2017-05-30: Bonding Over Epic Sparring
- Log: Bonding Over Epic Sparring
- Cast: Hiro, Gwen Whitlock
- Where: Hillside Ruins
- Date: 5/30/2017
- Summary: After the attack on Adlehyde, Gwen visits the Fiends' camp. Hiro, feeling helpless over recent events, asks Gwen to spar with him. What happens next is probably the most cathartic thing either of them could have done for one another at the time.
==============================<* Hillside Ruins *>============================== Settled into the mountainous peninsula of eastern Ignas, the region surrounding the small village of Capo Bronco is littered with abandoned ruins from bygone eras. Many of these ruins have been a frequent favorite of beginning Drifters and other, seedier opportunists looking to make a name for themselves or a quick buck because, despite their great numbers, they are often simply less difficult to traverse. Carved into the mountainous, rocky region itself, the Hillside Ruins have a distinctly naturalistic feel to them similar to other old ruins that dot the landscape. Glyphs and ancient images decorate cracked and crumbling hallways; moss creeps over winding, desolate hallways. This place is abandoned, but not forgotten; amidst its traps and tricks and creeping monstrosities, evidence abounds of the fresh presence of others, sifting through the ruins and the rubble -- looking for their fortunes. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFpvWupIyr0
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
The fiend's camp is. Well it's actually a surprisingly popular destination for fugitives fleeing Adlehyde. It's in cover, a good ways from the road- but there's not much paranoia ruling the day despite the fact that they knew Leo was in fact on Filgaia beyond any doubt and had showed up in Adlehyde. A semi-circle of tents around a fire ring. Logs. And a horse cart that's half covered.
When Gwen arrives- well everyone looks like kind of a mess. Hiro's bandaged up on one shoulder and a hand, his tunic frayed, the mail underneath it scorched in a way that just doesn't scream 'fire' so much as energy. "Hey Gwen." He offers this wave which seems somewhat tired. Not physically, but perhaps emotionally exhausted. "Gulliver." He adds to her ever-present companion. And then after a few moments in silence, "Appreciated that you sent a message our way. Been a hell of a few days huh?" For all of them. "Got a lot to catch up on."
-=-=-
Having lifted the cover on the horse cart it's easier to see Lucia's inert form. Still fully clothed save for her hat which is resting beneath on her. There's an impromptu pillow made under her head, and she's nestled into a lot of warm blankets. She looks pale, wan. Barely alive. One wouldn't think she is unless you actually get close enough to feel her breath.
"She didn't even wanna be there."
Hiro offers, sounding- ashamed. Guilty. "She still did what she thought was right though. And now I don't know how to help her... we're going to have to get a lead on some really strong healing or something."
-=-=-
"Zed dropped by. He's one of them- a Hyadean." He doesn't say Metal Demon, never that, "His way of being a hero is trying to change them from within." There's a surprising lack of judgement in that. But- "Riese is with them too. Trying to change the world for the better... even if she's having to work with people who think of us as pests... or a plague... or just thinks strength gives them the right to do what they want."
-=-=-
Later, after she's caught up and they've all had a meal. Hiro is stretching his wounded limb, testing if it's tender every which way he turns it. "You know. I'm kind of tired of just moping around, feeling like there's nothing I can do. And Jean's taken it easy in our training sessions these past few days."
Not that he blames her, Jean had not been herself these past few days. "What do you say Gwen? Wanna go a round or two?" He's got this smile that also seems frayed around the edges, "That way at least it feels like I'm doing something. Trying to get stronger. So I can protect folks better if something like that happens again."
And there she is, having woken up from her nap to laze atop one of the tents. "Just don't overdo it you masochistic idiot.. You've really been put through the wringer these past few days. Where's Ronfar when you need him? Not that we need him. Just'd be nice if he were here to make himself useful."
Hiro kind of complains a little as he looks up Ruby's way, "Well I was kinda hoping she'd go all out. Show me what her arm can really do..."
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Gwen can't get the memory of that night. Of Lucia's body, Hiro hovering over her. The yelling, the feeling of the King's limp body in her arms, the way the two Metal Demons overpowered them in every way. The way her friend, who may or may not be Vash the Stampede, yelled at them to go with a desperate force she hadn't ever heard in his words before.
As such, Lucia was one of the first things, besides seeing Hiro and Ruby's own conditions, that was on Gwen's mind.
Now, looking on Lucia's pale face, Gwen feels a jab of sympathetic sorrow- for Lucia, for Hiro, for everyone just trying to survive. "Seeing her there, the way she acted... she couldn't be the lord of anything but selflessness." Her head turns from the comatose girl to look at Hiro and Ruby. "I'll keep a lookout for leads. Maybe see if you can find that dark blue-haired girl that was at the battle with us? She seemed to know how to heal, with magic, even. If you need anything else, lemme know. It might be easier for me to grab something than one of you guys." She holds a hand on Hiro's shoulder, squeezing it. "You helped King Justin and his daughter get away. If I'm able to see either of them again, I'll see if they know anything." Then, if Hiro allows for it, Gwen will draw him into a comforting half hug, careful of his injuries.
"I'm just glad you guys are still in one piece."
-=-=-
As they eat, it becomes clear that Gwen doesn't quite look all that great. Definitely not terrible, especially when compared to the injuries many have sustained, but it's hard to get a good idea of her condition beyond what her clothing looks like. In fact, it's probably hard to tell how much of her condition is simply her clothing, as ragged and stained as it is.
She's likely in considerably better shape than some, and definitely better than what usually happens when someone who got her arm cut off, which, well, that was a thing that happened.
"The metal demon who attacked me sounded almost like the guy who examined my ARM. Zed's buddy. He was the one who let me know it wasn't somethin' Metal Demon. To think, all this time..." She rolls up her sleeve, pulling it back as far as she's able, so Hiro can see the part where metal meets healing skin. "He was also the guy who warned me that it was a weakness I couldn't let anyone know about. So I don't understand why he would... do that. To me. I even yelled at him to stop. Maybe some sort of mind control, or...?" She closes her eyes, and slumps forward slightly, letting the sleev unfurl and drape over metal. "My friends helped me. Got my ARM back, and got it repaired back on. It just so happened that one of them was big on that repair stuff. I knew she was smart, but it's been a while since I've met someone who could repair something like that." Correction: Emma's the second, the first being her own aunt. "I never felt scared like that. Not in a long, long time."
Both Zed and Riese are with that same group. "I still don't get it. I get what they wanna do, but could I really fight em if I had to?" A queasy wince wrinkles her face. "I mean, I could spar, but, like, *fight*fight?"
Which leads to her wishing she hadn't said those words at all. "Uh?" Gwen looks at Hiro blankly, then down at her empty bowl, as if it had something to answer for. "I suppose I could, if that'll make ya feel better." Placing her bowl to the side she stands up, stretching out her arms above her head. "I mean, I need to see what I'm able to do-"
He was hoping she'd go all out. Gwen's stretching motion freezes, her sigh forming instead to a squeak. "G-go all out? Whoah, whoah, even I don't know what that's like-" She considers the possibility, for a moment. "Though I guess it'd be a good exercise to- but uh, I've... never, uh, sparred.... before." She rolls up the sleeve of her right arm, flexing it back and forth. "You'll lemme know if I push you too far, right? Not that I don't think you could take it, but y'know I mean! Jean'll have my head!"
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
Hiro nods, weary as Gwen says that selflessness. He's not sure if that's entirely true or not. He doesn't always get Lucia. But it's hard not to interpret that any other way for him. "Yeah." He considers that for a moment thoughtfully, "Dark blue-haired girl." He repeats to himself, then snaps a finger in mid-air repeatedly until he remembers the start of that battle. Like he's rearranging the pieces in his head- "Came with Claude." He nods as Gwen puts a hand on his shoulder.
And after Gwen finishes offering, manages to smile some, "I'd appreciate it. Any help you can find her. Didn't even... really know it was a King and a Princess we were helping until the battle was nearly done..." He rubs his neck like he's embarrassed, but then looks suddenly serious, "Just be careful Gwen. We just found out White Knight Leo was there in Adlehyde. And one of his people. Martial artist named Corwynt attacked me out of nowhere. Considered taking me out a priority even with one of the Metal Demons- Berserk, rampaging through the streets, trying to kill folks. Wouldn't..." His shoulders sink, "...wouldn't let me help them." "They're crazy! Their mixed up priorities are just- nuts!" "But if they find out you're helping us- they might put a price on your head too."
Gwen draws him into a half hug, and he sure allows it. Returning the hug with a pat on her back. "Same. I was really worried about you at first. How you were gonna get out of that.." He manages a grin, "But then I told myself that no warzone was a match for the Blue Star's own Super Courier." "You're such a bad liar Hiro. You were super worried until she came riding up on Gulliver." He winces, "Ouch. Way to ruin it Ruby." The smile returns though it looks apologetic, "I did have faith in you though, promise."
-=-=-
Hiro gives Gwen's arm a look between slurping up stew. Letting her talk, though he does ask occasional questions. "A weakness?" His brow furrows, as if he doesn't quite understand why it'd be a weakness not to be Metal Demon tech. "Because they're really advanced or something?" He twirls his spoon, sort of tapping it in a rhythm on the edge of the bowl as he considers. "Huh. That's kind of weird for an enemy to like- lay out what they think are your weaknesses. Almost like he wants you to... fix them?" That's a weird thought, "Well I'm happy someone was able to repair it for you because..."
Well he stops, but he'd be really worried about Gwen making it through there with a damaged ARM. "Yeah. But I made them a promise. That if they stray from their ideals... that I'd do whatever it takes to stop them." He takes a breath, "It ain't fair the way the Blue Star's Guardians treat them. Picking and choosing who its beloved Children are. I can get why they feel backed in a corner. But... even if they mean well, their superiors don't. And I'm not going to let either of them hurt anyone just out of the hope they can change the way their people are in the long term."
But Gwen doesn't look that into the idea. So he just sort of waves a hand as if to say don't worry, "If you're not comfortable. Only go as far as you like. And I'll try to match your fervor." He withdraws his sword from its scabbard, showing her the notched edges, how they've been all but blunted. It wasn't a quality sword to begin with. Just an iron longsword that was barely even balanced properly. "Besides I think I've got a little handicap of my own right now after... everything with Siegfried. And... that ARM he wielded."
He takes a deep breath, and tries to accept his limitations, "Well I've gotta learn to start defending against weapons like that... else I'm not gonna last long. Maybe your arm isn't like that... but it's still something I'm gonna have to figure out and adapt to on the fly."
But then there's a sudden grin out of nowhere, "So you go as far as you feel comfortable, but let me put it this way... if I asked you to go easy on me- Jean would have my head." "Well that's accurate. I've seen their morning training sessions. AKA Hiro learns there are in fact one thousand and one ways for him to be knocked on his butt."
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"Yeah. That'd be her. She was able to heal me in the middle of battle. If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't have lasted as long as I did."
At Hiro's words of warning over Leo, Gwen chuckles. "I can just plead that I didn't know who I was helping. I'll think of something, if worst comes to worst. Wouldn't be the first time I've had to deal with people who thought they were the law." The slightly smug grin reveals a certain cockiness that just may outline one thing Gwen's not considering: it's a guy with a title that _other people_ are giving him. It's also, well, White Knight Leo.
Ruby reveals Hiro was worried about her. Gwen's expression softens, and she draws the hug in tighter. "I made a promise I'd stay alive. If it's in my power, I'm gonna keep things that way. You got so many more things to worry about; the least I can do is take care of this."
She make that promise to yet another person. More than one.
-=-=-
"Well, the day this guy looked at my ARM was over a month or so ago," Gwen says, spooning some more stew into her mouth. "And I don't know if it's Metal Demon tech. From what I gather, ARMS from that era kinda... could've been used against Metal Demons, or used by Metal Demons themselves. Maybe even both. And what they're made from... wellll. I kinda... am beginning to wonder if I really don't wanna know that." The courier sets her bowl down. "I guess it's better to say it's a weakness the same way Lucia could be a 'weakness' for you. We all got em'- blindspots that, when someone attacks them just right, puts us out of commission. The danger is when people know about em', and know exactly what to do." Gwen drinks from her soup bowl. "LIke my ARM, Lucia can still defend herself, and she can fight back. And so can you. But when that connection between the two of you is taken advantage of, it could put you out of commission." Could it be the same for Lucia? Gwen eyes look downcast. "... Maybe that's her weakness, too. Us."
Resolve begins to shine in her gaze as she looks out towards the cart Lucia lies in. "But it's a weakness that isn't bad." She touches the point in her right shoulder, feeling for the blood vein that serves as the pathway. "It's sometimes the thing that gives ya strength, if that makes sense. Lucia's your ARM. Or, well..." She trails off, twisting her lips. "Maybe it's the other way around? This metaphor may not work as well as I was thinkin'."
Standing up, Gwen listens to Hiro. her resolve continuing to build. Yes. She *could* fight them, and Hiro, if for different reasons and degrees. "If we're in charge of keeping them to their word, we better get stronger. I get ya, that's a good line of thinkin'. We need to meet them at their level. And maybe, if they decide to come over to us, we're gonna have to defend them. But only when they make that decision."
Gwen loosens her ARM, fingers splayed outward. "That ARM of that guy was pretty strong, wasn't it? If it means you'll do better fightin' him, I'll see what I can do as well. Watch my ARM, Hiro- when you're ready, I'll show you what just one ARM is capable of."
When Hiro is ready, Gwen flexes the fingers of her hand to curl into a fist, electricity buzzing through throughout the length of her weapon. "ARMs respond to the user they sync with. The more better the synchronization, the more amazin' the ARM, more or less. They ain't exactly like machines. They can change appearances, have different abilities, lots of stuff. It all really depends on the ARM. But they're still metal. And if a body can't handle the weight, they can get off balance-"
And that's when she comes in with a punch. The words weren't for distraction's sake, of course. She wants Hiro to learn one of her own weaknesses: her agility.
GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Hiro with Courier PAUNCH! GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action. GS: Hiro takes a solid hit from Gwen Whitlock's Courier PAUNCH for 81 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
Hiro nods with sort of this fond resignation, "You did promise that. And I sure know you can take care of yourself. But even knowing I've got all sorts of problems to worry about-" A hand reaches forward and he ruffles Gwen's Auburn bangs. "-still gonna worry about a friend. Thanks Gwen. For everything. I appreciate everything you do for us so much."
-=-=-
Hiro's about to reflexively say Lucia's not a weakness! It's so painfully, sincerely written on his face as he sits up straight. But before he can, Gwen clarifies. And he sort of freezes in that position for a few moments, before he looks kind of embarrassed as he stares down at his bowl. It's pretty clear he has to accept it, "You might be right about that. Some days she makes me wonder." His eyes drift up to Filgaia's blue sky as if he's wondering what Lucia sees when she looks at it, stares at it for so long- "And sometimes she leaves no doubt."
The soup bowl has long been set aside, "As her connection with us grows stronger- guess it becomes harder and easier for someone to exploit that." In the same way that even as Gwen increases her connection to her ARM, it means that if it's damaged-
He nods in new understanding of what she means, what happened. "Heh yeah. Zed and I actually fought before the attack- and he showed me just how far I had to go. And Riese... in those caves, she took command so effortlessly. Turned the tide."
It's strange looking to people who ruined Adlehyde for inspiration like that, the positives rather than the negatives. But it's not excluding the the negatives. It's the grim realization of their strengths which he has a long way to overcome. Nodding, "Yeah, with that kind of ARM and his strength... if it was just me he would have knocked me around like I was a little kid batting at him with a wooden stick." He casts a worried glance back towards camp, at where Jean theoretically is. But he doesn't say anything before returning to her with a smile, "Alright! Show me the strength of your AR-"
He stops- snorts, puts a hand over his mouth laughing like a little kid. "I can't say it! I'd sound like some mega-smug villain or something!" "Oh brother. Hiro you said way worse back when we were playing at being Alex versus the Magic Emperor!" "Yeah but this is why I always played Alex! I couldn't ever pull off one of those lines!"
He takes a moment to recompose himself, "Sorry- sorry- ready!" Gwen comes at him, and he's thinking about Synchronization. Wonders if that's like wielding a sword and being 'one' with it, like it becoming more and more a part with you. But it sounds like a closer connection. Gwen comes in with a punch. Hiro's got this grin on his face like a little kid who's about to get a present at a birthday party, as he raises the flat of his sword, already looking for gaps in which he might slip in a blow.
Which is when Gwen's fist skitters against the flat blade, raising sparks, before slamming through. He underestimated her sheer strength some- using one arm, rather than two he should have since he doesn't have a shield. The blow comes in, and it's an almost comical freeze frame as it strikes his right cheek as it looks like the flesh caves in for a moment, and Hiro is lifted off the ground, flying through the air as he bounces backwards hitting the ground once, then end over end. Until he manages to turn himself over, put a hand down, toes digging in as he skids backwards and digging furrows into the ground that raises a dust cloud, sword held sideways.
For a moment, his eyes are facing the ground, as he catches his breath. Then he looks up, a swiftly forming bruise on his cheek. Grinning like some idiot, "This is going to be fun! I knew you were strong but yow!"
BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fiHheH_dyQ
Ruby on the other hand just stares open mouthed, before looking down at Gwen and giving her a long look, "Well I know who my money's on..."
Taking off like a track runner at the block, he charges in at Gwen- at the last second ducking down and sweeping to her left flank, orange cape swirling behind him. He feints with a few quick swings with the flat of his sword, trying to get a sense of how she defends with his arm, to see if it's like how Jean raises her guard, or if she fights more like a brawler. He eventually ends though with a strike where he attempts to smack the flat against her left ribs. To check if she has a harder time defending that side first.
GS: Hiro has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Basic Attack Command! GS: Hiro has completed his action. GS: Gwen Whitlock guards a hit from Hiro's Basic Attack Command for 92 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
The redhead sees that reflex in Hiro's face. And she knows it. She'd probably protest the same, if someone caught her with the right comment at the right time. "Think about it the same way as my ARM- I mean, yeah, it's a weakness, but without it, I'd likely not last a second in a war zone. Some weakness, eh? I bet you feel stronger sometimes too, knowing that you have that connection."
Having friends can be a weakness as much as any ARM. The Metal Demons tried to exploit that. Yet, here the two of them are, exploiting that connection right back and gaining inspiration. "We'll just have to make sure we're ready the next time. Besides, if we lag behind they're gonna get all disappointed! A sad Zed n' Riese is the worst kind! Zed's a dark hero, he needs adversaries that aren't just paper thin villains going 'myahahaha'. And Riese... she tried to understand our sadness. Even if it hurts us, and even if we gotta fight her, we should probably try to remember her sadness as well. That way, we'll never let ourselves think, for a second, that we're any better than them, just because of who we are."
It still sticks with her. The idea of there being 'chosen' on Filgaia, as much as there are 'chosen' for Lunar. But how does someone change that? There's no equivalent of Althena to possibly appeal to. And even if there was... would that even stop someone like Siegfried or Harken? Their complaints are already set in stone.
'SHOW ME THE STRENGTH OF YOUR AR-' wait, no, hiro didn't say it like that
Gwen manages a giggle, a snort slipping in as she cups a metal hand over her mouth. "C'mon, you can say that as the hero too, y'know! It's a thing people do all the time in stories. Well, not yell about ARMs, but, y'get what I mean."
And then, they start. And indeed, Gwen doesn't use her left arm, if at all. Everything's focused on her right- the way she bends her body to compensate for the weight, the way she turns, and the way she holds her ARM out, attempting to hold up against any possible counterattack. But when Hiro flops back, Gwen momentarily abandons her stance, cringing. "Oh no! Hiro, y'okay? ohgoddidihurtyoui'mreallysorryIpromiseIwon-"
He gets up, with a foolhardy grin. A relieved Gwen returns the same, laughing. "I dunno, Ruby, he's got a hard head at least!"
Which brings her to her inexperience with handheld weapons, now that she's one on one and the center of Hiro's attention (presumably). Hiro's feinting works on her a little too well; she's trying to dodge back or rush forward at a heartbeat, unable to really tell which is real and which isn't. She's probably closer to a brawler in technique, but with the rough edges of someone who has been taught by experiences, rather than any sort of school. When Hiro goes for her left, his blade meets her right arm, though not before gaining some ground. "There we go! There's a weakness- someone with an ARM can sometimes get a little, uh, too-" god that kinda stung "-focused in one area! But, with a Metal Demon, they might not act like a human, either-" And that's why that right ARM attempts to grab onto Hiro's blade, a daredevil sort of feat that really isn't a good idea with a normal hand, even with a dull blade.
And that's when she uses her left hand, trying to punch Hiro while she grips onto his sword with her right.
GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Hiro with Courier... punch....! GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action. GS: CRITICAL! Hiro guards a hit from Gwen Whitlock's Courier... punch.... for 58 hit points! GS: Jam! Statuses applied to Hiro!
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Tell me about it!" Ruby pipes up when it comes to Hiro having a hard head. "Given how many times he's dented it learning how to hang upside down I'd be shocked if he didn't!"
"You don't have to mention that!" As he feints, he gets sort of a sense for Gwen's style. It makes sense to him, making him wonder if she's self-taught or not. He mostly was, though his Grandpa and a few books gave him some pointers. "Too focused?" He says just after his blade clangs off her right arm, "Well makes sense, if you've got something like that- most would think-" He sees how his blow stung and winces, "Sorry! Ugh- Shouldn't apologize, Jean is trying to break me out of that. But most would think- don't need to learn to fight any other way..."
Gwen's hand grabs ahold of his blade. And he really wasn't expecting that- but then he realizes how her hands metal, as he tries to wrench it backwards- then forwards against her superior grip and leverage. But that see-saw like motion causes him to suddenly shout- "YAAOW!"
His elbow twitches and gets in the way. But Gwen's normal left hand still glances off it and keeps going towards his gut. Doubling over, his grip falls slack on his sword and leaves it held in Gwen's hand. When he looks up, Hiro's hair looks suddenly frizzy. It's trimmed too short to pull off an afro but it's sure standing up as long as it can Which may make it clear to Gwen what happened. Her arm just shocked him. "Okay. Right uh- lightning arm. Lightning goes through swords." He wheezes once, "I'll remember... that..."
Ruby starts giggling, then starts giggling harder, then she starts just howling as she crosses her pink pawsies over her tummy. "HIRO! HI-RO! YOUR HAIR! SWEET ALTHENA AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Hiro's eyes look up, then startles, "Yikes!"
Then looks back at Gwen with his sword looking sheepish, "Uh- well if that were my only weapon- then I'd say you have this fight in the back but-"
Grabbing at something at his belt, he picks out the curved length, holding up the boomerang with a giggle, "-Hehe- s'not. Ever fought someone who threw one of these?" Hotfooting it backwards quickly, he cocks his arm once, twice, thrice like he's going to throw Gwen a pass, before eventually throwing it overhead.
It whirls forward in an arc, then around Gwen wide. Gwen might catch his lips whispering if he's still looking at her. There's a sharp cross-wind breeze that suddenly shifts and-
struck by the wind the whirling implement changes its flight path , straight back to attempt to hit Gwen's right wrist. Her arm is made of metal, so it's doubtful it'd really hurt her, but that's not his intent. Instead it's to see if he can slacken her grip on it. All the while he's trying to get enough distance to prevent an easy counterattack.
GS: Hiro has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Boomerang Throw! GS: Hiro has completed his action. GS: Gwen Whitlock guards a hit from Hiro's Boomerang Throw for 50 hit points! GS: Hiro takes Cover! He gains 50 temporary hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"U-uh, it's okay! We're sparring! We just punch each other and bandage things up and take a nap, right?"
Wait, how did this go in those stories? Usually in the stories she heard they were all doing ultra-serious duels with guns and there was blood and sweat and MASCULINE BONDING which was kind of neat, she guesses
And suddenly Gwen wonders why the orphanage allowed random Drifters to tell violent stories to little kids. .... Oh right, because it was Little Twister. MOVING ALONG.
While the metallic flesh on Gwen's right hand has some give to it that any metal facsimile would lack, it doesn't have the same give actual human flesh would have upon grabbing any type of sword, blunt or sharp. If Hiro's sword was sharpened, this tactic would be far more risky, of course, but here? It's just right.
Except when her right hand, in the courier's fervor, manages to pass a shock to Hiro's system, courtesy of the metal of his sword. Now it's Gwen's turn to apologize. Again. "Oh god, sorry! It does that sometimes when I get a bit too worked up, uh-" A left hand awkwardly rubs the bad of her head while the right still grips Hiro's sword. "Right, no apologi-ghk-hehe-" The sword drops to the ground as Gwen gigglesnorts at Hiro's hair alongside Ruby. "That's amazing!"
Thankfully Hiro's able to keep moving, unlike many of the 'heroes' in the stories she heard. No one liked being laughed at, though was kinda part of the appeal when they were told right. Or told to a batch of young kids who had egos just as fragile.
"Can't say I have, so let's change that!" Hiro's enthusiasm is pretty infectious, not that Gwen had much of a defense against any sort of enthusiasm that came her way. SHe's beginning to try to judge which of Hiro's actions is his real one, but even though she's seen the boomerang in battle, it still throws her off when it swerves by her. It just needs to come back though, right? And with the wind-
- PING* Gwen's arm manages to swipe it aside, the arm rattling from the impact and force. She looks surprised as she manages it, but then, closes her eyes.
And draws on something deep. There's more of that potential. Hiro can draw on the wind with his own potential, what can she draw? Could Kalve's words be an inspiration in themselves, as traumatizing as that last meeting was? To embrace her ARM... what would it take? "Okay, let's... try something different here." Something tightens in the silver tendons of that ARM, a current of yellow gold energy curling into Gwen's shoulder, and into her core. "Never tried this before. Never even thought it was something I could try, really," she says, her breath rising, then steadying at a new plateau. "Hiro, you'll tell me to stop if it gets to be too much, right?"
It isn't a taunt. She's genuinely asking. "If you're ready, come at me. Gotta try this out, for myself."
GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Bounding Flight! GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action. GS: Gwen Whitlock takes a solid hit from Gwen Whitlock's Bounding Flight for 0 hit points! GS: Hyper and Quick! Statuses applied to Gwen Whitlock!
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Something like that!"
All of Hiro's masculine bonding came from a Grandfather with a bad back. Typically nerding out over old stories and ancient ruins. And Ronfar, in the short time he was with them- and Ronfar's idea of masculine bonding was drinking, gambling, and oogling girls.
Frankly at this point if not for all the stories he's read he'd probably associate punching things and blood and sweat as more FEMININE bonding since he has done more with Jean than anyone else.
Hiro hair all afrizz doesn't seem to take offense to being laughed at- "All these laughs at my expense. Eheh-" In fact he kind of likes it, being able to make Gwen, and Ruby, and himself laugh after the past few days. It feels good, it feels right. It feels fun.
He's kind of high-tailing it around the battlefield, arms pumping when Gwen brings up her arm to send it spiralling away. Whistling and clearly impressed. "Hey good instincts! That arm is quicker than I expected."
When Gwen closes his eyes, he sees his chance and swerves in to roll in towards her- and pick up the sword mid-roll, coming up on his knees with it in hand. Sword at the ready.
But Gwen is concentrating. "Different?" He mentions as if somewhat confused but then he sees that wave of gold energy curling up her arm. For some reason it reminded him of Zed's aura- when he fought Hiro fairly seriously. He'd called it the light of his soul. "Whoa! Awesome!"
Gwen asks him a serious question, and he considers it for a second. Like he's assessing what she might be doing, "Don't worry. I know how to say Uncle when I've had enough." But then he grins like someone who just thought of a bad joke, "Though maybe given how you grew up- I should say Auntie."
He'd intended to use his magic. Seemed like the best strategy But she asked him to come at her. And given that she's trying something new he wants to oblige her so she can get a feel for it. "If that's the way you want it though then-
Getting up on his feet, he flourishes the sword in a pivoting dance as he swings it from side to side- but that's all bluster to try to get her looking, as once he makes another revolution- he charges straight at her, sword dragging along the ground but without actually slowing him down from the drag, raising a cloud of dust in his wake- and once he gets close enough, it erupts off the ground- in a rising slash as he attempts to blast through her guard. "DODGE THIS!"
Hiro that makes no sense. She literally asked you to come at her.
GS: Hiro has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Poe Sword! GS: Hiro has completed his action. GS: Gwen Whitlock takes a glancing hit from Hiro's Poe Sword for 57 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
If someone were to tell Gwen a few hours ago 'spar with Hiro, it'll make you feel better', she'd probably just stare at them for a while. She'd also squint real hard at them.
Now, she's laughing and it sometimes makes that developing bruise on her side hurt, but she's so glad she's finally *laughing* without having to prompt it. "It's quicker than I expected too!" Gwen answers back. "Ms. Hetfield did a terrific job!" Though Gwen'll likely have to follow up with Emma soon to make sure her repairs were holding out. Her ARM does feel strange, but nowadays, that could mean anything- some damage, synchronization, gas, sleeping on it wrong. And the last option is a thing that does, indeed, happen. "But it's still all me!"
She commanded the ARM do to that, the same as she would a leg. It just responded like an ARM.
"After that last attack, I felt I needed to kinda see if I had something to throw at you too." Gwen's eyes cross for a moment, realizing she had made an unintentional pun. "W-well, y'get what I mean."
Awesome. The guy who could command _wind_ called her *awesome*. "H-hey, haven't done anything yet! Also Auntie'd probably get angry if I implied she ever gave up on anything, haha!" But she does feel... different. Almost like when she's high on adrenaline, but it feels more solid, if temporary. When Hiro comes at her with that slashing attack, his sword leaving a trail in the ground, she does, in fact, try to dodge. Her body responds in a way it never had before, breaking away from the ground in a leap she'd usually have trouble accomplishing with the weight of her ARM. It's not superhuman, but for Gwen, it almost feels like it.
And it still isn't enough, Hiro's attack barely managaing to catch her and bounce her away. "H'okay, time to throw that back. Try this!"
She's attempting a punch again. WIth her right. But with how quickly she's moving, if it does hit, it's clear it'll definitely hurt.
"Try this!"
GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Hiro with Special Delivery! GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action. GS: Hiro critically Guards a hit from Gwen Whitlock's Special Delivery for 23 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"I'll say! Don't suppose she does any blacksmithing too?" "Hiro that's a dumb question! We can't go back to Adlehyde anytime soon anyhow!" "Oh right." Looking sheepish, "Well need to find /some/ place for it." Honestly he actually had to buy a shield too. Hammer his sword out since no amount of sharpening was helping... patch up his armor. Maybe get /new/ ones/ if he could afford it.
Still all her?
"I'd never doubt that!"
But she's saying she hasn't done anything yet, "Well it looked super cool!" Times like this that Gwen might realize pretty acutely Hiro's at least a couple years younger than her. In the midst of her adrenaline high, Gwen jukes to the side in a blur. And it's like his eyes can barely follow her.
"Whoa-" Even if his sword made contact. The way she's moving. "-how-" But she's attacking, and he quickly puts up his sword. Remembering her strength from last time, he holds it with both hands, and using the flat swiftly brings it down in a desperate parry on the inside to try to parry and knock it away.
Right now Gwen's faster than he expected, the blow's almost made contact when his sword clangs down upon her arm, sparks flying as it slides past him and- bumps his left shoulder. The blow's hard enough that a shockwave of force passes behind him, causing the wind to briefly pick up and blow his hair down in the wake of its passing. His bangs falling over all wrong.
Hiro keeps his sword in that position, breathing hard. His eyes flick that way as if startled, then back at her and- "Little bit slower on my end and maybe I'd have been calling Uncle." He abides by her statement after all out of respect for Auntie Frei, who never gave up.
Abruptly he takes one hand off the hilt of his blade and points it palm forward at Gwen. And starts saying something brief. The words probably don't make sense to Gwen's ears. And then suddenly a squall force wind starts trying to blast her at point blank range. And keeps blasting her. Thus forcing her to continually press against it to maintain forward momentum and get back at him. "HOW'S YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH MAGIC?" He calls over the howling of the wind.
GS: Hiro has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Squall! GS: Hiro has completed his action. GS: Gwen Whitlock takes a solid hit from Hiro's Squall for 60 hit points! GS: Slow! Statuses applied to Gwen Whitlock!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"I kinda doubt it," Gwen replies, while dealing with the slightly surreal image of Emma working away on an anvil. She owes Emma her life, in a way, but does she really want to see the sorts of things Emma may do with a potentially deadly blunt force weapon in her hands? Somehow, the idea of Emma using that weird portable rain summoning machine seems a safer bet than something Emma might take someone's head off. Or maybe she's underestimating Emma. Or overestimating.
There's definitely a few years difference between Hiro and Gwen, a fact that's sometimes very easy to overlook. Especially when the courier replies, "It did? Really?" With a childhood's worth of being deemed 'the sick kid', there's a part of Gwen that's still that ten year old girl, overindulging on tales of Nightburn Acklund and wanting to finally, just finally, play the part of the hero.
As the high of the battle resettles, Gwen finds her mind in a different sort of space, her body and mind reaching a slightly higher stage of response than before. It'd be something that would wear out her body if she pushed it, but in small bursts, it's doable. When the side of her arm collides with Hiro's sword, forcing it off its trajectory, she's able to adapt and respond far more quickly, allowing herself to not simply just keep moving forward with her built momentum.
But still. Gwen's still Gwen. Wind responds to Hiro's words, blasting her backwards with a yell of "n-NOT VERY GOOD!" as she flies onto her back. At least she's truthful. Getting up from the ground, Gwen takes a breath. "Wow... Still floors me that you can just... do that. Without symbols or a bunch of schooling or whatever's needed here." She resettles into a more offensive attack stance (which is not really a stance at all, really), then sprints towards Hiro, drawing her open palm back and thrusting it forward into Hiro's gut. The palm is, of course, charged with lightning.
Because that's the only thing she can really respond with in terms of magic.
She would have asked how Hiro was against non-magic lightning, but, well, they're going to find out in a few seconds.
GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Hiro with Corona Discharge! GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action. GS: Hiro critically Guards a hit from Gwen Whitlock's Corona Discharge for 32 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Really! Anyone would have found that cool! Even Dragonmaster Alex - or... Knightburn Action!"
Please excuse Hiro, he hasn't gotten all caught up on Filgaia's celebrities yet. Thus he'd only heard it once from Gwen. "Acklund Hiro! Geez don't get the name of her hero wrong!" Ruby had the name seared in her mind at least during that brief moment where she thought Nightburn had a dragon pal, until she learned Gwen was actually talking about them.
The battle fever of the adrenaline is setting in for him as well, though it's less the adrenaline rush of fighting for one's life- the fear that causes one's hands to shake and palms to sweat. More that of just having fun. "Eheh- WELL THEN YOU'LL GET MORE EVERY TIME I-" Don't say it Hiro, don't. "-BREAK WIND!"
The groan from Ruby in the tree tops is palpable. "Hiro in what world does a girl want to hear a guy make fart jokes!?"
Gwen's up though and- "Ah yeah, it just feels natural. I was really surprised when Filgaia just- most people can't just..."
Gwen is sprinting at him- "-do- it." It's not the fact that Gwen's arm is charged that is a tell to him, but more the way her palm is open. He remembers how when she grasped his sword he got a shock. Suddenly he's backpeddling like crazy, before he gets to a certain point and his foot kicks something up with a metallic ping. The Boomerang Gwen had deflected earlier is knocked up, where he grasps it out of mid-air just as she's onto him.
There's this comical 'Oh crap' look on his face as he crosses the boomerang and the sword, and slams it upright abruptly against Gwen's forearm in a desperate attempt to stop it. Metal hissing against boomerang and sword as he tries to catch it in place. When the blow finally stops it's only mere millimeters from his face. Close enough that if Gwen were just to finger flick him, he'd probably get the charge of his life.
Now there's definitely sweat beading on his forehead. "Uhm. Ah." He says a touch breathlessly, "That's a... shocking development." He says showing once again A. That he has no idea how he pulled that one off. And B. That all of Hiro's jokes are terrible.
Without warning, he suddenly drops down backwards, undoing his lock of boomerang and sword and rolls on his back, coming back up on a knee. Gwen might feel the wind currents swirling around past her, from all directions right now. However, there's no incantation coming from his lips, just this brief circling flourish. It's like the wind is just converging on that one point about his blade. Swirling and swirling into an uncommon density as it whistles around. "Ah! More wind-
He's not even swinging within range of her, but he doesn't really have to. All of that wind rolls off his blade, erupting into a pressure wave that he launches at her. "-SORTA!"
GS: Hiro has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Sybillium Sword! GS: Hiro has completed his action. GS: Gwen Whitlock guards a hit from Hiro's Sybillium Sword for 166 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Ruby's comment on Hiro's humor does seem to have an element of truth, as Gwen makes a wrinkled face. "Now I'm just gonna keep associating you with that joke."
It really is amazing, though. To have a world where people can do magic on their own without the aid of tattoos or crests, and have that trait be plentiful enough that you can just have Hiro, doing wind magic and making jokes about it. Terrible jokes.
That's something she'll think later, but now, Gwen's fist is just a few notches away from hitting Hiro's face, sweat and dust beginning to lay down some locks of hair against her scalp. The glow her ARM had seems to die at that moment, that temporary boost now having faded. "You must've been up against a lot of people," she says, breathing hard, "to be this strong. You could probably take on White Knight Leo, I bet!"
Gwen doesn't finger flick him in that short span of time, but she does, after a moment, poke him harmlessly with one finger on the forehead for that bad joke, no charge, before bouncing back.
When Hiro's wind-clad blade comes for her, Gwen is bending back, expecting the main thrust of the attack to be in his sword. That's when the wall of wind blows her down like a reed in a hurricane, rolling her backwards from the young man, along with nearby debris.
And there, she makes a slow effort to get up, panting, but with a grin on her face to let Hiro know that she's still okay. She's also holding onto her ARM, extending it to its full length. "Okay, one final thing- with ARMs, always expect the unexpected!"
She fires, the blast sounding unlike the passage of a bullet or metal wad.
Instead, it's a small metal can, probably for soup or beans.
GS: Gwen Whitlock has activated a Force Action! GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Hiro with Coil Cannon EX! GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action. GS: Hiro takes a solid hit from Gwen Whitlock's Coil Cannon EX for 116 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
Hiro just let's out this chuckle, "Well- that'd be fair I guess!" Though he does look a little chagrined. Maybe he'll think twice before making that joke again. MAYBE NOT THOUGH!
But how strong he is? Being able to take Leo. That does give him some pause. "I dunno about that though! Leo's the White Knight of Althena! The last time he faced down Lucia- he knocked her out before she could blink." Though Lucia was newly recovered from the worst effects of the curse... he still doesn't like his chances about facing Leo by himself. He's not sure he likes their chances if all of them went up against Leo.
The finger flick causes an exaggerated reaction, because he fully expects a shock, his head reeling back as he fell into his roll. Even if he wasn't shocked, he does look up to check his hair.
The wind wave catches Gwen dead on and as she's rolled backwards, "Hey you okay?!" He stops for a moment, shifting his stance into a defensive one, not immediately following up on Gwen. He does keep talking though. "And Zed- Zed supposedly fought him and came out of it alright. And when Zed and I fought- eheh. Well let's just say I've got a long way to go!"
If Zed can fight on Leo's level then that meant he definitely couldn't fight on Leo's level quite yet. Even if he might have to.
But as Gwen gets up, and starts talking. Hiro suddenly raises his sword into a low guard, uncertain what to expect. It was the unexpected after all. And she's so far away! What could she be d-
A Metal Soup can conks him upside the head at high speed. His neck snaps backwards, as he stumbles back. Then falls over. His eyes have rotating stars and birdies and eternally blue haired girls. The dented soup can spirals into the air, before landing beside him. Ruby just starts laughing, "Ahahahaha! Guess Emma really 'souped up' that arm!"
Hiro stays down for a moment as he snaps out of it, his neck moving sidelong to stare at the soup can. "You-You weren't kidding on the unexpected. I bet that one would take Leo flatfooted!" Putting his legs down suddenly, he leaps up, then juts a hand forward, "Alright so the thing to know about Magic Users from the Silver Star is that we have some wind up time while we're chanting! It's not so much expecting the unexpected as predicting the predictable and getting ahead of it!"
There's a chant, and if Gwen hasn't already started moving, the winds around her start to swirl into a funnel like vortex. The winds aren't picking up quite enough to start really slashing into her or picking her up and carrying her away- but they're whipping around just ferociously enough to create a dizzying disorientation in how they might just spin her around and keep spinning her.
Though if she's canny- maybe she can use that momentum to her advantage.
GS: Hiro has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Vortex! GS: Hiro has completed his action. GS: Gwen Whitlock guards a hit from Hiro's Vortex for 55 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"Well, if someone like Lucia had trouble with him, I'd better keep that in mind!" Not that Gwen really intends to battle any knights of any sort, anytime soon.
She just wants to make sure everyone's safe and sound, at this point. But to get there, she'll need to-
-fire soup cans at Hiro. Or just one. There was another one lying around, but it was too big. It was really lucky that the other one fit at all, or that'd be an awkward situation!
Though, on second thought, maybe the soup can was a little bit too much? "O-oh, hey, Hiro? You okay?" Gwen scoots on over to wave a hand over Hiro's face- the same hand that she uses to then facepalm at Ruby's own joke. "You two sure are peas in a pod." Thank goodness Ruby abstained from sparring, however- Gwen's pride wouldn't recover very well if she was frantically running away from a fire-breathing catdragon.
"Yeah, I'll have to keep that tactic in mind next time! I tried that once before but it... kinda... got stuck. I guess my ARM got bigger with me!" Which is, really, an odd thought. The Mockingbird was overly large for Gwen's body when it was first installed. Could it really...?
Gwen throws her focus back on their spar. "Okay, a wind up time. Got it!" The way the wind bends to Hiro's call is beginning to become familiar to the courier, enough so that she's already trying to guess on what sort of way Hiro's attacks would come at her. No sword, no boomerang, just wind. Perhaps...?
She guesses right, using the extra weight on her right side and the dizzying momentum of Hiro's gale winds to send her shooting a metal fist right in Hiro's direction. "Here we goooo!"
GS: Gwen Whitlock has activated a Force Action! GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Hiro with Special Delivery! GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action. GS: Hiro takes a solid hit from Gwen Whitlock's Special Delivery for 108 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
Gwen asks if he's okay and- "Well I've added a few extra spots to my collection!" He says as he pats the side of his head.
Gwen calls them two peas in a pod, and Ruby takes to that well, clasping her paws together and giggling as if a wonderful thought struck her. "I know right? We're absolutely perfect together~ You might say it's destiny that we be joined together!" Hiro laughs, "Well we are kind of perfect adventuring buddies..." Indignation floods Ruby as she leaps forward on her perch to call down, "Hiro you know that's not what I meant!" "Huh? I do?" Ruby paw palms her own face at Hiro's response.
But what Gwen said strikes him as weird, "Wait really? It grows when you do?"
Hiro kind of is taken aback by that, as he stares at it with this sense of light wonder. "Wow that's so awesome! It's like having a sword that keeps getting better and better- huh you know. Swords masters say all the time that you have to make a sword an extension of you. Maybe your arm just takes it really literally!"
In the midst of his spell, he's kind of having some extra fun with it in the way his hand gesticulates in trying to control this manifestation. Though he's really impressed with how Gwen is handling it. Most people get all disoriented whenever he does this really quickly. Suddenly Gwen shifts her weight just right, and is coming right at him. And with his own spell having sped up her momentum- she's coming wicked fast!
He tries to dive out of the way- but he misjudges Gwen's speed and her fist makes contact with his gut. An action which sends him spiralling out of the camp, spinning as he impacts the ground, then skips like a stone once- twice- thrice, then rolls to a stop. "Ooooo... that's gonna leave a mark."
On the ground Hiro curls up into the fetal position for a moment, just coughing and trying to breathe for a while, his whole form covered with grit and dirt from being sent that far. "Oh boy... uh-huh... right... gotta get up... gonna get up..."
And then he slowly pulls himself upright to kneeling, then up to a standing position, but even then he's a little doubled over a hand over his gut, "That was the kind of hit even Jean would be telling me to go walk it off." He laughs, which sort of sounds a little hoarse. "Ah we're kind of that point where I'd almost say Uncle- but not quite." His eyes sparkle with mischief. "If you wanna come at me again." He looks like he mostly just needs a few seconds to catch his breath.
GS: Hiro has attacked Gwen Whitlock with Come at me! ... Because I need time to catch my breath! GS: Hiro has completed his action. GS: Gwen Whitlock takes a solid hit from Hiro's Come at me! ... Because I need time to catch my breath for 0 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"Yeah, you kinda did the same for me, too," Gwen says with a laugh, feeling her own head. "Those attacks of yours really winded me out-"
Gwen groans at her own, unintentional pun, slapping a hand to her head. "Now you got me doin' it too!" But she's laughing, even as her sides hurt, and her clothes stick to her skin from the sweat. She needs a shower. She needs a nap. She needs... a lot of things.
But she needed this more than anything, right now.
Hiro's sudden enthusiasm throws Gwen off temporarily. No, no, it couldn't. But could it? "I'm... not sure, really. When it was first installed, I mean, I wasn't really full height yet? It looked out of place on me, like I was wearing clothes waayy too big for me. So maybe... I grew to fit the ARM? But not in creepy way! Took forever just to figure out how to do small things, like, uh, serve tea. I, um, broke a lot of teacups." And Auntie Frea was never one for tea, anyhow. Or for much food, really.
As for now, as Gwen crashes her fist into Hiro, well, Frea always did say she was amazed by Gwen's ability to just make things up as she went along. But wasn't that the forte of youth?
"Ohgod Hiro, you okay?!" The tone of Gwen's voice goes up a key as she rushes over, ready to help him up if needed. "We can quit if you need to- ah, you wanna keep going? Haha, y-yeah, me too. Uncle, auntie, whatever. But I think I've learned quite a lot, just by studying you."
Those eyes of his spark with challenge. Even if Gwen thinks this may overextending her own body, she rises to the challenge, taking that moment to catch her own breath.
One last shot.
She runs at Hiro.
GS: Gwen Whitlock has activated a Force Action! GS: Gwen Whitlock has attacked Hiro with Last Shot! GS: Gwen Whitlock has completed her action. GS: Hiro has activated a Force Action! GS: Hiro guards a hit from Gwen Whitlock's Last Shot for 51 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Ha! Now you're doing it too!" Hiro doesn't seem to know it's unintentional.
"Huh."
Hiro might consider that for a while when she says it like that, "Clothes that don't fit." It sounds apt to him in a different way, "Huh. That sounds like it was real tough- having to deal with it. Learn to live with it. Back when I was a kid I wore clothes way too big to me to play around. Pretend I'm some legendary hero or something. Only people I was around probably thought it was adorable." "Most of the time!"
He has this sort of rueful look, "You had to do it just to get by, and fit in."
He remembers what the people in Surf Village were saying, what they'd think about a kid like Gwen with an arm too big, and clothes too big, and breaking tea cups clumsily.
Doesn't sound like people would have considered it that adorable.
It's a somber moment as he recovers.
Gwen starts running at him, and Hiro takes a few more deep breath. "Same- but maybe we'll learn more if we-" His first few steps are stumbling, "-if we- really push ourselves!"
His gait continues to be slow at first, but Gwen charges at him, that punch he tries to intercept with a parry that grates against the metal, but still makes solid contact with his collar bone- albeit more gently than Gwen intended. There's this choking sound as he staggers forward like he's going to fall over. But suddenly his foot stamps down, and he pivots into Gwen's guard to put his back to her as he tries to slam his elbow into her gut.
He's not a martial artist like Jean. But training with Jean ensures he had more tools to work with than normal.
He maybe stands there for a moment or two, before he goes weak in the knees and all and topples over.
GS: Hiro has attacked Gwen Whitlock with WWJD?! GS: Hiro has completed his action. GS: Gwen Whitlock guards a hit from Hiro's WWJD? for 36 hit points! GS: Gwen Whitlock has Fallen! She is no longer able to fight!
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
The idea of little Hiro, in giant clothing, trying to pretend he's a legendary hero, is sort of adorable. "Haha, yeah, when I was growing up, me and the kids in town'd do stuff like that too! Though usually I was the damsel in distress, or... the healer. Or someone who didn't have to do a whole lot. I tried being the monster a few times, but I'd get out of breath and it just wasn't that fun to be beatin' up on the sick kid." But, from the way she's smiling, those memories don't seem to be all that negative. That is, until she remembers.
Oh yeah.
_One of those kids she played with was Janus Cascade._
Yeah.
"When it got installed, I was with Auntie, tho. I didn't go outside all that much. My body really couldn't take it while it was healin'. But, even if it was tough..." The determined spark in her eyes softens at the memory. "Even if it was the two of us, it really did feel like a family. Though I guess, you'd kinda know what that was like, with Gwyn, right? Just you, him, and Ruby, together."
That's maybe they seem to get along so well- though, Gwen considers. Would Gwyn really get along with Frea?
She'd hate to find out.
Meanwhile, she and Hiro will learn about each other, using the medium of PHYSICAL PUNCHING AND magic.
"GHk-" Gwen doubles over as Hiro's elbow rockets into her gut. Her weight shifts to sag on Hiro, then falls down to the ground alongside him as he, too, collapses.
"u-uncle..."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Uhn-" Hiro says it simultaneously with Gwen. "-cle."
And then he falls over. There's sort of a hilarious symmetry to it, in how the two face each other. He's breathing hard for a while, covered with grit and dust. And then he just starts laughing. Laughing like a fool as he turns over on his back, hands over his collarbone as he massages it.
"Thanks Gwen. 'xactly what I needed."
For a while he's just staring up at Filgaia's sky and is just like. "Damsel in Distress and Healer only huh?" He eventually puts his hands behind his head, as his eyes drift over her way, "Doesn't seem fair to me. Even if you didn't have the meanest right hook this side of the Blue Star- you'd still deserve a turn at being the hero."
After a few moments though this grin splits on his face as he considers what Gwen says about her and Frea, then him and Gwyn and Ruby, "That's what matters most of all I guess. That when times get tough- that you have people that are there for you like family."
"That's settles it. She's officially adopted into ours too." Gwen might notice Ruby on the ground beside her, just a moment before pink pawsies start to knead Gwen's auburn hair, "Adoption noogie!"
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Hiro's laughter soon proves to be infectious, Gwen soon joining in with her own giggling, a few snorts filtering in.
"... it was a tough sell, but now, I feel like it was what I needed too." Gwen flops on her own back, letting her eyes fall closed in the silence. "So many fights have just been 'everything hangs in the balance! Gotta fight with all you got or you loose everything!' And I just keep thinkin' 'but I'm a courier'. Felt so helpless. Like I couldn't do enough, but at the same time, I shouldn't be doin' anything. Just keepin' safe."
Could she be the hero? "... Auntie told me, when she adopted me, that even if life with her would be hard, that she'd give me the ability to have a future. I don't think she realized what she'd have to do to make that happen." A metal ARM reaches into the sky, almost as if to clasp one cloud. "It's okay if I'm not the hero. You can be heroes too. Both with and Ruby. And I'll be behind you, as best I can."
Like family. "Augh, augh, uncle, uncle, I give up! I consent!" Gwen turns and buries her face into the grass, giggles filtering through the side as Ruby kneads her hair. "Like I could ever say no to that?" With her right hand, she gently uses one finger to noogie Ruby's own head of fur. "I accept."