[Training] {se} wax on, wax off

Hotaru

Hotaru walks inside slowly, whistling lowly in appreciation of the nearly completed training grounds. It is not the same grandeur of the barracks in Halo, but it’s better than she imagined the boxing ring could be. It’s admittedly nice to not be reminded of painful memories when she walks inside these days.

Deimos is easy enough to find. The man scarcely rests, and likely won’t stop nitpicking at the training grounds even after it’s otherwise deemed complete. “Spare a moment for your favorite person in the world?” is how she announces herself, smile warm and relaxed, unburdened for once. The playfulness of her gaze counters it, prepared for his snarky response to cut her down in brotherly fashion.

It takes a few minutes to explain exactly what she’s looking for. Frey may have had a different idea in mind when instructing Hotaru to explore things blindfolded, but frankly Hotaru has no viable partners for that right now, and a little extra practice in the throwing realm than Frey had already commanded couldn’t hurt. Especially when it’s clear Deimos is eager for his own role, which is entirely devoted to bullying Hotaru with her explicit permission.

“I’ll blindfold myself now if you’d like to pick the weapons,” she volunteers, taking the waist sash she’d tied to herself that morning to tie it easily over her eyes, giving Deimos ample time to choose the instruments without her having any sort of visual hint.

what I did, do, to me and you, keeps me awake
if I were a ghost, you'd be the proof

Deimos

Dare we know the halo's hanging low

The silent call out was painstakingly accurate, as there he was, resorting portions of the armory. The shelving hadn’t been quite up to his standard, and so he’d taken a few more moments to straighten the proportions out, then place the armor and weapons back in place. The footsteps echoing across the ring were unmistakable anyway, and he only had to spare a glance over his shoulder as he put the remaining staff back into its holder. Responding in a telltale snort, before brushing his hands together and wiping the remaining debris off. “Who said you were my favorite?” Giving an unmistakable, brotherly, irritating gesture of a tilted head and a devilish smirk, he stepped forward, listening, then instilling a table for these predetermined efforts.

When the information was truly forthcoming about his part in the proceedings (for he really couldn’t lose, not with the way he’d already calculated), the grin grew wider. There might’ve been some manner of boyish, mischievous vengeance in the look – no need to hide behind stoicism for this endeavor.

The Sword purposefully took his time, because he thought it’d be funny and put her a little on edge, while he carefully crafted weapons before her. Silently, he laid down five: a crossbow, a staff, a sword, a spear, and a dagger (perhaps just to give her a fair shot). Each had identical, wooden hilts, deliberately constructed to make her think, rather than rely on habitual lines. “Ready,” came on a deeper rumble, before he stealthily moved somewhere behind her, intentionally out of range.

Hotaru

“I did clearly, or do you need your ears cleaned?” she snips back, lighthearted and buoyant. She feels good, and on a day like today the idea of a training session without one of her senses seems more like a childish adventure than an intimidating challenge. Not that Deimos’ wide, boyish grin discredits the idea at all. Hotaru can’t even fault him for it; she would be just as giddy over the chance if she were in his shoes. Considering their predisposition to snowball fights and dunking each other in the mud, at least this particular time won’t end with their clothes ruined.

The longer she has the blindfold on, the more her ears adjust to make up for it. Ru isn’t capable of half-shifting just yet but she’s admittedly still amazed by the adaptability of the human body. She can hear Deimos moving about, collecting items that clearly have varying weights, and she can’t help but conjure up different ideas of what they might be.

His voice seems unnaturally loud when he finally speaks, though it’s too familiar to her to make her jump. It’s difficult to keep an ear for his movements while also blindly groping in front of her for the weapons he has chosen. A huff of amusement escapes when the hilts all feel the same at the first pass. Of course he wouldn’t make this easy for her. She’s grateful, but she also entirely expected it.

The sword is the first she grabs. She is careful with her fingertips beyond the range of the hilt, but the slanted tapering to the dulled edges makes it immediately obvious what it is. Hotaru wouldn’t necessarily say she has a chosen weapon, but the sword is one of the most familiar. After that the only thing to do is determine what kind by following the shape of the blade. It is straight and simple. “Broadsword?” She hopes he will automatically answer to betray his location, but even if he does not she spins halfway, the training sword brandished at hip level, assuming he is at her side. Only to find nothing but air. Damn.

what I did, do, to me and you, keeps me awake
if I were a ghost, you'd be the proof

Deimos

Dare we know the halo's hanging low

He pantomimed and mimicked several expressions she couldn’t see, but otherwise, didn’t answer right away. Patient and observant as ever, he watched as she picked up the first. It would likely be the most familiar, given the way they’d shaped their lives around similar weaponry.

So there was no surprise on his features as she answered, though he didn’t respond immediately. Not intending to give up his location, he threw his voice forward by way of air incantations and mischief. “Correct guess,” came from somewhere by the opposing wall, “but you missed me.” Which she would’ve noted as the blade swung into nothingness.

His turn.

Though she wouldn’t be able to observe it, the grin notched on his features remained devilish, and by way of attuned senses, she likely could’ve felt the measure of wicked glee threatening the training grounds’ hall. In a matter of moments, he instigated a deluge of water directly above her head; intending to have it pour down much like a sudden rain shower.

Hotaru

She scowls immediately when his voice taunts her from an entirely different direction, though it’s a good humored sort of defeat. Only the first, anyway, and she is sure more will come. It’s Ru’s fault for turning Frey’s requirement into something less enjoyable. Though she isn’t sure she trusts many others to be around her while she’s blindfolded aside from Deimos. Certainly not a stranger who would otherwise be interested.

The woman gives a shriek as the water cascades down on her in punishment, jolting her from her thoughts. Small mercies in the fact that it’s not ice cold as the Sword could surely make it to be. “You’re so lucky it’s summer,” she scowls to the blackness that surrounds her. Resting the sword up against the table to not pick it again, Hotaru blindly seeks out the next one. It’s far more puzzling, because it’s simply too long for her arms to reach the end when holding the bottom. It takes some fumbling, sliding the rounded wood further past her side as her fingers traverse its length blindly before she encounters the blunted end. “Staff,” she announces, sure this time. But still entirely without any clues as the where Deimos may stand.

Okay, if he wasn’t beside her, what would he be prone to do next? She considers his mischievous nature. With the staff still held horizontal and braced against her side, Ru shoves it backwards behind her, glad she already had the shorter end in hand due to the nature of her sightless exploration.

what I did, do, to me and you, keeps me awake
if I were a ghost, you'd be the proof

Deimos

Dare we know the halo's hanging low

Another broad grin followed for the ensuing shriek. He ceased the shower, shrugging his shoulders at her response, but not falling for the bait. If she intended to catch his whereabouts by instigating him to speak and jibe without machinations, the Valkyrie ought to have known him better than that. Silence was one of his natural gifts.

The broadsword was laden down, and the staff picked next. Presuming she’d catch that one quickly too, he briefly side-stepped, quietly, efficiently, and over portions of wood in stealthy dispositions. “Yes,” came at first, closer to the windows, via his air mastery once more – and he had to withhold a threatening bout of laughter as she shoved the weapon backwards, exactly where he would’ve been standing moments before. “However…,” would be the only hint of something incoming.

The wood would move under her feet – earthen intonations taking over, rumbling through the timber, in undulations and waves, intending to make her position falter, stumble, and bumble around.

Hotaru

Her shoulders immediately angle towards the windows where the voice came from, brow crinkling in consternation. He shouldn’t have been able to move so swiftly from where she’d last heard him…her mind clicks away, mouth parting to call him out on his trickery when the floor beneath her begins to buckle and roll. Ru yelps and plants the staff to help her keep her balance, barely resisting the urge to rip her blindfold off and zap him.

“Cheater,” she laughs, the accusatory sharpness of her tone blunted by the focus she has to exert to keep herself standing. Unfortunately her magic is almost entirely offensive, which is admittedly something to consider now. She has no way of seeking or forcing him out of hiding. Even if he is hiding in plain sight.

So instead she allows him his fun and reaches for the next, stumped by the complexity of what she feels under her hand. Tracing the wire and mechanisms with uncertain hands. Hotaru has never wielded a crossbow before, not one for long range weapons in general given the nature of her magic. But once the two main shapes are placed, at least the weapon is incapable of being mistaken for anything else. “Crossbow. And while I don’t think I will, if you let me shoot you with this I won’t help you until I’ve guessed all the others.” So he should either dodge or be ready to bleed out while she plays her game.

Shooting an unfamiliar weapon blindfolded isn’t exactly easy, and takes far too much time in her opinion. This time she shoots straight ahead, leaving no room for surprise. As much as Ru trusts his reflexes, she doesn’t want to accidentally ruin Deimos’ adventuring lifestyle with an arrow to the knee.

what I did, do, to me and you, keeps me awake
if I were a ghost, you'd be the proof

Deimos

Dare we know the halo's hanging low

Gloating from the corners, his voice ricocheted from the ceiling, as if coiled and curled amidst the rafters. “I do not understand why so many say that,” by way of innocence and pretenses long since lost. Ceasing the earthen incantations, and crossing his arms with a feral, indifferent ease, he watched as she remained unharmed – bemused in his purposeful goading. Ru had likely known exactly what she was getting herself into by way of his assistance: not without his manner of devilish retribution.

The crossbow came next, and the Sword rolled his eyes at the threat. Like he’d allow himself to be hit anyway.

“On the mark,” came along an announcement from the ceiling again. However, the shot of the crossbow segmented straight ahead, puncturing into the wood of the wall with an audible thunk. “Shame. Was not me.“ Now, how to irritate this time…

For both their sakes, and a bitter amount of memories, he didn’t relent into the brigade of fire. Instead, the beast instigated a barrage of wind, ensuring a sudden gale-like force surrounding the Valkyrie.

Hotaru

It’s both a privilege and a curse to be one of the few privy to Deimos’ boyish mischief. Mostly a curse because nobody would ever believe her if she told them. He’s lucky he’s cute, as the saying goes, because even as she is bullied and teased she can’t help her own laughter. This time she at least is capable of setting the crossbow down before his vengeance is enacted, whipping her hair around into what will surely become a birdsnest the likes of which will take her hours to fix.

Sputtering and vaguely grateful for the blindfold keeping her eyes safe from the whip of her hair, the Valkyrie reaches for one of the last remaining two, hoping to end it swiftly. Except it feels like another staff, and she hesitates. Would Deimos have done two of the same to throw her off? For a split second she nearly says it, but the moment she lifts it, the weight on the end is off and holds her tongue. It dips far more than the staff. But if it has a tip, it could be nearly anything. Too short to be a pike, but it could be a glaive or a halberd. So she is forced to investigate it with her fingers again, careful now that she knows it will be dulled but still sharper than rounded wood. “Spear, and screw you for doing two poles,” she sputters through her hair trying to invade her mouth, and gripping the spear she whirls in a full circle, even if she knows Deimos may be beyond reach. It’s better odds than throwing it.

what I did, do, to me and you, keeps me awake
if I were a ghost, you'd be the proof

Deimos

Dare we know the halo's hanging low

Deimos had long since staked a reputation on being a stoic, reticent, furtive beast – the entanglements of mischief were reserved for friends and family. Whether or not they actually enjoyed his level of boyish glee (absurdly immature and juvenile) had yet to be proclaimed, but they laughed alongside him most of the time.

A smirk she wouldn’t be able to see widened at the way her hair resembled something a bat or bird would revel in. He had to stifle his laughter so she wouldn’t be able to detect his presence, but the Cheshire grin remained as he folded his arms back over his chest – surveying the domain as she sputtered. “Yes,” came from the entryway, another realm of his voice thrown in that abyss. “I thought you enjoyed challenges.”

For the miss, he compelled a few birds through one of the many open windows – permitting them to do as they wished around her (like find a new nest in her locks).

Hotaru

The shriek that follows would bring down the building faster than the fire they’d used the first time, because with a blindfold on the sensation of feathered wings and tiny talons feels absolutely nightmarish. Her hand scrambles for the last item, and rejoices to find it as familiar as the arm that wields it. “Dagger!” she shouts and rips her blindfold off, turning and spotting Deimos immediately.

Confident in the blunted weapon - and in her brother’s reflexes - she scowls and throws it with all the might she possesses, vengeful and pouty all at once. Then she lifts her hands to bat away the birds, cursing but unwilling to hurt them too bad. They are merely incidental minions - and not big enough to eat if she does kill them.

what I did, do, to me and you, keeps me awake
if I were a ghost, you'd be the proof

Deimos

Dare we know the halo's hanging low

Such drama over birds - but he snickered and laughed all the same, properly sidestepping as the dagger was flung. It made an audible thwack into the wall, and he snorted, wrapping his hand around the hilt to remove it and place it back along the armory. The birds were compelled back and away again, to flutter off through the open window, hardly bothered by the whole thing. “There. Now both of us had some fun,” and he grinned back over his shoulder at her, as he began putting supplies and armaments in their rightful place.

Considering, and putting the table back where it belonged too, the soldier smirked again. “That has probably been enough.” His piercing gaze landed on her for a second, purposefully devilish and irritating. “Unless you want to persist in the game.” He had several other incantations he could unravel her way, other tricks up his sleeve, but they likely both knew enough was enough, and her proportions of the necessities for the quest finished.

{FIN}