[1v1] Killing Time & Thought [Hollandaise x Thezil]

[The Semblance of Unity]

Hollandaise sat on the bleachers in the gym, watching the students move. Here, it was crowded enough that she felt more as ease, although she was always afraid to move about. The concern that someone would rip the leaves and flowers out of her hair was ever-present. Hollandaise was here to spar, though, and some aspect of pain was to be expected. She tapped her feet against the metal in front of her and then quickly hopped down. Even surrounded by others, her thoughts were... annoying, insecure. Hollandaise was tired of being frightened, tired of checking every shadow. When she had sparred with Deszeld, she hadn't thought of much at all, and that was refreshing. And (she looked woefully at her phone), she couldn't merely put Deszeld out each time she wished to come to the gym. It wouldn't be fair. so she was here, alone. Sort of.

No particular student here seemed so effortlessly graceful as to be admired, or so strong or so fast, but she couldn't be choosy if she really wanted to get stronger herself. She neatly side-stepped one pair and watched as the taller monster was socked quite neatly in the gut. But Hollandaise had chosen someone entirely at random already, and she slowly picked her way over to him, her feet making no sound on the gym floor. Rising up on tiptoe, her hand hovered over his back, poised to tap. Thinking better of it, she abruptly dropped her hand and decided to speak.

"Hello. Would you like to spar?" Simple and to-the-point.

cherno astra

 

[its me debz]

Thezil enjoyed watching others fight. The act of combat was honourable, and a wiser way to spend time than collecting objects or possessions. It was either on or off, a simple task to push the body as far as it would go before dissipation.

He had not, though, ever been challenged. He turned, gazing down at the ghoul without a sound, tv-screen blank. And then it shifted into white noise, before then taking the shape of sound-bytes, obviously smashed together from multiple sources:

"I HAve nevER, beFORe. I wouLD noT Be AdVERse."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

When Thezil turned, she blinked. And then she took a long moment to stare at him from head to toe. He was tall (this was good). He was not green or a plant (this was bad). But he was willing to spar, and that tipped the scales in his favor. So Hollandaise smiled politely.

"I am Hollandaise. You will be my third spar. Your voice is very melodic." And it was, in its own, inorganic way.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Or are introductions bad form?" Hollandaise bit at her lower lip before darting it to try and punch Thezil in the ribs. Unfortunately, she missed and simply ended up caressing the boil's ribcage. Disgraceful.


HP: 30/30
DMG: wat

cherno astra

 

[its me debz]

"TheZiL," he replied, calmly, not reacting to the ghoul's touch. Perhaps it was a customary form of introduction. With a gloved hand, the boil reached out to pat her head perfunctorily, with more force than strictly necessary. The Object Head moved as if his limbs were metal rather than the organic shape they were, like he had all the parts but none of the programming that made movement easier.

"I aM oNE YEAr oLD. I aM unDEAd. HoLLanDAISe is aN ACCEptable naMe."

hp// 30

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Hollandaise flinched under his touch, but schooled herself not to jump back. What if one of her leaves became caught in his hands when she moved? She still remembered, years ago, a game that have no ended well. Her scalp tingled at the painful memory. Instead she winced and left him do as he pleased, but her elbow shot out and promptly missed. She sighed.

"Hollandaise is not my real name." She ignored that he had said he was undead. She ignored it because she was unsure what to do with that information. The boil was not gross or particularly decayed, he simply was, and it made Hollandaise uncomfortable. She wished he would stop touching her. Hollandaise ground her teeth and her shoulder muscles tensed.

"Thezil is an acceptable, thought short, name, I suppose. Please stop touching me."

cherno astra

 

[its me debz]

"WhaT is youR trUE NaMe, thEN?" he asked, blankly. "WhAT is THe POInt of a NAMe if noT trUE?"

At her request, Thezil pulled away, and then plucked his head off his own shoulders. The TV crackled, and the boil brought it crashing down, using it as a blunt object. Not effective. But satisfying.

The Semblance of Unity

hp// 30
dmg// 4  

[The Semblance of Unity]

She staggered, briefly dazed. His television was heavier than expected and Hollandaise had never, ever thought that he might use it thusly.

"That," she said slowly, feeling her own skull for lumps, "cannot be good for your head. Or heads - if you have a stack sitting somewhere. And I have two names because mine is not very easily pronounced here. And I may not use it." She could not use it because she was not really a warder until the elders accepted her back... as if she would ever tell anyone that.

HP: 26/30
DMG: wat

cherno astra

 

[its me debz]

"RiDICulouS." Thezil settled the skellyvision back on his shoulders, where it locked into place thanks to his natural ability. It was but one head, but he had designs on many, including eventually finding his own. Maybe one day, he could.

But she had complained about his method of combat, and so this time, he swung out with a heavy fist. "YOu haVE manY cOMPlaints. UnbeCOminG."

The Semblance of Unity

hp// 26
dmg// 4  

[The Semblance of Unity]

She let out a certainly unbecoming 'oof' as his fist smacked into her shoulder. For a thing, he certainly hit hard. She circled him,. kicking out at his knees, but his legs were so thin she missed.

"I do not complain. I merely voice my concerns in a timely manner." Why did she keep missing? Was it because he was undead, or that she was weak, weak, weak. Ugh.


HP: 22/30
DMG: wat

cherno astra

 

[its me debz]

"ThaT iS, in FaCT, the DEFinitioN of CompLaiNing." His own blow this time missed-- she moved too swiftly for his strange, jilted swing to land.

hp// 26

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"While you are correct about the denotation of the word, there is a negative connotation that I wish to avoid. I do not complain, just evenly state things." She ducked under his awkwardly swung fist. Suddenly, thin vines shot from her, wrapping around his wrists and ankles briefly before retreating, leaving thorn scratches in their wake.

"Do you understand the difference?" She frowned slightly - she had hoped to do better in this spar.


HP: 22/30
DMG: 5

cherno astra

 

[its me debz]

"No."

Thezil shook the vines off, the picture on his skellyvision screen switching to some garbled error screen, playing a high pitched screech of disapproval, like a record scratch drawn out, or feedback from a microphone.

"I Do noT."

The Semblance of Unity

hp// 21
dmg// 6  

[The Semblance of Unity]

Hollandaise pressed her hands to her ears and cringed at the noise. Thezil was mechanical... or rather, his head was. And it was very, very wrong. She shivered.

"for someone who sounds vaguely logical, you seem to be lacking the logical underpinnings needed to understand speech variations. Is it because your head is a skellyvision?" There was no malice in her voice, only a strange, soft curiosity. Darting, she aimed a glancing kick at his knee.


HP: 16/30
DMG: 3

cherno astra

 

[its me debz]

The terrible sound only kicked up further at his resounding disapproval, grinding into the sound of claws against a chalkboard, allowing him to strike once, then twice.

"I dO NoT KnoW. My HEAd waS nOT AlwAYs a SkeLLyVisioN. It CaN Be ANYthinG."

hp// 18
dmg// 2+1=3

The Semblance of Unity