[IC] The Two Sides

[xiaomiau]

Misha shifted her grip, frustration growing. This Rabin was clearly confident in his skills, but she didn't care. His clothes were too clean, his hair too trimmed, his weapon not yet used. She had no doubt he could take her down if he had experience, but her blood was boiling. She paused, then ducked down and lunged for his stomach with her knife curved towards him.

[Hawksnest565]

Aya desperately tried to stop the tears from falling, but it was little use. "Why would you try to drown yourself then? Nothing would upset me more..." She looked down at his face through her blurry eyes. "We just talked about this, Destin! Every life is special! You were so willing to give yours up... Why?"

[Azereiah]

Brick swung the sword at hip level the instant Misha started moving towards him. He had a five and a half foot reach advantage over her, and she was surrounded on both sides by knee deep water. His blood started pumping like it never had before, and he felt properly alive for the first time in years. A massive smile spread across his face mid-swing, and he wanted to see how she would try to avoid it.

[Fionraella]

Aya desperately tried to stop the tears from falling, but it was little use. "Why would you try to drown yourself then? Nothing would upset me more..." She looked down at his face through her blurry eyes. "We just talked about this, Destin! Every life is special! You were so willing to give yours up... Why?"

@Hawksnest565

"The herbs are all gone Aya!" Destin say, looking away. "I ruined them. I left a lantern on in the tent. All the herbs burned because I'm stupid! I'm so fucking stupid." He flinches, not used to swearing. His little baby ears flattening against his skull at the intrusion to their sacredness. "I...I'm just another mouth to feed. I can't help anyone. I'm useless and pathetic...Even my own group members think so!"

[xiaomiau]

Misha lurched to the side to avoid Brick's strike. It caught her thigh with a thud, bruising but not incapacitating. She leaned into the water to try to avoid him as it soaked her pant legs. She began to edge back into the water.

[wallaberry]

Kianna watched the two quietly. Her eyes locked mostly onto Misha... she wish she could say she hated her entirely. However, that wasn't the case. She shook her doubts from her head.

[Hawksnest565]

"Herbs?!" Aya repeated in disbelief. "Destin, you should have come to me! I have plenty of spare herbs! If your group has money to spare, you can buy them in town." She forced herself to calm down and go over his problems one by one. "Everybody makes mistakes, okay? I know that sounds like a stupid thing you hear when people want you to feel better, but it's true! And by mistakes that healers can make, this is hardly the worst. Did you accidentally feed someone nightshade instead of elderberry? Or did you fail to check an infection? There was nothing that couldn't be fixed. K-killing yourself wouldn't only make things worse!" she flinched at her stuttering. The words had been difficult for her to say. "If the Broms are anything like the Rabins, they'd die in their tents of a fever if you weren't there to check on them. Don't you dare think that you're useless."

[Azereiah]

Brick took a single step back and hefted his sword to his right shoulder. The smile disappeared and turned into a frown. Disappointing. He had been hoping she would have thrown herself to the ground or something.

"Strike one."

[Fionraella]

"Herbs?!" Aya repeated in disbelief. "Destin, you should have come to me! I have plenty of spare herbs! If your group has money to spare, you can buy them in town." She forced herself to calm down and go over his problems one by one. "Everybody makes mistakes, okay? I know that sounds like a stupid thing you hear when people want you to feel better, but it's true! And by mistakes that healers can make, this is hardly the worst. Did you accidentally feed someone nightshade instead of elderberry? Or did you fail to check an infection? There was nothing that couldn't be fixed. K-killing yourself wouldn't only make things worse!" she flinched at her stuttering. The words had been difficult for her to say. "If the Broms are anything like the Rabins, they'd die in their tents of a fever if you weren't there to check on them. Don't you dare think that you're useless."

@Hawksnest565

Destin looks down and sighs softly and then lays back in her lap with a small huff. "I guess. but it's almost winter. We don't even have firewood in the Brom camp anymore. How am I supposed to find time to get a group to take me for herbs when we're trying to do that? I could never take herbs from you...You need those just as much as we do." He closes his eyes and nods. "It was stupid of me to try to kill myself. But..." He shivers and moves closer to her. "At least one good thing came of it."

[xiaomiau]

Misha held her ground, noting his retreat at the first single of momentary failure. Doubt, she thought. He really isn't used to this. She held her knife horizontally away from her chest as she watched for his next move - or an opening to lunge in. At the very least, she knew that her blade was sharper.

[Hawksnest565]

Aya felt the blush from earlier return to her cheeks. "If you wanted to see me, you didn't have to drown yourself to do it." The words were matched by a pouty tone.

[Fionraella]

Aya felt the blush from earlier return to her cheeks. "If you wanted to see me, you didn't have to drown yourself to do it." The words were matched by a pouty tone.

@Hawksnest565

Destin laughs a bit, ignoring the pain it caused in his side. "Yeah well...Seems to be the best way to do it." He sets his head on her arm and looks up at her cutely. "I really really missed you Aya." He purrs and buries his face in her shirt again.

[Azereiah]

"That one's gonna hurt like hell in the morning. I hope you guys have ibuprofen over there or something."

He didn't take his eyes off of hers, and his frown deepened. He had been hoping for a proper fight - not just two fools standing in a river staring at eachother. He dug the toe of his boot into the gravel.

[xiaomiau]

@Azereiah Misha shook her head, beginning a circling movement around him as she edged through the water, still poised to lunge. "I've had worse, city boy." She watched him for a moment, then moved forward in a mock stab before withdrawing once again.

[Hawksnest565]

Aya shakes her head and sighs. At least he seemed to be doing okay now. "I missed you too, Destin. Don't ever do something stupid like that again, okay? I don't want to have to miss you for the rest of my life."

[Azereiah]

She wasn't quite close enough to worry about just yet, and she hadn't picked up enough momentum to worry about. He dug his toe into the gravel a bit deeper. She'd probably try to fake him out one or two more times before committing to it. The adrenaline was building up more, and his twitch reflexes were starting to go into overdrive. He'd have to swing pretty damn hard to get that nervous energy out.

[Fionraella]

Aya shakes her head and sighs. At least he seemed to be doing okay now. "I missed you too, Destin. Don't ever do something stupid like that again, okay? I don't want to have to miss you for the rest of my life."

@Hawksnest565

Destin looks down, then nods. "I guess I'm glad to hear you'd miss me if something happened to me." He looks up at her. "Maybe nothing like that. but a stubbed paw or something...you can take care of me all the time!" He giggles at that thought and how angry that would make Fabine! He gives out a contented sigh and watches the fire.

[xiaomiau]

Misha glanced around, sizing up her enemy. His reach was impressive, but he was putting his superior weight into the full length of the wooden blade. She breathed in sharply, then lunged forwards, aiming to close the distance so she could stab him in the gut.

[Azereiah]

Brick didn't bother swinging the sword this time. Instead, he waited a split second before he flicked his right foot up, slinging gravel towards Misha's face, followed by stepping in for a backhanded slap to the face with the left hand and immediately pulling back to a safe distance. He'd probably get nicked by that knife this time.

[xiaomiau]

Misha recoiled at his slap. She kept her eyes on the ground for a second, then turned back to him and sprang towards him in a zigzagging motion. She slid to the side of his sword and raked her knife across his chest.