⁂ tick tock, the clock is getting louder

[rainprism]

Who: rainprism & pullsheavendown
When: Backdated -- Jan. 11th
Where: This general vicinity.
Summary: A Keyblade Master and a prodigy sneak in a quick sparring session before the weather gets too bad. Migrating this log from LJ.
Warnings: Just good old-fashioned pummeling anticipated. Will update if necessary.



[It. Is positively. Frigid outside.
Three layers of thin clothing, a pair of boots, and a secondhand coat would be all that protects Aqua from the biting chill, were it not for the crackling orb of self-contained fire that is hovering beside her.

She's waiting for the other half of this sparring match ... and keeps herself busy by hopscotching from one foot to the other while scanning the horizons, pausing every so often to stretch.]

Comments

[pullsheavendown]

[When Roxas had suggested their former training area as a place to meet, he hadn't expected it to be quite so cold. Maybe winter was finally showing its true face, enough that he was wearing an extra layer of padding beneath his black Organization coat.

But they'd work up a sweat from sparring if they did it right, and maybe it would be a shorter session if Aqua just wanted to take his measure to start with. He'd keep an eye out to make sure neither of them turned blue.

He took a corridor to the woods, just outside the clearing. Almost immediately, he spotted his teacher-to-be, and raised a hand in greeting.]

Aqua. Hey.

[rainprism]

[Weird ... how quiet everything is in the snow. It's no surprise that she heard him immediately upon his arrival, turning to greet his wave with one of her own. As she turns, the flame moves along with her, as if magnetized to her left side.]

Hey! ... [She laughs nervously, tensing her shoulders.] Staying warm?

[pullsheavendown]

Pretty warm. This coat's good for most weather...and an extra sweatshirt helps.

[Laughter is a good sign. Better than some of the weird looks he's gotten before, like she was trying to look at him and see what wasn't Ven. He blinks at the magical flame; it's not like anything he's ever seen before.]

How did you make that? It's kind of cool.

[rainprism]

[Short, jumpy sort of shrug. Too cold for elective smooth movements.]

It's a Fire enchantment ... no big deal.

[Freezing weather is a fantastic catalyst for creativity, as it turns out. One way or the other, she suppresses a smile and passes her hand hurriedly through the flame's 'wick', extinguishing it.]

You'll be able to make one for yourself soon enough. Depends on whether you have a knack for charms or not.

[pullsheavendown]

[Don't knock yourself, Aqua. Student-san is still impressed.]

I never used fire magic for anything like that before—just for fighting the Heartless. But I'm better at using the Keyblade, so I don't use it all the time.

[Just for the fundamentals. Set something on fire, blow something else up.]

[rainprism]

[Fire is pretty great at combustion and stuff, it's true.]

Ah... [Rubbing her forearm. Maybe she underdressed after all?] ... That's all that charms are, really. Applying the innate power within you that controls magic to achieve non-combative ends.

[If it sounds like it's right out of a textbook ... it's probably because it is. She's been brushing up on re-memorizing the basics for Solstice Academy ... and for her own enjoyment. The selection of books in the city are pretty ... hm. Interesting? Over-preparation does wonders for a girl who needs to get a few things off her mind.

Then again, nothing does the trick like a good sparring match. Taking a deep breath, she takes one last surveying glance around the clearing before moving a few steps back.]

... Are you ready, Roxas?

[pullsheavendown]

I guess I never thought much about that before.

[If it sounds like it's right out of a textbook, he has no idea, because the only textbooks Roxas has ever read are old psychology books from the library. School continues to be foreign to him, and he has no plans to get more familiar with it.]

Sure. [He changes his stance, already anticipating some kind of action.] How do you want to start?

[rainprism]

It's a conceptual art. I'm sure you'll catch on in no time.

[Extending her dominant hand, Brightcrest is summoned in short order and she adopts an open stance.]

Shall we begin with a physical match?

[A wise teacher ought to put her best foot forward with a new student, but color her curious. She doesn't intend to actually attempt to land any blows upon Roxas one way or the other. She'll focus on evasion while measuring his ability to utilize his weapon with precision and efficiency.]

No magic, no enhanced abilities. How does that sound?

[pullsheavendown]

[He nods. Roxas is no teacher, but it makes sense to him. They're starting all over now—even if Aqua had a good idea of what he could do before, they're back to the beginning now. Might as well start with the basics so she knows what to teach. He can always tell her what he'd been interested in learning before later.]

Sounds good.

[He takes a step back and extends both hands, first summoning Oblivion, then Oathkeeper in twin flashes. He's ready.]

[rainprism]

[It is a great and wondrous miracle that Aqua does not physically shout at the spectacle of this boy calling on a second weapon. She does, however, gasp so hard that her throat closes and she takes a few ungraceful steps backward -- almost a stumble.

What she's looking at. It ... cannot be reality.

If the -- ahem -- let's call it a 'break of stance' -- is any indication, Aqua is not prepared to lay out the countdown for their sparring to begin.]

[rainprism]

[What she does, however, is slowly raise a finger to point at Oathkeeper (it was the second to appear, so logically ...) as she makes some attempt to salvage her self-control.]

That's ... [ Do not stammer in front of your student, Aqua. Do. Not. Do it.

She clears her throat, regaining a bit more composure.]

That's an interesting illusion.

[pullsheavendown]

[Once again, he's forgotten something--forgotten that she's forgotten. His dual wielding shouldn't be a surprise to her, but of course, it is. So he blinks at Aqua, surprised himself, though perhaps not as much as her.]

Illusion? My Keyblade? [He lifts them slightly and taps them together with a clink.] It's not an illusion.

[rainprism]

[No, no, no, no, no. Lowering her weapon, she places a hand stubbornly upon her hip.]

I said no special abilities, Roxas.

[Wanting to impress her is one thing, but ... come on, cheating? He can't pull a fast one on her like this.
... Never mind how convincing the emanation of that extra Keyblade may be. Or how solid he's making it appear.]

Dismiss the decoy and use your real weapon.

[Look. LOOK how disappointed she is in you right now.]

[pullsheavendown]

[Suddenly he feels as if he's done something wrong. The look on Aqua's face, her tone--maybe he should get angry at the way she's accusing him of cheating. But he knows full well that he's not a normal wielder, and she's ten years behind the times.]

It's not a decoy. It's not any kind of trick.

[His voice is quiet, sincere. Maybe even a little hurt, although he's not intentionally going for the kicked-puppy look.] I can dismiss it and use just one if you really want me to. But that's not how I usually fight.

[rainprism]

[The sincerity in his voice has a disarming quality about it -- one that causes a flaw in her sternly cynical expression.

... Still, though.

Resuming her defensive stance, she raises her chin with a touch of haughtiness to Roxas. One Keyblade... two, three, four Keyblades. What difference will it make in the heat of battle? Illusions will fall away under pressure. And ... even if that second weapon is a conjuration, she's inclined to wonder how he intends to use it to his advantage.]

Very well, Roxas ...

[ Have it your way.

Her original plan remains. She'll focus her energy on evasion and evaluation while he focuses his on taking the offensive.]

Attack me with all of your might.

[pullsheavendown]

[Roxas eyes narrow as he observes her demeanor. Not much change, which means she either doesn't believe him or doesn't believe him enough.

Fine, then. It doesn't matter. He could tell the whole story, explain why and when he gained the ability to wield two Keyblades, but that's a wound he has no intention of reopening now. And there's a faster way to convince her.]

All right.

[There's a brief moment when he shifts his footing, and that's the only warning before he streaks forward, Keyblades out. He's not attacking with all of his might, but an awful lot of it.

Aqua's the Keyblade Master here. Might as well make her prove it.]

[rainprism]

[Aqua is firm in her stance, shifting herself slightly only when the indicator that he is about to move. She plants the heel of her back foot, her empty hand forward, Keyblade behind her.

He's ... a little slower than she expected, unless he's toning down his dash to throw her off. Maybe it's because she's subconsciously expecting this to be a sparring match with Ventus, not Roxas.

Either way, she's not moving until one (or both) of the actual weapons are on a collision course with her body. Swing away.]

[pullsheavendown]

[She's as ready as he is, but Roxas' one advantage is that she doesn't know what to expect from him. That's fine.

He strikes at her as soon as he's closer enough, then pivots immediately for a one-two attack. This is where his seed differs from Ven's—he's never been on the receiving end of a dual-wielded attack, but he's certain anyone he fights has to look sharp to avoid a painful result.]

[rainprism]

[Real or not, Aqua has only faced two weapons in battle when they belonged to two different people. This is far from the same thing, and to mistake it for something similar would be setting herself up for immediate failure.

A full backbend spares her from the first blow entirely, but the second strike grazes the hem of her coat sleeve as she springs away from striking range, booted heel whipping upward to attempt to clip him in the jaw on her way over.]

[pullsheavendown]

[Her foot just misses him, or is so close that he only feels it as a sharp breeze across his face. He's is lucky that he already knows something of how she moves in a fight, otherwise his head might be ringing now.

Which doesn't mean he's going to be less aggressive in the slightest. Roxas' eyes narrow as he focuses on Aqua's trajectory and hurls Oblivion at her. A split-second later, he charges forward, ready to strike out with Oathkeeper and call the other Keyblade back to his hand.]

[rainprism]

[The dark Keyblade -- it's the first Keyblade he summoned, so she's certain that it's the genuine one -- is coming at her fast and hard. In the fraction of a second that she has to contemplate her next move, she squeezes the hilt of Brightcrest. She may be able to deflect it if she puts all of her might into one swing, but ... better to stand by her resolve to remain solely evasive. It makes a much more effective point.

The weapon and Roxas are both coming at her simultaneously -- albeit the weapon is slightly faster, and the weapon is what she intends to be careful of. The real weapon.

The kid has some oomph to his attacks, so ... if sparring with Terra has taught her anything, a bit of fluidity will push that momentum right past her.

Eyeing the angle of Oblivion's spin, she maneuvers herself accordingly -- swooping flexibly to her left with a swift spin. She has actually turned her back on her attacker to watch the black Keyblade hiss past her, non-verbally and purposefully welcoming whatever strike he aims to make with the farce of a weapon.

We'll see how his illusionary conjuration stands up against the solid form of a Master.]

[pullsheavendown]

[Part of Roxas can admire the ease with which she dodges Oblivion. Even 'dodge' doesn't seem to be the right word; it's too clunky, not at all representative of her graceful movements. Part of him wonders if that can be taught or if it's something innate in her.

But the rest of him is focused on his own movements. Normally he would never hurt Aqua, but she'd asked for this. Attack me with all of your might.

Hopefully she'll block his attack with her own Keyblade, or pull another last-moment escape. But if she does, it'll have to be through her own efforts, not his holding back. Roxas strikes.]

[rainprism]

[Roxas strikes ... and that last minute block, evasive maneuver, anything -- it never comes. It was a conscious, deliberate decision to allow herself to be hit by what she thought would be a flimsy imitation of a Keyblade.

What she got ... was the force of a blow stronger than anything Ventus has ever landed upon her and a resulting gash that runs from her shoulder to the opposing rib cage. Not surprisingly, she stumbles forward with a sharp cry of pain, the grace demonstrated in avoiding the thrown Keyblade just a shadow of a memory.

Aqua staggers, flirting with the prospect of staying on her feet for a second or so before dropping to one knee, gripping her chest to steady her heart and hissing through what would be another shout.]

[pullsheavendown]

Aqua!

[For all his determination just moments ago, Roxas is nearly as surprised as she is. He really expected her to dodge, block, strike back, something, not stand there and take the blow.

His Keyblades are gone in a brief shimmer. As quick as he can, he flicks his wrist and casts the best Curaga spell he can manage. She's bleeding. It still doesn't seem real.]

Are you okay?

[rainprism]

[After taking a few generous gasps of air -- has the wind been knocked out of her, or is she just that shocked? -- the Curaga spell washes over her, lifting the pain and mending the open gash. All that remains now is the jarring cold against the exposed skin on her back.

Even so, she doesn't rise to her feet just yet. Her mind is still catching up with what has just transpired. Slowly, she begins to shake her head in disbelief and opens her mouth to say something ... then decides against it.

No. There's no point in defending her decisions. There are no excuses. She was wrong ... she is wrong.

Her head is suddenly heavy with shame ... so she lowers it.]

It wasn't ... an illusion. It wasn't. You were right.