[Training] the cut of our cloth

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

The Barracks are strange at night. Empty, echoing, contrastingly well-maintained and seemingly deserted. Desolate buildings don’t scare Evie after a lifetime in the Grounds, but the echo of her steps inspire the Evergreen to be lighter on her feet like a sneaking child avoiding squeaky stairs.

Deimos had invited her to a late night training session, well after the hours they’d both planned to be busy, but Evie can’t help the fond smile and lack of surprise to find him still at work by firelight when she finally happens across him. “Sure you’ll still have energy to spar after a full day wrangling soldiers?” she teases lightly as she approaches, marveling at the still-novel ability to step into his space to slide her arm behind his back, bumping their hips lightly in a loose embrace as she looks up at him, cheeky but relaxed. “Hi,” she murmurs softly, a proper greeting following in the wake of her gentle ribbing.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

DEIMOS

the fire can't touch me
for I have burned too many times

Warm glows filtered and flickered across parchment as he designated line after line in a makeshift draft of weaponry; fire crackling, quiet looming, a herald before a storm. Both Zuriel and Belial were occupied in front of the hearth, giving him ample opportunity to get more work done, and began to sketch another item in the corner, before eventuality was conjured in the form of crimson and echoes – looking up from his desk to see Evie gliding in. Arching a brow, but incapable of not forming a fond smile at her appearance, he leaned back in his chair for half a moment, placing the charcoal down. “I hope you are not implying I lack stamina.”

Meant to be cheeky and obnoxious, he eventually rose from the seat, grabbing his jacket draped along the back, acknowledging her presence in his space by leaning down, brushing his lips gently over her cheek. “Hello,” he ghosted in a light tone over pale skin, before pulling away, teasing all the while as he began to immediately wander down the halls, into the midst of the training grounds. “I am sure.” On an afterthought, as he paused near the door of the armory, the Sword called back over his shoulder. “Magic or weapons?”

the sea can't harm me
for I have been drowning all my life

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

Her laughter is slightly hushed, subconsciously intimidated by the towering ceilings and vast spaces. Words were easier, but laughter felt booming and obtrusive. The feeling fades as their boundaries blur and fade, his presence both a centering weight and a distraction from the world at large. “Never,” she assures with a playful grin, “just implying your soldiers are supernaturally tiring just by being nuisances.” Her grin makes it clear she’s twisting the comment at the last moment to defend her innocence, but it’s simultaneously unrepentant.

She tilts her face upward as he presses a kiss to her cheek, which swells beneath the touch with a small, pleased smile. It transforms into a tiny pout as he takes his coat and pulls away, but it’s easy to fall into pace just a step behind him, following where he leads. “Magic today, I’d prefer as few bruises as possible.” Mirthfully recalling days of staves and wooden swords and the lurid colors they’d left on her after. Though she was more than capable of healing herself, hopefully the bruises would be centered on her ass from being knocked down repeatedly instead of more tender areas.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

DEIMOS

the fire can't touch me
for I have burned too many times

“They are all right,” and he handwaved the notion – sometimes they were irritating, but he was overly fond of them just the same. The warriors probably felt the same about him, his demands, commands, and rational viewpoints. But he wanted them prepared for the world – and most had already seen enough trauma, trials, and tribulations to understand the importance of his words. The same could be said for any wandering into the barracks, seeking his instruction, tutelage, and expertise.

Bypassing the armory as soon as Evie announced enchantments over weaponry, the ghost of a smile curled in the corner of his mouth, and he put the jacket back on as they entered the training grounds. Now vacant and empty, save for targets, the climbing wall, and the crackling braziers, he ventured beneath the overhang, rather than the more chilling aspects of the snow beyond the stone. Turning back to face her, his head tilted, perhaps a forewarning to the Evergreen, a looming notion beginning to form in his mind – eternally calculating. “Want to make it a competition?” And to make the aspects more appealing, he jutted his jaw towards her. “You can call the shots.”

the sea can't harm me
for I have been drowning all my life

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

Evie mimes zipping her lips, even as they quirk in a smile. She’d never insult his warriors outright, but she’d gleefully throw them as a vague whole beneath the proverbial skyboat to sneakily avoid owning up to bringing Deimos’ stamina into question. Stamina she’d already faced firsthand and knew to be unfairly, insanely high. Magically at least. Though she wouldn’t be surprised if it applied in other ways…

Think pure thoughts, Wordsworth.

It distracts her long enough for them to arrive in the training chamber, empty in ways she’d never seen before. Blue eyes snap away from leisurely exploring their surroundings to focus on his face at the mere notion of a challenge, never able to decline one. “Have you ever played strip poker at the bar?” she offers, lips already twisting in vixen curves of mischief. “A piece of clothing for each hit? And we can each name our price for if we win.” Allowing him the chance to name his first with the way she tilts her chin invitingly, eyes sparkling with challenge, daring him to agree.

So much for those pure thoughts.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

DEIMOS

the fire can't touch me
for I have burned too many times

Goading measures had been implemented, but his expectations hadn’t been in those regards. While his eyes widened, partially in surprise, the bellow of a laugh still coiled its way through the hollowed atmosphere. Instigating, provocations, and layers of enticements had woven their way through their efforts again, unyielding meeting adamant, and the boyish grin was an answer on its own. “I have not,” though some of his soldiers had returned from patrols missing boots, scarves, and the like. Explanations had been scarce, but the nuances there.

But he’d been obliging – the Sword had rarely met a challenge that didn’t invoke the beguiling edges of fixtures and opposition. Even if this was one was foreshadowed to be far more intimate. “And as long as you are comfortable with it,” giving her an opportunity to back out of the insinuations at any time. “I agree, with a price to be named later.” After a victor had been declared.

A seditious, defiant glance was sent her way too, eyes narrowing dangerously in their piercing, slightly hooded gaze. “When you are ready.”

the sea can't harm me
for I have been drowning all my life

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

His laughter alone is her reward, sly smile widening to something more endeared at the pleasant sound of his amusement. She’d assumed he had not, but considering they would need to change the rules to fit their spar regardless, it was the easiest proposition to make.

The tacked on additional notion of secrecy and risk has her hemming and hawing for a moment, as if she’d possibly back down now that he’d agreed to the idea. “You have yourself a deal,” she declares triumphantly, eyes sparking slits of cobalt mischief. And on his unofficial mark, Evie directed her Earth magic down through her heel to avoid any physical tells, commanding a small pillar to emerge just behind him, aimed to shove against the back of his thigh.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

DEIMOS

the fire can't touch me
for I have burned too many times

He waited for some inevitable swing – but when she matched the semblances, his stare narrowed, grin widened, into something infinitely juvenile and inciting. But then there was just a nod at the deal, and concentration honed – competition fueling and flickering as much as the potential for more bemusements.

Landing shortly behind him, as the small, stone pillar wedged nearby, nudging at the back of his knee in such a simplistic way that he hadn’t expected it. With a snort, and shaking his head, for there’d been no defense to be had, he peeled off the jacket he’d only recently just put back on. Tossing it aside in a pile likely destined to grow larger, the Sword wasn’t to be outdone, unfurling another breath and instilling his own levels of incantations.

With a barrage of Mastered Water the Evergreen would find wholly familiar from their latest exploits; from above, intending to descend in droplets and deluges simultaneously.

the sea can't harm me
for I have been drowning all my life

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

It’s difficult not to jump in place with giddy excitement over having hit him immediately, but she manages it by the skin of her teeth. Instead gleefully watching as he strips his jacket and tosses it aside. In turn, her guard has to be up much higher, but she has absolutely no defense against the widespread attack he calls upon her, not only successfully hitting but wetting her as well.

“Damn that magic,” she laughs, and takes off her own coat, glad she had walked in with it. Tossing it aside, she uses her earth magic again, pulling on all the loose pebbles brought in from various boots to fling Deimos’ way with a little boost from her telekinesis.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

DEIMOS

the fire can't touch me
for I have burned too many times

Grin impeccably wide and Cheshire, he could only laugh as the water filtered and flickered down over her – content they’d already evened out the playing field – jackets dispersed and gone.

And while ordinarily the mastered notions of his Air magic would be able to easily dash away these damned pebbles flung in his direction –

It didn’t.

With another enduring snort he watched as the little rocks glided and pelted at his knees and calves; not enough to signify future bruises, but certainly gaining another point in her direction. Incapable of feigning the eye roll tossed her way, he removed a single boot, tossing it over beside his furs and coat. “Fine,” was a low rumble, before opting for his enchantments.

The Sword’s Air beckoned and twisted into the midst, forming their own volley of miniature tornadoes, sent towards Evie as gusts and plumes.

the sea can't harm me
for I have been drowning all my life

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

Her attacks are pitifully gentle, but what matters for their training is creativity and mastery of their elements, not brute force. Or so she’ll tell herself. Though she does wrinkle her nose at the way he only pulls off one boot - while she would have absolutely done it herself, he had done it first. “Skirting the line of cheating there,” she calls out, voice echoing slightly in the empty room.

This time she’s ready for his counter, and a small, Evie-width wall of earth rises to block the air, leaving her untouched and positively gloating. Letting the wall fall apart back to her feet, the Evergreen’s grinning face is summarily revealed; and as it is, she uses her telekinesis to grab onto his boot to send it flying at his abdomen.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

DEIMOS

the fire can't touch me
for I have burned too many times

“Could be worse,” he echoed in turn – because the notions of creating more layers hadn’t escaped him. Concocting sudden hats, scarves, mittens, and the like had already incited some level of calculations in his mind, but for now, he was too busy being appropriately frustrated. “I do not recall that being a rule.”

As his own boot flew back into his stomach – no unrelenting force, no painful maiming, just a physicality and well-timed execution – he could only visibly sigh, and remove the other, placing the pair together in the pile.

If he weren’t so competitive over almost everything, the irritation might not be winding down into the narrowing of his eyes – but considering there were far more veneers to be picked and lost and gone, maybe the Evergreen was just having a stroke of luck.

So in retaliation, he sent a rumble of Earth enchantments her way, unfurling and unwinding like minimized quakes underneath her feet.

the sea can't harm me
for I have been drowning all my life

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

“I’ll write a rule book next time,” she assures, amused by the notion of this happening again, or Gods forbid becoming a regular thing. As useful as it is for her magical training, they’ll be running on next to no sleep soon enough if this ends up becoming a pattern.

A small cheer of success leaves her as the boot knocks against his stomach, doing a little twirl of excitement as she laughs. It’s entirely luck, or it feels that way - as creative as she tries to be, Deimos is undoubtedly the better of the two of them, and it’s shown seconds later as she wobbles and has to brace herself with widespread legs to try not to fall as the earth trembles beneath her. Conceding the defeat with a small, playful groan, the Evergreen strips off both her shoes - because she’s a woman of her word, damn it. And this time she uses her telekinesis to snag at his coat, hoping to throw it over his head and blind him.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

DEIMOS

the fire can't touch me
for I have burned too many times

Another boyish grin flickered at her response, permitting the moment to motion onward without the need for words. The impact of this event would likely unfurl whether they ever attempted it again.

Especially considering she’d yet to miss him.

He gave another muffled snort as his coat came back to haunt him – dropping down over his face, ensuring a lapse of concentration and a heavy sigh. “Really,” resounded beneath the layers that he easily plucked away after a moment of simply staring at the fabric in vague disgust, before tossing that, and now his pair of socks, back into the pile. The Sword couldn’t remember a time where he’d done this poorly – save for maybe nearly dying in either caves or Spires.

Shaking his head, and striving to ignore the very cool stone beneath bare feet, he pulsed and pulled his incantations together. Evening the score would cease some of the competitive goading brewing through his blood – and so he manifested another barrage of Water enchantments, in traces of snow meant to flicker down over her.

the sea can't harm me
for I have been drowning all my life