calm before the storm.

{FIN}

The Wraith
the bright
the thing in the night
Wessex



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