lucetilogs | Draft Log #3: During v. 2.0

[The Third Party fighter is too close for a sword to be useful, for the blade to manage a manoeuvre, so Horatio lunges forward for a sharp blow to the face with his elbow. A step back, and he can manage a slash across the chest.

Two quick steps forward bring the heel of his boot in contact with a knee... and his next strike is a rough thrust of his blade into the chest. There is blood everywhere, but there's a body of an enemy at his feet.

Therefore? A success.

He looks over, wanting to make sure that assisting him has not put the other in peril. ...But, no. That does not seem to be the case at all.

Not in the slightest.]

[ the slayer lets the man finish the fight. why scramble for the kill? she's satisfied with the assist. and when the enemy doesn't twitch another muscle, she pushed up off the ground and stands -- sand clinging to the fresh blood stains from some other recent fight. her shoulder is bleeding from the last dance, as well. she seems unbothered by this fact. ]

Two at once, huh? [ it's hard to tell if she's being cheeky or congratulatory. ] You okay?

[Hornblower nods once, waiting a moment to make sure neither of the enemies are rising.

He wouldn't put it past this place.

Only then does he take a cloth from one pocket, wipe his, sword, and sheath it.]

Two at once. [He's not completely out of breath, but it's not coming easily either. If she's teasing him... he can't care right now.] Minor injury. Didn't even see that second one until they were on me.

[A pause, along with a thoughtful (and confused) gaze-- as if he's having to process what he's seen now that he's seen it. Archie had warned him about women being able to fight here, and he saw a fair amount on the Endurance.

Finally, the words he genuinely wants to say find their way out.]

Thank you.

Hey, anytime. No problemo.

[ she watches him clean his sword and -- awkwardly -- she follows suit by scrubbing the dark red metal of her weapon against her jeans. ] A handkerchief just for cleaning. Why haven't I thought of that? Y'know, for on the go. Ten years and I've never really...

[ she trails off. after all, her typical at-home enemy would burst into a cloud of dust upon defeat. not a lot of gore to be found there. ]

It was one of the first things I was taught. [So casual, even his own tone. It surprises him... but many things here have done worse than that. Perhaps that's the cause.] An officer cleans his sword. After a battle. [Of course, it doesn't help that Horatio Hornblower is a bit... obsessive... for his era.

His eyes turn to her, and he seems to remember himself. A slight bow at the waist, and a Navy salute-- which might have also been an attempt to touch the brim of the hat he is not wearing.]

Captain Hornblower, ma'am.

Captain Ho--Horatio!

[ a genuine smile breaks out on that until-now rather dry, sarcastic expression. it's a little tough not to be keen on the man from the get go -- archie's stories, after all. ] Horatio of the fabled dead chicken tale. We've never met. Not -- well, not in person. And not recently.

[ she waves off all that slight bowing and whatever. ] Buffy. As in Summers. As in me. Hi.

Of the-- [Excuse the small groan. He has to have a talk with Archie about that.

Thankfully, she offers her name, and that gives him a new subject.]

Ah! Miss Summers. Of course. I've... heard much about you. [And your sister. But Horatio knows better than to reopen healing wounds.] It's an honour, Miss.

Sorry I didn't get around to introducing myself at the little strategy powwow...[ she should have made a better point to, really. her chops earned from taking down the general in that initial invasion have carried her far in the regard of the village. she knows this. and she ought to have used that regard to smooth the way for some of the newer feathers who hadn't been on a draft before. ]

Honour schmouner. It's a pleasure. That's all that's gotta be said.

[ and now the slayer sticks out a hand. and then she sees that it has blood on it -- so she wipes that off on her thigh and sticks it out once more.

oh, and is she ever so grateful not to have that one still-rather-open wound prodded. ]

I think we were all concerned with other matters. [Proper introductions should have been had. As an officer, he should have made sure-- But what's done is done. This is hardly an ideal mission.

He's noticed the wound on her and is trying not to let his first reaction get the better of him. He's actually quite proud of how calm he manages to sound.] You're injured, Miss Summers. [As is he, but he's ignoring that right now.] We should get back to the camp, see it patched up.

Hmm? [ she examines her arm as if seeing it for the first time. she wrinkles her nose; her sleeve is torn. ] And I liked this shirt, too. Comfy yet stylish. It's hard to find that in war gear.

[ but then she catches up to his meeting and...ah, what the hell. walking back to the medical camp meant another chance to look in on jack. and it's possible that horatio needed a bit of a break and attention himself. ]

...Fine. A-patching we will go.

[Horatio nods slightly.

Almost at once, he's walking again. He's noticed, really, that it is whenever he stops moving, lets himself relax, that he notices the pain creeping through his body, soreness from the long fights and the labour he isn't used to doing himself.

Nothing worth complaining about, but noticeable nonetheless.

After some time, he says, very carefully:]

I've... never seen a woman able to fight. Especially not like that.

[ buffy merely shrugs and offers him a carefully memorized line: ] Into every generation, she is born. A chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and the skill and the yadda yadda yadda.

[ almost a...self-conscious explanation. as if she were somehow apologizing for it. ]

[It takes Horatio a moment, but he manages a nod.

Somewhere in his mind, it makes sense. A chosen one. An exception. He isn't sure he believes in destiny or anything of that nature, but given the circumstances and everything else he's seen in this strange place...

He has no reason not to believe it.]

I've been the Slayer since I was fifteen, Horatio. [ she isn't sure if either archie or jilly had explained the concept to their friend, yet. ] All that, back there? Kinda like a regular work-night, for me.

["Slayer"? No. No one's yet tried to convince the captain of the supernatural. But he can understand a life of war.]

It's not uncommon for midshipman to begin their careers at thirteen, though some join older.

[It's the best he's got to compare it to.]

So I've heard. Slayers don't really get the choice. It's not so much a case of joining as -- uhm -- waking up one day and being told that you're probably going to live a short and brutal live fighting the good fight just 'cause your mystical lottery number came up.

It's not a career. It's...it's what I actually am. Does that make sense?

[ she sneaks a glance at him -- trying to determine the man's age from this one encounter. would he be close to kennedy's years, she wonders? possibly. ]

[It really doesn't. At least not more than it is with Horatio himself-- The Navy is his career, but it is very much what he is. What he has to be to satisfy himself.]

I... believe so, Miss Summers.

Come on. We just fought together. Shoulder-to-shoulder. Sort of.

Can't you at least call me Buffy, now?

Very well, Miss Buffy. I apologize.

[...Yeah, best you're getting out of him for now.]

[ a quirked brow. ] I didn't say you had to apologize.

[ just guess how much fun the admiral had with this firecracker on his ship. ] How'd things go on the good ship...whatever yours is called?

[He can only imagine. And be very, very grateful he didn't have to try and process her then.]

The Endurance.

Things went... as well as I could have hoped for, certainly, but I was extremely fortunate-- Mister Kennedy and I have trained crews of landsmen before.

We know how to work together, and when the officers can unite, it helps the crew to unite.

[A faint, faint smile.] I should have been lost without him.

...I'm sure he'd say the same about you.

[ training those with no sweet clue of what they're getting into? she's been there. it can be such a thankless task. her memories briefly light upon drilling the potential slayers in her own backyard. the mood had been so horrid, then. morale? terrible.

but they'd made it through. ]

You're lucky to have each other.

He is... most invaluable.

[It was insufficient, but so was anything else he could think to say about Archie.

He'd wished more than once for Styles and Matthews and Bush... and he still wished for them. But Archie... So long as he had Archie, he had no reason to falter.]

Tell me, Horatio. How long have you and Archie known each other?

[ if they were to walk to the camp together then she would be nosy about it. ]

We met when I was seventeen.

There have been some absences, times when we've not had a choice but to part ways. Other than that, though, we have served together since then.

[Questions, he can answer. Or evade if need be.

His own questions... He certainly has them. But, for now, he is watching the woman out of the corner of his eye, considering them carefully.]

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