[ 1 v 1 ] Meandering (Llyr & Ruth)

[kuropeco]

The gym was the last place on earth Llyr could have been found, but he was there nonetheless, hair tied back into a loose braid that fell down his back and was secured at the end by a small length of ribbon and several of Pachua's feathers. He was dressed in a long, draping white toga that nearly reached his bare feet, looped around his neck so that the majority of his back was bare.

He seemed, of course, terribly out of place, but Llyr merely wandered around, gazing benignly at the figures that were already there.

huni pi

 

[Huni Pi]

While Llyr looked out of place, Ruth looked like she fit right in. Provided she stuck to the corners and out of the way. The grays of her sweater and skirt made it easier to hide in the shadows and her ever-constant silence meant she rarely, if ever, drew attention to herself. Which was great as she rather preferred to pay attention to the other students while pretending to inspect the sparring dummies. She wasn't doing so to learn how to fight, the reaper tried to avoid combat as much as she could, but she just liked to stare at other creeple.

Case in point, the boil who just walked in. His clothing choice was definitely something and Ruth was already making to reach for her sketchpad. She hoped he would turn around so she could get a look at his behind.

kuroopu

 

[kuropeco]

He had no idea he was being watched, Llyr wandering around for several more moments until he finally came to a slow stop in front of a practice dummy, eyeing it with a certain amount of curiosity on his pale face. A hand reached out, and he prodded it curiously before stepping back.

Then he lapsed into a musing silence again, reached out, and halfheartedly tried to hit the dummy.

(He missed. Badly.)

Huni Pi

 

[Huni Pi]

Ruth inwardly snickered at the boil missing his target and ignored the scolding the Shrinking Violet gave her. It was going to be about being proper and polite and not doing anything to make him realize he was being watched. Well, Ruth couldn't argue with the persona her Superiors had saddled her with, she was supposed to obey them in order to continue her schooling in Amityville.

But that didn't mean accidents couldn't happen, could they? Her steel pipe was in her hands as she swung the long weapon around, judging distance and strength with each movement of her arms. She wound up, took a wide swing, and accidentally-on-purpose lost her grip. The steel pipe went spinning in the air, only to come to a halt when it lightly grazed the training dummy the pale boil had been aiming for.

Ruth ran up to him, both hands clamped over her mouth in what she hoped was a sign of horror.

Target: Llyr's Training Dummy

kuroopu

 

[kuropeco]

Llyr shook his hand, almost absently, droplets of water slipping from the tips of his fingers and spattering the gymnasium floor. He seemed not to notice this, however, still contemplating the dummy in front of him with a musing, mildly curious expression. His interactions with the humans, so disappointing and painful, had become more and more apparent; and also with this became the very obvious fact that he was severely lacking in any and all talent when it came to defending himself or trying to fight back. His experience with the last human (or hunter, whatever they were called these days), had only made Llyr too aware of that.

So this was mostly the reason Llyr was in the gym, though he hadn't exactly meant to be there in the first place, having started walking without a proper goal in mind and wound up here. Still, it seemed as good a place as any to learn to be a proper boil and fight back against the humans who had hurt him, though Llyr, a pacifist by nature, was having difficulties with actually being aggressive. This was hardly surprising to him, but he was getting rather frustrated at his own lack of abilities.

How on earth was he supposed to protect people if he could not even do the most basic of things? For the first time, Llyr was surprisingly aware of his own shortcomings, and it was rather illuminating; not to mention, shameful, if he thought about it too much.

So, here he was, at the Amityville gym, trying to prove himself wrong, but it was slow going. He shook his hand again, dispelling a few more stray water droplets, and was about to try once more when there were a series of footsteps behind him. Something silver and metallic flashed in the corner of Llyr's eye, and he only just managed to sidestep as the weapon came spinning out of nowhere, grazing the side of the training dummy.

Startled, his hand jerked, a few spurts of water emanating from his palm, but they fell to the ground and splattered, harmless, useless, and unnecessary. He shook his hand again, trying to get rid of the water as the silver whatever-it-was fell to the floor somewhere close by.

Llyr turned, frowning slightly, and found a ghoul dressed in all muted colors, grays and whites and faded, faint colors that made her hard to actually focus on. He tilted his head, slightly bird-like, at her, eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her, and tried to figure out her identity. Perhaps he had seen her before? Perhaps he had run across her?

...nope. Llyr could not place her, and he glanced back at the training dummy, then at the weapon - which he could now clearly see was some sort of metal pipe...thing...whatchamcallit...and then back at the ghoul, who seemed, for all intents and purposes, quite shocked at what she had done, her hands over her mouth.

"Erm," said Llyr tentatively. "Are you...what are you doing?"

huni pi

 

[Huni Pi]

Ruth remained rooted to the spot for a few moments, because apparently that was how the persona would have reacted when the boil saw her. Her hands finally left her mouth, reaching forward to the boil in loose attire (which sadly made it impossible for her to determine the quality of his rear) only to quickly pull her arms back in a panic. Her lips would open and close, as a fish trying to gasp for air, but no sound came out.

She pantomimed her explanation, gesturing to the steel pipe lying innocently by the training dummy the boil had been aiming for, then towards the training dummy behind her. Hesitantly, she dismissed the weapon, only to summon it again and make another wide swing. Again, it slips out of her hand, only this time it flies backwards. She craned her neck over her shoulder and witnessed her weapon beaning the training dummy behind her.

Wordlessly, she turned to face the boil, her mouth pressed in a tight line, a brilliant scarlet blush being the only color on her person.

Target: A different training dummy

kuroopu

 

[kuropeco]

The ghoul didn't move, and for several long moments there was nothing but a silence that stretched awkwardly between them, Llyr staring bemusedly at her while the ghoul stared right back at him. She stretched her arms out, and for a moment Llyr thought she might be trying to hug him before she hastily snatched her hands back.

This was most curious. Llyr tilted his head again, wondering what she was doing. She looked rather peculiar, but to say so would have been rather rude, and he reminded himself that sometimes it was best not to say every little thing out loud, as he once might have done.

His blue eyes followed where hers went, to the metal object lying next to the training weapon. It disappeared a second later, only to reappear within the ghoul's hands, and this time, when, she swung towards the practice dummy, Llyr was relatively prepared and took a quick step backwards.

The weapon flew from her grasp, hit a training dummy standing several feet away, and clattered loudly to the ground - behind her. Llyr stared at it, then slowly turned his head towards the ghoul, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She seemed embarrassed, but he did not mind the apparent lack of ability, since it matched his own.

"It's okay," he said kindly to her. "I am still practicing myself."

As if to prove this point, he lifted his hands and propelled water from the tips of his fingers outwards - only, like the ghoul, his aim was somewhat off and the water went in several directions, most likely splashing the ghoul herself as well.

"Erm," said Llyr. "Well, yes, you see, I've still got quite a ways to go..."

huni pi

3 dmg to ruth oops

 

[Huni Pi]

Ruth did not even try to avoid the water, which proved to hit her face harder than she was expecting. The splash damage left red marks on her skin, and matted her bangs to her eyes, further obscuring them. She dabbed at the water with a gray handkerchief retrieved from her pocket, while pointing at Llyr with her weapon. Was she issuing a challenge? Or was she simply suggesting sentient beings might make for a better sparring partner than the dummies?

Of course, she might have also accidentally-on-purpose poked Llyr with the curved end of the pipe when she brandished her weapon at him.

HP: 37/40
Damage: 2

kuropeco