woah what a boona log without mer chaos

[broroona]

[Blades slice through the air with a whistle and get batted away easily. disappointing but still effective. The dog was catching on. In a way, that made it more fun. With a faint grin, Baroona follows up, darting under the glaive as it knocks the other blade away–his free hand snaps the cord back so the knife will return. With his other blade he stabs deep into the jackal's thigh and slices out. Tear some ligaments, muscles, something. By the way the creature howls and falters, it seems to have worked.

A snarl forewarns him–he looks up, the other side of the glaive comes down. Baroona leans back just in time. The blade enters his thigh–an eye for an eye–where it would've met his back. Fatal blow avoided, but he still barks in pain as the end is pulled out. It starts to swing down again; Baroona doesn't wait to move. Pushing off his back leg, he shoves the jackal to the ground in a tackle, wrestling and cutting with it until–with a knife buried in its throat–it stops moving.

With a heavy sigh, Baroona sits up straight, wiping the sweat from his brow and fixing the cloth around his face. On the corpse's armor, he wipes his knives clean, draping the cord around his neck as he pushes off its body to stand...

And promptly falls over into the sand. Great.

Frowning, he tries again; fails again. He keeps it up, if only because falling helps him close the distance between himself and the well nearby.]

Comments

[broroona]

[wow cute but fuck off he's not looking at you]

Exhaustion slows you down in battle. [... Okay, fine. A glance his way.] I said I'm relying on you. If you're too tired to help out, you're useless.

[AKA yes, I was worried.]

[luxuriant]

Haha, good point, good point...

[He would be. He leans back, thinking on that (and how he's going to answer it) just for a moment before he nudges Baroona with his shoulder, pointing to his own chest. Namely the crystal in the center of it.]

You see this thing? [He gives him a glance, allowing his tone to be a bit more serious-- it's a tone he uses for explaining things. Facts, details...] It's not just for show. It gives me power ups so that I'm stronger in battle, and I need less sleep for it, too.

[It's a white lie. It does make him stronger and not need sleep... But of course the real issue is entirely more complicated. That's not what's going to help here, though.]

I bet I could beat you if we spar how you are right now.

[broroona]

[It sounds like bullshit but so did magic, gods and everything else that Zelos had. Baroona was starting to learn that a suspension of disbelief was required for understanding, so he pauses every voice that tells him that there's no way this "gem" is responsible. He accepts it, even if it's a struggle and takes him a couple minutes to comprehend.

Especially when he's just been confronted with a challenge.

His eyes turn sharply towards Zelos, a frown pulling at his lips.]

You're underestimating me.

[A calm warning.]

[luxuriant]

No. [He relaxes by bringing both arms up behind his head, grinning.]

You're underestimating me. I'm not the one who needs sleep right now.

[broroona]

[With a twitch of a frown, he resists the urge to stand up. He's not so weak as to take the bait that easily. Crosses his arms instead.]

I'm used to this. It's fine.

[luxuriant]

Oh yeah?

[He shifts his gaze up. There's not really a sky down here, even if there had been a sun earlier... So there aren't stars to count. Hm. That wasn't really his style anyway.]

Then I'll just keep you company.

[broroona]

[Not the answer he was expecting and it shows–he blinks in surprise at Zelos before easing into a small smile. Pushes into Zelos' shoulder, light enough that he hopefully won't notice. Beyond that, he stays quiet, watching the sand shift slightly under the wind.]

Think our clothes will be dry by tomorrow?

[luxuriant]

If they don't, it might be a nice coolant for how hot it's gonna turn again.

[He points this out without a comment on the shoulder bump, even if he did notice it. It's just relaxing to have the company and to sit back, not spending the whole night to his own dark thoughts for once.]

[broroona]

[Baroona snorts, leaning back.]

You've never had to do it before, have you?

[Stretches out one leg while he curls up the other, resting a wrist on it.] It's painful.

[luxuriant]

What are you trying to say? Just because I'm a noble doesn't mean I haven't been through stuff myself. [Which he knows, coming from a noble, must sound laughable when no one knows what it is he's done.]

The cold bothers me more than the heat does.

[broroona]

Yeah?

[There's a touch of intrigue to the inclined look Baroona throws him, but beyond that: nothing.] Why don't you just use that magic if it bothers you?

[You know. The fire one. It's gotta be applicable for stuff like that, otherwise–what's the use?]

[luxuriant]

[He laughs at that, slowly raising one of his legs so he can use the knee as an arm rest. It's not the cold so much as the memories that bother him, but...]

I can't just go around setting everything on fire! Besides, my mana is limited, and those spells I know are mostly for the offense.

[broroona]

That's stupid. [Wow, blunt.] Why don't you learn more practical ones?

[Half-spoken through a yawn, he curls forward.]

[luxuriant]

They're not stupid! [He shoots his eyes over to Baroona as he says that, though his tone is a little softer than the usual arguments.] They're plenty practical for fighting monsters when I can't get close enough. Besides, I have healing spells, too.

[broroona]

[Ugh, don't get him started on the healing spells. But no, hunched over, curled around himself, he looks up at Zelos, studying him. Slowly going through what other types of magic he could possibly have while keeping in mind the gem on his chest. How else could that help him?

It's out of curiosity, in all seriousness, that he asks:] Can you fly?

[luxuriant]

Huh?

[The question surprises him enough that his expression falters into shock. He blinks a few times, trying to understand the train of thought, but not quite getting it. And then he laughs lightly, shaking his head.]

No... Where'd that come from...?

[broroona]

[Baroona shrugs.]

Magical people can always fly in stories.

[The like. Three he knows. He didn't exactly have a warm childhood.]

[luxuriant]

[Oh. He relaxes a bit in his posture, laughing at that.]

I'm not some character in a book. I'm not even a full magician. I'm a magic swordsman! ...So basically, I mainly rely on my sword, but my magic is there to back me up if I need it.

I don't really think I've heard of most magicians being able to fly, though...

[broroona]

I didn't say magicians. I said magic people.

[Another yawn.] Gods. Humans aren't allowed to have magic or something.

[He never really listened when people told him about this stuff. Fictional stories had never truly interested him so much as true ones.]

[luxuriant]

[Zelos grows quiet to listen to that. Weren't magicians just people who used magic? But that last part has him dropping that detail to follow up on that train of thought, instead.]

Not allowed? Says who? [It's a bit of a challenging question as he shifts to drop his arms in his lap, slouching a little more against the rock.]

Normally you need elven blood to use magic. But thanks to the latest in Tethe'allan technology, I can use it too. I'm not gonna sit around thinking how it's wrong when it's saved my life countless times.

[broroona]

[There are a couple telling things said there that Baroona files away for later. Future knowledge and whatnot. For now, while his limbs feel heavy, he asks the easy questions.]

Elven blood? Is that like having a god's blood?

[luxuriant]

No. It's just the blood of elves. It's a race of people.

[He answers it calmly enough. Or at least professionally enough. He's used to being in audience with the King and other high authority figures where mildly irritating questions can be written off as a lack of knowledge.]

They have a better connection with mana, the source of all life, so they can manipulate it into magic.

[broroona]

[But only gods can use magic. He's close to saying it but bites his tongue. Reluctantly forces himself to admit that there... might be other worlds here. Other customs, religions. It just makes things harder to understand, which is frustrating in itself. He falls silent trying to surmount that particular challenge.]

So... They're the only ones who can use it?

[luxuriant]

Elves, half-elves, and those who descended from elves... Yeah.

[Unless you eat a magic rock, but details.]

[broroona]

But you're not any of those.

[HE'S JUST TRYING TO UNdERSTANd.]