Kyy smiled as he watched her calming herself. He followed suit, doing the same. His lax stance remained the same though. Any trained fighter wouldn't underestimate it though. They'd see just how covered he was defensively. "I'd rather not throw the first attack. I'd rather wait for you. Thanks for the offer though sweetie." He winks playfully. He didn't plan to use his hands in the fight, hence why he had them in his pockets.

Icarus watched as the other members of Night Raid filtered out of the kitchen before pushing himself off of the counter with a sigh and did the same, grabbing another apple as he passed. Walking the halls, his hand idly went to rest over his heart, or more specifically the mark symbolising the presence of the Ultra-class Dragon feared as the Tyrant. It was always there when he used Fafnir, tugging at his mind to give in to the primal instincts and be reborn as the new Tyrant, some days whispering louder than others. It wasn't something he could really talk about with the others, something that they would fully understand. He looked at the fruit in his hand as his grip tightened slightly, pushing the thoughts away. This wasn't time to get hung up on this, just before his first real mission in over a month...

Lost in his thoughts, he drifted into the living room of the hideout but stopped just over the threshold. He looked up and spotted Gwyneth, absorbed in a book and saving her strength, as a small smile came to his face. He was glad she was able to relax somewhat, maybe it might help him do the same. He looked at the apple in his hand and shrugged before speaking up. "Hey Gwyn, Catch!" Waiting a second for her to react, he tossed the fruit to her in hopes she would catch it. She probably wouldn't turn it down, given her insane metabolic rate. Instead of walking out to train, he crossed the room and settled into one of the adjacent seats.

"How are you feeling? First mission since a month ago... Say, Gwyn, do you ever worry about what might happen when we use our Imperial Arms; you, me and Kyy?" He trailed off, uneasiness settling into his eyes. During the almost-failed mission, he'd felt the Tyrant's presence frighteningly clearly, a primal tugging to slaughter and feed, but other than that it'd had been quiet. Unusually so. He wasn't even sure why he'd stop to talk to Laevateinn's wielder over everyone else. Maybe it was because he felt she was the one that could come closest to feeling the same, given the draconic nature of her weapon. Whatever it was, Icarus felt like he needed to talk to someone about it, and she was the only one that might understand. Kyy was similar, true, but demons are pure and simple evil and, in a way, that makes it easier to deal with. But Dragons aren't evil, they're just running on instinct, and that grey area of morality is harder to push aside.

Cochise lowly sighed as he leaned up against the wall before he'd go to watch the two suddenly start the fight. He hadn't assumed a stance before Kylie had tried to send an upwards kick towards the jaw of the man that he was somewhat working with in this spar. He was both amazed and confused by the broad move caused by the pink-haired westerner, he mostly was confused by why she did such and why Kyy at least didn't have his hands at the ready. A low sigh escaped his mouth as he'd step forward, thinking to himself about what he had gotten into with his foolish eagerness to see what he could do in a spar. He somewhat doubted his own capabilities within combat as he closed the distance between him and the pink-haired westerner.

What he did was possibly one of the most basic moves that could be done within this situation, seeing as he didn't have time to throw himself into a proper stance and prepare himself despite the fact actual combat doesn't really allow that. He'd attempt to drive a simple obverse punch sent off from his right hand towards that of the woman's left side, right where the deltoid was located as he aimed the punch. He didn't try to throw all he had into it, figuring it'd be foolish to throw all he could into a blow that might somehow be dodged. He attempted to aim it and throw it somewhere within the time window that she had landed from the kick, himself noting that exactly throwing a kick straight off the bat in a spar was foolish if the other opponent had some basic background knowledge on such.

If the blow did land, it held some force and speed to it that acclaimed to the fact that the man 'did' train, just in the forest situated outside of the base.
@Agent 47

Gwyneth was enjoying her book on the living room of the headquarters, totally ignoring the outside world around her, until she heard some footsteps and her senses told her that something was approaching. With a quick and almost instinctual movement of her hand, she caught an spheric object that was going to hit her in the head. Her red eyes drifted off of the book, and rested on a fresh-looking apple. Looking for the source of the projectile, she found that in the same room was her friend, Icarus, and a fellow dragon-like Imperial Arm wielder. A small smile made its way onto her face as she closed her book, placing a bookmark in the page that she was reading along the way. "It's nice to see you, Icarus. Thanks for the apple" Gwyneth said with courtesy as she bit the fruit, greatly thankful for the kindness of the assassin. The blonde was always for a conversation just before a mission. It helped ease her at worries and lightened her mood to just talk about anything.

She followed Icarus with her eyes as he relaxed into one of the seats, proceeding to ask her how she felt about the use of their Imperial Arms and the mission. Gwyneth saw how his eyes seemed a little down as he said that, so she understood that he maybe was nervous about the prospect of using a weapon whose properties could end up killing you. "That's an interesting question. I'm worried about what could happen to us if we overuse our powers? She said while playing with the half-eaten apple a little. "If I'm honest, I'm not worried about myself, if that's what you're thinking. Even if I end up turning in the Black Dragon, I'm pretty sure that the flames of Laevateinn will burn my soul and consciousness before I feel anything. The one known as Gwyneth Idris would die before she felt how her body transformed into something more" She continued with a calm face, even when talking about a matter such as this. "What I'm worried about is you guys... I know it sounds selfish, but I would want to die before having to watch how any of you becomes a wild beast. I made my choice, and I always contemplate the possibility of me dying on a mission, but with my friends is an entirely different matter..." This time, as she said that, her features strained a little. Gwyneth loved her friends and their company, and the sole thought of one of them leaving her was unbearable...

She raised her head again, not directly looking at her black haired friend. "I can understand to a certain extent of why you came to me with a question like that. I hear voices from time to time, too. I don't know what Fafnir tells you, but Laevateinn..." Gwyneth trailed off a little, diverting her eyes on purpose. "...Laevateinn wants to burn everything to ashes. When I'm emotional, it whispers to me that I should let my burning blood go wild, and destroy everything and everyone. Not for some wish of self-preservation, or survival. This sword wants to cause pure and utter destruction, as much as possible. It exists only to destroy. Even my accelerated metabolism is proof that it wants to destroy me too, even if I abide to its wishes. It isn't called 'Crimson Apocalypse' for nothing. The Tyrant's Heart you wield... it represents life, the will to live. Laevateinn represents chaos, burning chaos capable of engulfing the world and its creatures. The only thing that prevents its influence of taking over is the memory of my father. When I'm on the brink of snapping, I always think of my father. When you hear Fafnir, you have someone to think of?" Gwyneth finished, looking at Icarus with burning red eyes filled with determination.

Kylie probably knew that the easterner wasn't too afraid to get up close and personal within a fight, despite him being somewhat restrained in what he wanted to fight and when he wanted to as well. Although something seemed to come over the man as he'd had not try to let off of her after she had been knocked off balance by the basic blow he had offered. The Easterner was athletic but didn't know what allowed the woman to have the form of dexterity she had, to be capable of recovering from being knocked off balance that easily something he couldn't even do that fast. The only thing he took a guess at was that their difference in dexterity and possibly general speed without their Imperial Arms was a fairly decent size, him figuring her being a female whose been under the usage of her own probably allowed her to do such without the restraints the own man had. He didn't really want to underestimate Kylie though, since she knew that the woman was rather skilled due to her time fighting the Empire, similar to his own but she had been doing it willingly and had a bounty on her head, which garnered her reputation for being wanted by the Empire.

He did take a guess he was a bit more on the durable side compared to her, not because she was a female but because of the fact he hailed from a much more... inhospitable land than her own, although it could be argued otherwise due to her being a wanted member of Night Raid.

Although these thoughts only were brought along for a brief second before she sent off the roundhouse kick towards his abdomen, with him having been approaching her as she had been recovering it didn't really allow him to... dodge the blow, but more so attempt to lower himself somewhat and raise his arms up to try and block the strike. Kylie would probably make note of the fact that he seemed to know a bit about martial arts enough to know that walking into a kick was far better off than attempting to dodge one you can't. His forearms taking the brunt of the blow before the three punches began to slam themselves into his forearms, causing him to lower them due to the force he knew the woman was capable of in pain, but he oddly enough kept trying to go at it. He gritted his teeth as he attempted to burn through the pain, and attempt to try and rush forward as he was during the whole combo, and try to send a single strong strike from his right elbow in an attempt to try and slam such into the center of her chest towards her sternum.
Despite if the blow went through or not, she'd note that a wild look she probably had seen in his eyes during the few missions they've been through burned within his eyes. His eyes set on her as he did such, him appearing to grow more into the fight than he had originally been in. She'd also note that he devoted himself to singular, strong well-aimed blows instead of multiple ones unlike her, maybe him preferring precision and power behind a blow instead of doing just a general amount of damage unlike her.

@Blackened World @Agent 47 @grandia20 @SpawnMeme @Shadow Daedalus

When Kylie threw a kick at his chin, Kyy bent back, using the momentum of the blow to help in a backfill to cushion the blow. He saw Cochise striking at her and wauted for a chance. He saw it as she tried her fake out maneuver. He rushed in, looking like he was going for a roundhouse of his own but instead quickly switched stance, going for a leg sweep followed by a jab with his left leg.

Icarus was quiet for a moment as he formulated his answer, a particularly dark image settling in his mind. His eyes went to his hand, palm up on his knee, and his mind flashed back to a memory of that same hand, only beaten and blood-soaked. "It's ironic, really. The thought that lets me resist the Tyrant's Heart is the same thought that drives me to use it in the first place. I've seen despair, lost everything; my home, my family, everything and everyone I loved... and I refuse to let it happen again, to anyone. I will do whatever I can to make sure no one has to go through that again." He went quiet for a moment, one hand clenching into a fist as the other lightly brushed the scar maring his cheek. In his mind, Flashes of his past mingled with those of his new life in Night Raid, the faces of his comrades superimposed over the corpses of his family and fire consuming his new home the same way it did his old one. He let his hands relax as he adjusted himself in his seat, leaning forward his arms resting on his knees as he calmed himself with a slow exhale through his nose.

"I've lost control before, not enough to permanently fuse obviously, but it was still enough to build this fear inside me. It's why I went into hiding before I joined up with Night Raid. There was a small town not far from one of the Imperial garrisons near the northern border, I was hiding out there to recover after I was pretty badly wounded in the attack and this family took me in. I was there for maybe 3 days before soldiers came knocking at the door. Without thinking, I used Fafnir to take them out but... I didn't realise that the man was still nearby. He saw my dragon features and attacked me, but my instincts took over and I killed him. Put my claw straight through him, up to the elbow. I hear the man's wife scream, and people came running... It didn't take long for the shouting to start and suddenly they were attacking me with axes, farming tools, anything they could find in order to get rid of me.

Somewhere in the confusion, something took ahold of me and when I finally regained my senses I was surrounded by blood and destruction, starting at what was left of a little girl, maybe 9 years old. I didn't know it at the time but that was the Tyrant, it had been threatened and attacked so it slaughtered everyone it saw as a threat.". By the time he stopped to breath, Icarus's head was in his hands, fingers tight in his hair as the Tyrant stirred at his emotions. With Fafnir in it's inactive state the influence it had was minimal so there was no risk of him losing control, but that didn't stop him from feeling the slight presence even now."I killed innocent people that day; men, women, children... Everytime I use Fafnir's powers, I do it to prevent the Empire from doing the same, but the thought of repeating that terrifies me. I'm Pathetic...". He whispered the last two words, lifting his head and leaning back in his seat as he gathered his thoughts. He couldn't afford be distracted during the mission, so it was best if he gathered himself now.

Gwyneth looked at him with a blank expression, her features relaxing a lot in comparison of a moment before. "You're not pathetic at all. You're just insecure about your powers. However..." As she said that, she made sure that her eyes were locked with his'. "...That line of thought will be your doom. I made horrible things before, but I don't let the remorse get to me. I wish that I could take back some things I did, but that's impossible. What I do instead, is believe." She stated solemnly as she placed a hand over her chest. "I still believe in myself, in the future ahead, and in my friends. I believe in you too, but what you need is to believe in yourself. Believe in your own potential to make things better, and keep walking forward. I'm sure that you will find your place in the world, not as a cold-blooded killer, or a savage beast, but as an incredible person who wants to save innocent lives" The blonde continued, this time with a warm smile that wasn't seen too often on her face. Each and everyone of Gwyneth's friends were precious to her. Everyone had committed their own sins, but what they did have in common is that they wanted to do the right thing in a way or another.

Her stoic expression returned to her face, while she lowered her hand again "...Sorry if that wasn't what you wanted to hear. I'm not the best at giving advice. Just ignore me" She changed her demeanor from a moment to another, instantly apologizing for thinking she was being insensitive. As much as a noble person Gwyneth says and tries to be, she didn't really knew how to handle problems from the past. Since she was a teenager she was willing to die while fighting against the Empire, so much that it came to a time when the blonde couldn't care less about the reasons of why she did it. Gwyneth had moved away from her problems because she was ready to die at any moment, and not because she really overcame them, thus making her unable to really help with others' traumas. She saw herself as useless in anything that it wasn't fighting until exhaustion. How could she really help her friends...?

Kyy looked at the pinkette with a smile. "I've thought about it but I can't give up Baal. That, and I'm only proficient with my legs. My punches don't really pack much punch." He takes his foot off her chest. "That and I prefer not to fight if I can help it. Baal helps with that and if I do need to fight, I can unseal."

Icarus turned his head as Gwyneth spoke, his mismatched eyes settling on her crimson ones. A small smile settled on his face as she told him of her faith in her self and in him, and he tried to make it comforting as she apologised. He wasn't too surprised that she did, it was simply how she was; underneath the calm and patience was a kind heart that was clouded slightly by a guilt he didn't pry into. It wasn't his place, after all.

"You needn't apologise... I cannot forgive myself for the things I have done, but you have a point. I am unable to see it myself, but if you believe that I still hold the potential to use the powers of the Tyrant's Heart for good, that I can save people, then I owe it to you and anyone else to try." He paused briefly to close his eyes and roll his shoulders with a small pop and a light sigh of satisfaction. A bad night's sleep, which was pretty much the norm for him, and the stress of the mission had gotten his arms and shoulders tense. His eyes slid opened again, but gone was the normal mismatched silver and pale copper colour, instead replaced by bloody red with cross-shaped pupils. To someone unfamiliar with his Imperial Arms, it might appear that the Tyrant was waking up but that wasn't the case. Instead, it was a declaration; he would fight, with Fafnir as his weapon."For the longest time, I've been fighting to kill, but never thinking beyond that. Kill the Empire, Kill those that took my family, Kill the mistakes I've made... I should have been fighting to save this country and it's people. It's about time I started, if you'll help me? If I'm ever lost, point me back to the path. If I let the Tyrant in, stop me."

He blinked and the dragon's eyes were gone again. He leant back into his chair with a sigh through his nose as his gaze softened a little."Now it's my turn to apologise. You just wanted to relax here and I come in and drop this on you..." He laughed softly, a sliver of a derisive tone weaved into it."Tell you what, when we get back from this assignment I'll treat you to a meal to make up for it. Deal?" As the last word left his mouth, he began to fear for his wallet. He wasn't exactly tight on gold, far from it in fact, but Gwyneth's appetite could still take a heafy bite out of it. Still, it only seemed fair given the mood-killer he had dropped.

Gwyneth smiled again at the acceptance of his friend to believe in himself, pushing aside the thoughts of ever hurting again a innocent. Her face fell a little when Icarus asked her to stop him if he ever lost control. "I...I will try to stop you if it comes to it" She slowly said, insecurity emanating from each word. "It's hard for me to hurt any of my friends, but I will help you if you lose control" The blonde surrendered to her friend's wishes, not really wanting to sound egoist because she wanted everyone to be safe.

Icarus apologized too for coming and "disturbing" her peace, to which she shook her head. "Please, don't think like that. Encounters with friends are never a waste of time for me" Gwyneth brushed his apology off. Even dark talks such as this weren't something bothersome to her, if her comrades were present that is. Her crimson eyes lighted up in such manner when he mentioned food that they almost looked like they were on fire. "I know it's a bad thing to take advantage of something like this...but I would be glad to take upon your offer" The young adult tried to sound as polite as possible to hide her seemingly insatiable hunger. She knew it was a bit bad to use this conversation as a means to get more food, but they would get to talk and laugh after that, right? Right?!

The Easterner would simply grow quiet as the two began quiet and as she was knocked on her feet, breathing in and out slowly to try and gather up what composure he could again. He simply thought to himself on how if he did any decent at all, and maybe that he had not held back at all, although he seemed to have at least learned that the others preferred lighter... spaced out blows over his preferred singular, well-aimed powerful ones, and that they all seemed to like using their legs straight off in combat for whatever reason as well.

He'd offer a nod off to the pinkette as he'd go to back off, crossing his arms across his chest as he'd go to speak, "Well... apologies for being the way I... was."

@Blackened World @Agent 47 @grandia20 @SpawnMeme @Shadow Daedalus

Kyy couldn't help a laugh as the pinkette mock chastised him. "If I were going all out, I wouldn't have stopped with a foot on your chest." He smiles and winks playfully. He then hears Cochise speak and looks over. "Hey, you did well! If it wasn't for you keeping her mind off me, there's no way I could've landed that attack. We made a damn good team." He gives the easterner a thumbs up.

Icarus couldn't help by laugh at Gwyneth's reply. He didn't need Fafnir's enhanced senses to pick up on her intense enthusiasm for food, even if she was making a valiant attempt to hide it. "So, any place in mind? There's a few food stalls in the market district, or this family-run place in the old quarter. Lady's choice." Icarus shot off a couple of suggestions, but he couldn't really think of much. Even with the freedom to walk around the Capital, he didn't really go there while not on reconnaissance or an assassination so his frame of reference for places to eat was pretty limited. With his aversion to alcohol, he seldom went to bars and he rarely frequented cafes and restaurants, to throw off anyone that might try to tail him by learning his habits.

He was willing to set that aside for his friend though, he said he'd treat her to a meal and he had every intention of holding himself to it. If she wanted to go to a bar or something in the same vein, he wouldn't touch the alcohol himself but he'd still pay for her meals. He waited for her response, nodding in confirmation before he started to rise from his seat. "Come find me after the mission when you want that meal. I'm gonna get some training in while there's still daylight." He paused for her reply, waiting until she was finished before giving her a short wave and leaving the room. His legs carried him towards the hideout's practice range in long strides, wisps of silver smoke coming from his body as he drew close and activated Fafnir. As he entered the range, Light grew in his palms, shaping to two pistols as he summoned Balmung. He spent the rest of the day there, practising with all of Balmung's forms and taking an hour break at midday for lunch. He stopped around 6, heading into the kitchen for a quick meal before moving to the meeting room a half-hour later, leaning on the wall as be waited for the briefing to start.

Icarus laughed at Gwyneth's apetite, and promptly suggested various places to eat. While she was more than happy for it, various posters in the Capital with her face in would make that very hard. "Hmm, I'll would prefer places where there aren't a lot of people. Wouldn't want to be caught just because I was hungry" She remarked, bringing a hand to her chin. "We'll arrange that after the mission, no pressure" The blonde pushed the thought of food aside as her friend said that he would be having some training before the mission. As there was nothing more to do, she went to read her book again until the night.

---

(Some hours later)

"You guys ready? Kylie said with her bow-like Imperial Arm already in her hands, looking ready for the fight. The afternoon went quite fast, and after the very brief meeting with the boss they were deployed in a cliff with clear view of the merchant's manor.

While the place didn't look that incredible, it had a good amount of security here and there. Since the best way to enter was to kill everything in sight, the mission would supposedly end quite fast if they all worked together. Gwyneth nodded at her pink haired friend, and proceeded to draw Laevateinn with her right hand. The black sword emitted a faint orange light, waiting for its master calling to use the so-deadly flames that characterize it. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." She said while friendly tapping Kylie's shoulder with a smile. "...I'm going ahead" As she made that statement, Gwyneth instantly started running and threw herself out of the cliff. With her strengthened physical abilities she could land without further problems, creating a slight cloud of dust around her, and with the manor just some meters before her.

The blonde calmly walked at a steady pace, her yellow air swaying from a side to another. Taking advantage that none of the guards had noticed her yet Gwyneth looked behind her shoulder to see if any more of her comrades decided to come, and then she quickened her pace.

As her footsteps became more evident, one of the many groups of guards finally noticed her unwanted precense. "Hey! Stop righ th-" One of them tried to say, but Gwyneth rapidly created a spear of fire on her free hand and launched it at him. The incandescent weapon burned a massive hole on the guard's chest, preventing him from doing a counterattack, and leaving the others too shocked to act. 'Would be better if the others came right now. I'll run out of stamina if I go all out right now...' She thought with a small smile while stopping on her tracks, ready to face her enemies.