[HH1v1] Fight Like A Girl (Stormy&Belladonna) FIN

[medigel]

What was she doing wrong? Why wasn't this working? Everything she said this thing just countered effortlessly, like she was just talking to a wall that happened to have sass and sarcasm oozing out of it. Stormy might have called it the plaything, but she was the toy here.

Her arms trembled from how tight she was holding her weapon's handle.

It did not know her and she had no vested interested in it, so why were its words hitting her like this? "You seem to have unfortunate luck." "So small and powerless."

I am not.

But memories threatened to overtake her again, faint images of an uncle whispering in the mother tongue about whether or not mal de ojo--

Where was her trivia? Her safety mechanism? Thoughts scattered to the fog encroaching upon them, leaving her mind as bare as the dead trees that dotted the land, attention left only to the bare minimum--the emotions that were beginning to bubble up from the burning pit of her stomach and chest, all chilled by one simple word.

Queen.

It was like receiving a kick in the gut, her hands steady but her expression quite shocked. Another one of them? This thing had been a queen in . . .

No.

It was the most solid thought in her empty head, a defiant little word that chased the chill away and incited her once more. No no no, not again. Not powerless again, not a simple little peasant in robes too large and title too heavy, not a lost little girl again, no no no--

< < Pok nemeno. > >

The ancient language slid past Thane's fanged teeth like smoke, stilling her.

< < Jira dout lexri mrith othi. > >

The words were foreign at first, but one by one they made themselves clear in intent. She could hear the bones jangle, feel the jagged spine curl around her like a skeletal serpent, see the flecks of purple light in otherwise empty sockets.

< < Re wux yobolat, usv re wux drihli? > >

The anger that had been boiling within began to cool and solidify, go from unnamed and formless to the hard, sharpened need to put this thing in its place. Lava hardened and crystallized, forging her anew.

Thus did Stormy, in the span of the two seconds it took for the witch to dart forward, go from absolutely terrified to absolutely antagonized. Eyes flashing, the greatsword was swung up to cut her arms off from beneath--an impulse from her space being violated fed by something dark--before twisting at the apex of its arc to come crashing back down to the ground, throwing up a few rocks and dirt upon landing.

"Don't touch me, she hissed.

< < Speaking to it only gives it pleasure, > > the dracolich pointed out cooly. < < Let me taste its shield once more. > >

But Stormy couldn't help it. "I remember the kingdoms, oh yes." Her voice was just a little bit higher, girlish and nasty and somehow sing song. "I remember the seven colors and how we all lived little lives in red and gold and green and blue, black and white and silver too. Why do you ask?"

She paused as if letting it answer, but no--oh no, a sour little smile, an awful imitation of someone cooing over a child, slid onto her face. "Oh! Oh, I see. You were queen once, and you can't let that go, can you? Like a sad adult clinging to trophies of the past. What are you here, witch? A nobody? Bratty, yes, but I suppose that's why you got elected to position now didn't you: you just love to talk and talk and talk and everybody just loves to hear you, don't they. Is that what you tell yourself? That you were queen once and that it somehow matters here? Do you think I care what you used to be?"

The greatsword was pulled from the ground, but Stormy's eyes were fixed on the witch's. "I remember something else: I remember my kingdom won. Does that haunt you, knowing you were in position of power and couldn't help your subjects?"

AyeAvast

 

[AyeAvast]

All the effortless sass with which the ghoul had flung back at this Hunter's anger did not in any way mean that she was removed from the situation, though she might play at such. As much as the witch was enjoying herself in teasing and pushing this girl, she was also getting far too caught up in the dangerous game of bait the boss. Whatever resolutions had been made to simply leave this girl alone were quickly crumbling the more she showcased just how invested she too was. Every Hunter that the witch had encountered thus far was easy to rile, even easier to drive toward anger, and always the first on offense, but there was something entirely different about meeting this particular girl a second time to find her more hardened but just as easy to frighten.
That was more than evident in her hands that were beginning to white knuckle around the hilt of her overly large sword. It was screamed out with the way the weapon shuddered, more than obvious with how deeply the girl was breathing. Despite the protest that the witch wasn't scary, the fear was apparent, almost rolling off the girl in physical waves and that was almost worth the whole trip. An easy fight was nearly the same ego boost as scaring a Hunter senseless, so Belladonna found herself rather content with the whole situation.
At least until boldness placed the witch too close and she was quite thoroughly reminded of what foolish humans sometimes did when frightened.

Thankfully the fear shield held enough that the harsh stroke of the blade only knocked the witch's arm back. But even with that protective layer, the touch hurt enough that a cry actually broke out from her throat. That felt such a betrayal to the nonchalant performance she had been giving that she staggered back, honest surprise clear on her face.
"Do not touch you? Why? Do that bother you?" Vindictiveness drove her actions, first backing her up with a grin to cover up the surprise of being hit and then pushing her to dart forward with a quick feign to the left. A hand grabbed a fistful of hair and tugged before Belladonna hastened away from the girl. Two tiny hits were nothing if it meant really getting this Hunter going.
Another sharp question popped up, but died when the girl began to speak in earnest, distracting enough that the witch stopped to actually listen. The more she talked, the more emotion was lost from Belladonna's face as she stood there, pink eyes watching the dramatic show that went on and on. Even the litany of insults hurled around evoked no emotion. Only when there was a pause did the witch finally reply, but first she waited a few moments to give the girl a chance to breath before the ghoul broke down into hysterical laughter.
It was not the kind of laughter brought about by simple merriment or enjoyment of a situation, but one born from true appreciation of another's idiocy. Whereas there had been some time given to the girl to calm down after her little rant, Belladonna took a few moments to herself to really let out her laugh, nearly brought to tears with how hard she was giggling.
"You are too funny! Oh Hecate, that was... Oh, you're hilarious." A few deep breaths were taken, along with another flap of her hand at the girl. It took a few more stilted giggles before the witch could grin with the satisfaction of being right.
"Here, I am Queen too, actually. Not of the whole world, but of school. And I was voted into that position. So, thank you for the very kind words, but I am afraid that you're just not good enough."

The last question the Hunter asked, however, did wipe most of the smile from the witch's face. It was not that she was angry that this girl's kingdom won. That was such a useless concern that it wasn't even a blip on the proverbial radar of anger. What did make the witch stop smiling was the idea that she had not helped.
"Oh darkling, I helped very much. And nothing haunts me. I am the one who does the haunting." OK, that wasn't totally right but the Hunters didn't know that and it wasn't as though Belladonna was going to go about correcting her.
What she would do, however, was wiggle her fingers at the girl.
"Let me ask you a question. Your kingdom might have won, yes, but what role did you serve? Were you someone important, or were you the same washed up, useless, weak little thing you're here in this life? Wouldn't that be so sad? To be given a new life entirely and still not make a difference?" You want insults Lost Little Hunter Cub, oh, you would get insults.

Ol-j-man

 

[medigel]

Something violent flashed in her eyes as the thing not only continued to dance around her but actually came back for seconds. Primal anger superseded rational thought when its hand grabbed her hair, jerking around to swipe at her--too slow. Of course too slow. No words left her, just a green-eyed glare.

And then, abruptly, it was Stormy's turn to laugh, sour notes that rang dimly throughout the mist. "Oh . . . Oh my God, you think prom queen makes you better?" she asked incredulously, her weapon now shaking not with fear or restrained anger, but more laughter. Her head hurt still, but this was just . . . childish. "Oh I'm so very sorry then, let's try again: all hail the squat little witch with more boobs than brains who won one popularity contest in her whole young life~! Praise all around! I wonder what won them over, the Victorian whore outfit or the personality of a five year old? All of you must be so very creepy after all, I'm sure you've gotten someone's attention with that combination."

Tired of standing still, she began to move towards the witch, step by step, boots scuffing the ground. "Me? Oh, what I was matters now?" Stormy continued in that high pitched voice, feigning surprise at the interest. "Well if you must know, I too was a queen! A radiant, golden queen of Regalia, handpicked by the king himself to help lead his subjects to glory. It's a point of pride, you see." The laughter was gone, replaced by an odd smile that far too easily masked the lie as she jabbed the greatsword forward with each little point. "You poor thing, is that what you think of yourself? A bouncy little queen who couldn't be the leader she'd been chosen for? It's not a title for everyone, you know--nothing wrong with bowing out gracefully. Is that why you're here, then? Still trying to prove you're someone by finding fights?"
 

[AyeAvast]

"It sure as hell makes me better than you." The witch replied with a frown and a fold of arms under her bust. Things were all well and good when she had the Hunter scared, but now that she was laughing... And some icky attempt at being creepy laughter? Ugh, no, please make it stop. This was getting all sorts of wrong, as the witch knew it would have undoubtedly become the moment she saw which Hunter exactly she had found, but there had still been optimism. Now that the girl was honestly endeavoring to insult the witch, Belladonna was no longer enjoying herself, as evidenced by the increasingly pouty look she began to wear.
"You act as though 'Victorian whore' is an insult." It certainly wasn't the first time that someone had called the witch such, but it also had ceased to be hurtful long ago. Especially from a Hunter. That was like being insulted by a fly.

With little else to say to the girl, Belladonna stood her ground, frowning at her and suddenly finding her moving closer. It wasn't much of a bother to the witch that the Hunter came closer, so she only blinked at her.
"Not only are you a no good, rather unattractive, mousy little Hunter... You're a liar too! How very quaint!" The frown the witch had worn turned back into a small smirk as she waved a hand at the girl. "You were not the Queen of the Gold Kingdom, that I know for two reasons. One, because I actually know the Queen and she's a lovely lady. Gave me a pretty dress when she told me about the experience. And two, I know the King of that Kingdom as well. And even in the most farfetched of places and other worlds, he would never, ever choose such a boring thing like you." The witch sighed as though it were a real shame about that, shaking her head before she shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, I do not know about you, but I for one have had enough of this place. So I bid you adieu! Have a nice day~"

And with a whirl and a happy hum, the witch turned and began to skip back the way she came.  

[medigel]

What was wrong with this thing? Since when had any sort of whore been good . . . ?

< < Speaking only entertains it, > > Thane repeated, his personal mix of detached scorn flavoring her anger--anger that faltered once her lie had been seen through.

Of course they would know each other. She'd forgotten the witch considered Lifen a friend, which was odd since that was the whole purpose of why she had been attacked last time. Emotions were funny, mind-clouding things; she should have known better than to think she was in control of them when they were so clearly in control of her. Logic had no place here.

Something spiked in the huntress when it turned its back on her, though. No good, unattractive, mousy, boring--fine. She could handle those. She'd handled far worse from someone she actually knew, and thus the insults were like water on a duck's feathers to Stormy, much as her insult seemed to wash off the witch. But being written off as nothing was not something she could stand for.

She didn't recall when her hand found the runic dagger, only that the light weapon was a comfort to hold. Anger gave rise to a cold sort of clarity: the dagger was flung past it with a soft zing--she cursed missing--but it did its job nevertheless. The dagger embedded itself in the ground and in seconds erected a barrier that sapped Fear, blocking its way.

"Where do you think you're going~?"

She had no idea why she was still putting out a sing-song voice, but then when did she ever know why she did anything? She certainly didn't know how else to vent her anger except to get the thing to stand still long enough to make heads rolls. That, or perhaps she could return the favor about her hair . . .

"I thought we were having such a nice chat!"

If the lie was seen through, simply think of something else. Wear a bright smile, act like it was nothing, use that anger constructively. Physically. Violently. What was the better mask here? Why not be the hunter it proclaimed to know so much about?

Thane, curious, watched her destabilize.

"Why not fight me, witch? If I'd be easy prey it shouldn't take long then," she went on, smiling like the Cheshire Cat, frozen in place . "Come on: if you want to talk, talk. If you want to fight, fight. Don't go running away, Little Red Riding Whore~" Her free hand gestured come hither.

"Why don't you come finish me yourself? Or do you need a big, strong huntsman to fight a wolf pup, Your Highness?"

xAyeAvast

idek anymore

 

[AyeAvast]

Wholly finished with the situation, the witch did not spare any look backwards to the Hunter, not even bothering to give a second thought to the whole matter. Undoubtedly, this would not end with Belladonna getting to casually walk away, so when the dagger whooshed past her, she wasn't the least bit surprised. But she had hoped that even though the girl was seemingly tougher than before, that she'd at least still be a coward. Despite what might have been wished, the exchange wasn't over just yet, so maybe there was still a chance to make the girl give up. Or at least really get her to scream. Far be it from Belladonna not to at least give it a fair try.
"Where does it look like I am going?" The witch asked in a flat tone that she threw over her shoulder at the girl, not slowing her walk. The barrier was before her and if she didn't slow down it would create a collision between itself and her person, but the witch only sniffed at it before a hand rose to knock against it. Only then did she stop her forward movement, waiting as though it was just a door to be opened. She knocked again, though the action made her wince. Stupid Hunter technology, always made to zap Fear!
"Tch! You have no idea what a 'good chat' honestly is..."

Pink eyes studied the barrier for a few moments longer before the witch gave it a good kick. The whimper of pain that popped up was quickly swallowed down, the ghoul feeling overall very silly about the whole thing. With a huff the witch whirled around to frown at the girl.
"Have I not told you already? You aren't worth it." Belladonna began, waving a hand lightly at the girl. "I have no interest in talking as you have already proved yourself unwilling to part with any viable information. Though..." A spark of curiosity lit the witch's eyes and she turned the flapping hand into a finger that tapped her chin.
"You wanted to know about that thing you saw earlier... Maybe we could swap information." Not that she would do as such, of course. It would all be carefully constructed lies, not that difficult to create when Hunters didn't know much of Halloween. And it wasn't as though the witch had any real questions for the girl, but the opportunity to learn something was never one to be passed up.

A laugh burst forth at that last attempt at insult.
"Little Red Riding Whore, oh Hecate. That's good, I'll have to remember that one!" Going to have to try harder, little Hunter.  

[medigel]

Like a rubber band she was pulled tight, just waiting to have an excuse to snap. The laugh was as good as any, as it seemed the witch did not understand how to do anything else except giggle and taunt like a little girl.

Stormy sprung forward and arced the greatsword in a broad sweep.

"What information?"

She wasn't terribly interested in anything this thing had to say, assuming it'd all be lies of course. But there had to be a reason it was bothering to offer.
 

[AyeAvast]

With a guard so drastically lowered given the drawn out nature of their exchange, Belladonna was not expecting any attack whatsoever. At least not one that powerful, not from such a little thing. Normally pretty quick, the witch gave a tiny shout when she found herself slow to dodge and didn't bother trying to stop the noise that escaped her when the weapon touched her skin. Though she had brought one arm up in hopes of protecting herself, the blade easily bite through her sleeve to clash against her Fear shield. The shriek was broken off as the witch stumbled backwards, her other arm reaching across her to grab at the burning sensation where she'd been struck.
"Guess that's a 'no'." She managed with a grimace before she backed up all the more.

"You won't win, you know..." Why was she so adamant about not fighting? What did it matter if the witch honestly engaged in a fight with this human? It wasn't as though anyone was around to see her lowering herself to the standards of the violent Hunters who solved their problems with anger. And it wasn't like she had sought to do the same originally...  

[medigel]

"I won't?" She tilted her head curiously, feigning pondering such a response as she stepped forward foot after foot, the weapon pointed at its chest. "Oh...Are you sure? You haven't so much as lifted a finger this whole time; I've got something of a headstart."

The runes on the greatsword were glowing a soft purple: fully charged.

"Did you forget how to fight all of a sudden? All you've done is talk, and that is getting boring, Little Red. If you want to share information, start actually saying something. Otherwise, indulge me." Another attack was thrust forward.
 

[AyeAvast]

This entire time the witch had been trying to figure out what exactly it was that was keeping her from going through with her original intention. Not only was Belladonna good at fighting, she enjoyed the feeling of victory. But it wasn't until the girl spoke that the witch realized with a tiny noise her honest reasoning. The noise unfortunately came at the exact moment the blade was pointed at her so that she had to quickly counter with a devious grin.
"I do not wish to indulge you, which is why I will do neither." Belladonna told her, far too invested in getting her point across to really notice that the sword pointed right at her was glowing. Maybe that would have saved her, well... Most of what happened next.
One day she would learn enough about Hunters to understand that glowing meant bad things were coming and that even with Fear shields, a full on hit hurt really, really bad.
A scream left the witch and she tried to drop back in attempt to move backwards, gritting her teeth so she would stop screaming. That really, really hurt...

"Watch where you're shoving that thing... Just because you're jealous doesn't mean cutting them off will make them yours..." The witch growled with one hand massaging her front where the sword hit, her other hand falling back to the ground as fingers scrabbled into the ground to pull herself back. Maybe indulging the girl wasn't such a bad idea after all...  

[medigel]

< < Now, while it is downed. > > The dracolich was suitably ready to shut it up. But Stormy had a different idea, one that surprised her partner--pleasantly so.

She stepped closer and pointed the greatsword at it once more, this time the tip pressing against her stomach--or her Fear Shield, it didn't quite matter. Unblinking, Stormy pushed the weapon just a bit harder and let the Fear it was holding go. Unlike the poisonous nausea she normally suffered when allowing Thane his way, this time the greatsword began to rapidly grow colder as the charge oozed out, spreading its unnaturally frigid power into the witch. Some of it leaked into the ground and seemed to disappear; within seconds these areas erupted into black skeletal talons and hands grabbing at her, bringing further cold and the awful stench of death and decay--rotten bodies as though from the land itself. Though Stormy did not know, Belladonna might recognize the power behind multiple Death Grips keeping ahold of her, dragging her to the ground.

"I suppose the ground must be comfy for you, seeing as most whores spend time on their backs and knees." She didn't remember if she had blinked or not. The parody of silliness was no longer in her tone; she was being serious. "Why did you come here if you didn't want to fight or talk?" She paused as a thought occurred to her, and then scoffed. "Baiting me? Is that all this was?

"What sort of world must you live in, thinking you could play this like a game? Oh, but silly me...You're a prom queen. What do you know about sacrifice? You must go around all smiles and bounces and everyone must simply adore you for it," Stormy said dispassionately. "Tell me, how is that? Having to be so happy all the time?"
 

[AyeAvast]

Having been on the receiving end of the sword for the entire duration of their exchange, Belladonna was not at all bothered to find herself once more staring down the blade. What was surprising was where it pointed. Instead of any vital organs, it went for her stomach. A moment of bravado swelled within the ghoul and she started to pull herself back enough to kick at the girl, but the tip pressed down, squeezing the courage right out of her. Mostly it was the worry that something terrible was about to happen, but a tiny, far away part of her that was trying to stay calm realized that the tip of this Hunter's sword had created a very small crack in the witch's Fear shield. It was an odd thing to feel, but she was positive the shield was going to only disintegrate from there, something she had never honestly experienced in a battle.
But first, the something terrible had to happen first.
There was no way to fight the odd ooze that poured from the weapon, for it wasn't substantial in any way. At least it wasn't until it touched her skin and formed bone hard vices. Another noise left the witch as she was pulled flat against the ground, hating the way the bones snarled in her hair and cut into her skin. All the worse was the recognition of what this was, of what this meant. Any more thought to her own freedom was erased as the cloying stench of decay filled her senses.

"J-jackdamn, what is it with you and whores?" The witch tried, glad to find her voice still in mostly working order. The strained sound of it wasn't very frightening. "Doesn't it take one to know one?" That was really the best come back she could think of? Seriously. Seriously. What, what, what was she doing.
Another smart remark was considered, but it died with the girl's next question. Whatever slightly stricken look Belladonna wore before that dissolved into anger as the teen continued to speak, continued to toss out drivel. When she finished, the witch honestly found it within herself to actually push up against her restraints, futile as that action was.
"You do not know me, you whimpering excuse for a soldier. You do not know what sacrifice is." The words hissed out, her fingertips scratching at what she could. All her nails found were dirt and bone, but she pushed at those all the harder.
"Tell me, what about you? It must be so convenient to have everyone protect your shivering form when things get rough. It must so nice to know all you have to do is squeak and someone comes to your rescue. Your kind rely on everyone else because you're too weak to do anything on your own..."  

[medigel]

"Doesn't it take one to know one?"

Oh, terribly clever, this one, when forced to stay still. She couldn't help the patronizing smile even as a sharp p***k to her heart made it hurt. "I've hit a nerve, haven't I," she noted softly, perching herself atop the hilt of her weapon, letting her weight help dig it in more against her shield. "Deflecting instead of giving me more haughty words? Ohhhh, I smell a story~"

The bony hands were more effective than super glue. Stormy gazed at their hungry grabbings--her work--before turning back to the witch. "You're right, actually. I used to be like that. Maybe I still am in some ways; it's awfully handy having friends and family for back up plans, isn't it," she said as a matter of factly. "Get into a bind? Just cry out for help and at least three people are scrambling to get you. Wouldn't want them hurt, of course, but it's a selfish guilty pleasure knowing if something ever happened, at least a few will be fighting to avenge you--or will do things if you give them a sad puppy look."

More weight was added on the greatsword.

"Here's the thing though, Little Red. I don't need someone to watch me now. Nor am I the one whimpering right now."

Candace's warning was shoved to the side.

"So, while I have your attention, why don't you share a story or two, Your Highness?" she cooed, her eyes distant. "What about suffering could you possibly know? You don't even have to fear dying; that's why I don't mind dragging this out one. little. bit."
 

[AyeAvast]

Each additional weight on the sword pushed her spine further into the ground until that hurt nearly as much as the tip of the blade. There was very little left of the shield now, the witch could almost feel it thinning in all the wrong places. Any more weight and the shield would crack, the sword would puncture skin and more, and the ghoul would be done for. But if she could stall, if she could just get out from underneath this sword she could get her cards, she could heal herself and flee. Running from this girl wouldn't be shameful, the time for shame over her actions was over as this was one of the very outcomes she had willingly let herself walk into. She had sought out this outcome just by putting herself on the line like this. After this, running away would be considered a win.
The words the girl spoke were largely ignored, mostly because if the witch dared concentrate on them she would find herself being drawn in all the more. There was no way she was opening up, in any way, to this selfish brat. And that meant clamming up about not having a better comeback while being skewered with a giant sword.

However, it was very hard to stay quiet (not only because of the sharp sword that felt awfully painful) when the girl began speaking of her own experiences. The patronizing voice wasn't the best indicator of honesty, but the witch really did not have much to work with at the moment.
"Sad puppy looks work pretty well... But so too doesn't something a little more?" She asked between gritted teeth, doing her absolute best not to sound like she was about to start crying when she felt she just might. It seemed reasonable enough to assume that if this girl was so intent on making the witch out to be the naughty one that the girl was the one feeling guilty over it. Those who held shame tried to push that shame on others they felt represented their sorrows, right?
"S-so sorry, Little Bit. N-no stories when at the end of a blade..."

That bit about having to fear dying made the witch clam up nicely though, dragging a breath in with more noise than she meant. Of course death was still frightening, even if it meant coming back, it still hurt. It still was the bad kind of cold, the one that did not mean loving arms or sweet words. It was still vastly frightening, only Belladonna had seemed to have forgotten that between her experiences. Now, however, her eyes went wide because she had forgotten that it was entirely possible to die. And dying at the Haunted House meant far more to her now, too.  

[medigel]

Its wide-eyed look and verbal stumbling and gasps of pain shouldn't phase her. It wasn't human, no matter how much it looked like one. It was made of fear. Its only goal was to cause more. It had harried her with harmful words and dismissed her as weak. Who was weak now, little witch?

However removed Stormy was, though, she was human: and a faint part of her twisted and curled watching her do these things--more so when Thane urged her to continue.

"Yes, I suppose...The broken bird principle," she mused. Feeling its shield begin to waver beneath her, she stood up until the greatsword was only lightly pointed against it once more, shifting it to brush against the center of its collarbone. "Is that why you came here? To get someone's attention? Here I thought I was a little odd..."

< < It is weak. Finish it! > >

But no, she wanted to drag this out just a little more.

"Well, are you at least going to make it worth my while? I haven't seen one bit of magic, Little Red, and let me just say I'm a little disappointed. Unless you're a squib. Nothing wrong with being impotent, though you should know better than to pick fights you can't finish."