lucetilogs | DRAFT LOG #2: The Battle Game!

[It'd just meant to be a short poke around some of the caves after some of the larger groups, sort of awkwardly tagging along so to speak, but it'd gone wrong when she'd gotten lost.

So for now she's trying to find something familiar, maybe even someone else, and definitely not any Third Party. She clutches her stave, edging around, listening. There was a corner up ahead. She should probably try to remember what Cass and the others did, in that one cave while they were in Otherworld. Even though this place really was very, very different from there.

They'd... they'd look around a corner before just walking, right? So... maybe try just... sort of peeking a little first?]

[He returns Vivi's look with one of his own, and nods. Oh yes, he heard something, and while he can't judge the distance any better than her, he keeps his eyes trained on the tunnel split dead ahead. If he had a gun, it'd be cocked and at the ready, but instead his body tenses in case he needs to spring into action. He keeps his steps slow and deliberate, to help muffle the noise on their end.

... And then he sees a head poke around the corner, in a way that doesn't strike him as malicious. Um.] ... Oi, who's there? [He's taking a chance, calling out like this, but the element of surprise has been stripped away on both sides.]

[Vivi sees it too, and though it's hard to make out detail in the dim light, she's fairly certain it's not an enemy. Still, she slips her pinky into the ring of her Peacock Slasher, just in case it's needed, and waits for the newcomer to make the next move.]

[She did eat at Seventh Heaven every once in a while, so she knows that voice. And he'd talked to her, back when she'd first arrived at Luceti.]

Sanji?

[Now that she's fairly sure it's safe she edges out from behind the properly, holding her stave nervously in her hands. Thylos is there too, his eyes reflecting what little light there is.]

It's me, Lindsay.

--Lindsay-chan~! [Much better than a Third Party bastard. His excitement (and relief) swells with no little enthusiasm.]

Oi, are you alright? [It's the first question out of his mouth, on reflex. She looks okay, if emotionally frayed. Before she answers, however, he's quick to note the state of her party - which is to say, a cat and no one else. He doesn't know her status as a fighter, but her lack of support makes him nervous.

... Also, why a cat?]

Vivi-chan and I were patrolling the area. [He gestures to the blue-haired woman] Are you alone? [And she can probably hear the offer to join them in his tone, if she listens closely]

[Vivi breathes a sigh of relief, and offers the girl a warm smile and they come closer.] Lindsay-san? Hello. My name's Vivi.

[Strange circumstances to meet, perhaps, but might as well make a proper introduction. She beckons Lindsay closer, giving her a quick once-over. She doesn't seem to be hurt at all, which is a relief, but Vivi's mind quickly goes the same direction as Sanji's when she realizes the girl is on her own.]

Would you like to come along with us?

[She approaches, probably letting her guard down more than she should, but Lindsay never had the greatest battlefield instinct. And it's a relief to see friendly faces.]

I'm fine, thanks. It's nice to meet you Vivi.

[Not entirely true, but well, she's as "fine" as she can get in circumstances like this. At Vivi's (and Sanji's unspoken) offer though, she smiles a little in relief.]

Really? I mean... yes, I would. Thanks... I was following another group, but I got lost.

Of course! The more the merrier. [His voice is light, but Sanji's eyes aren't focused on her - they're peering up and out, picking apart pockets of darkness for any movement.

Nothing yet. Hopefully it stays that way for a little longer]

Want us to escort you back to the camp? [He glances at Vivi to see if she minds. Them scouting doesn't mean they can't take a detour, he hopes]

[Vivi catches Sanji's look and nods her assent. No problem at all, if that's what Lindsay wants.]

[She looks again at the narrowing tunnel, and the way it curves sharply to hide what lies ahead from view. She turns to Lindsay.] Was it clear that way? [Of course, that doesn't preclude the possibility that she was followed.]

Oh, uh... sure, I guess. I can stay out here too, though. I'm just... I'm probably not going to be that much help if we get in a big fight or anything.

[If she still had her magic it'd be a different story, of course. Ergh. She hates how much this draft was reminding her of it. How it was gone. And how much she was a burden to other fighters without it. If that was the case, maybe she was better back in the Processing Area with the others who couldn't fight... she just hates being useless...

Oh!]

I think so. I didn't see anybody.

[She's been looking behind her every once in a while, and often listening for noises the way you listen in an empty house at night when you're alone - jumping at every little thing that seems odd.]

[While he won't allude to it, her inability to help in a fight is exactly what Sanji's worried about. These tunnels are not ideal for any side to be tussling in, where the smallest prod at the walls might send everything crashing down on their heads. His knack for surviving will mean nothing if he doesn't keep the girls alive as well.

That said, she's gonna be stuck with them for a while, one way or another. He glances at her cat, curiously, then back at Lindsay] The way behind us is clear too. [Or it was when he and Vivi walked through it. In any case, Sanji's decision seems to be made, just by the way he glances behind him.

Sorry Lindsay, but your life is more important than any pride or feelings of worth. Though to lessen the point, he turns the blame on himself] I need to head back to the base myself, anyway. [he rubs the back of his neck] We're short on cooks and staff there. Fighting won't make a damn difference if no one's got the energy for it.

[Vivi sees what Sanji's angling at, and nods in agreement. If Lindsay isn't a fighter, then Vivi would much rather see her back in the (relative) safety of the base camp.] I wouldn't mind heading back a little early. I'm feeling a little worn out myself.

[Technically, this is the truth, though she hopes Sanji doesn't realize that. She doesn't want to give him any cause to worry further, but it seems that the kidnapping took more out of her than she'd first assumed.]

[She turns back to Lindsay, smiling apologetically.] You don't mind, do you, Lindsay-san?

I guess not.

[To some part of her, it's a bit of a relief, actually. That they can go back where it's safer and it not be a big problem for either of them. She... she still wishes she could be more helpful, but... oh well. It's probably better this way.]

So which way, you think?

[She hasn't got a clue.]

...

[The correct answer would be something like "We'll just go back the way we came", with some hearts for that extra effect, except Sanji doesn't say it. And his mouth has dipped down into a fierce grimace rather than the friendly smile from before.

He heard something - and not the light tiptoeing of a nervous ally. More like growling]

... Lindsay-chan. [His voice is low and careful, as he starts walking ahead with measured steps, towards the curve of the tunnel] How good are you with that stave?

[He's still hoping, maybe foolishly, that it won't matter]

[Vivi doesn't hear it at first, but Sanji's reactions clue her in, and she focuses on the narrow tunnel ahead. A moment later, it's unmistakable. Closer. She puts herself between Lindsay and the tunnel, again slipping her pinky into the ring of her Peacock Slasher. Her voice is an urgent whisper:] Something's coming!

[The warning probably isn't necessary, but she hopes they may still have the element of surprise. She pulls her weapon out and begins spinning it for momentum, the razor-edged jewels producing a soft whine as they cut through the air. Whatever's coming, Sanji is probably more than a match for it, but Vivi's not about to be caught unprepared.]

[Lindsay doesn't bother to answer the question, only grip her stave tighter, biting her lip worriedly. She's not too bad at hitting things with it, but unless you can really hit hard (or have an insane amount of luck), hitting things like that just... doesn't do much good by itself. It was better than nothing though.

She tenses, ready to fight as well as she could, while Thylos's tail swishes, eyes on the bend in the tunnel. How, though, how? She'd kept looking back, how could they have been following her?

Clearly though, the group of Third Party had been following Lindsay at a distance - as soon as it's clear their own element of surprise is lost, they come charging around the curve in the tunnel. There are four of them, all armed, and looking quite thrilled that the finally get to stop sneaking around and fight.]

[The possible reason for her being tailed becomes clear enough, once the soldiers make their presences known - a Shift Hunter, that shoots out from underfoot, and nearly bites Sanji's leg off before he has a chance to force it back with a kick. Up that enemy count to five. Joy.

One of the soldiers goes down when the Shift Hunter collides solidly against his chest, but the other three are on the move. And Sanji might be strong, but fighting in tunnels is not ideal when you need leg room to attack. He manages to engage one, the other two slipping past him before he can take them down. They're more interested in the women.]

[Vivi takes aim and lets fly at the closer of the two. She hits her mark, just nicking his shoulder and slicing neatly through the exposed top of a wing before she pulls her Slasher back; her intent is to cripple, not kill. An enraged scream of pain tears from his throat, but he keeps advancing despite the injury. Vivi pulls her other Slasher out, but before she can attack, the second soldier lunges forward, hoping to catch her off guard, his spear point aimed at her abdomen.]

[She narrowly avoids being skewered, twisting out of the way so the spear just misses her. The move puts her off-balance, however, and to compensate she grabs the shaft of the spear and throws herself over it, going into a roll as she lands. The momentum manages to disarm the soldier, as she'd hoped, his spear clattering behind her to the cave floor. Still, he's too close, demanding her full attention while the first soldier advances toward Lindsay. All Vivi can do is shout a warning and hope that his injury will hamper him enough that Lindsay can fend him off.]

He's coming, Lindsay-san!

[Lindsay can't help but let out a slight yelp as the soldier swings its sword down, though she manages to catch it on her stave and push it to the side. Without the injury Vivi had inflicted, he probably would've been able to overpower her easily, but it gives her just enough edge that she's able to meet his blows. It's still fairly obvious though that she's just not used to fighting someone with a weapon coming straight at her. She only has barely enough practice to keep herself from being killed or hurt.

It finally reaches the point where she isn't able to push the sword aside, and the soldier takes full advantage of their position to bear down his weight on the much smaller girl.

It's at that point that there's a sudden defensive yowl from Thylos, and next moment there's a huge jut of rock rising from the ground, knocking the soldier back and into the air, away from Lindsay.]

[Sanji's desperate to turn around and check on the girls, but his strength is proving less than helpful in such a constricted environment. He's purposely holding back the severity of his kicks in the likelihood he hits wall instead of Third Party. Meaning the foot soldier he knocked down? Back on his feet in a second, charging forth and hoping to stab the chef in the back with his sword.

Instead his head gets embedded into a wall - possibly by accident; Sanji looks just as surprised when he swipes his leg around and hits something. That attack had been meant for the Third Party guy in front of him; the one who dodge rolled at the last second and is regrouping with the Shift Hunter. So Sanji spares little thought for the unlucky bastard and hones in on his last two opponents.

At least, until out of the corner of his eye he catches sight of Lindsay being forced down. And suddenly he's far less interested in these two] Lindsay-chan!

[If he runs at full speed he can make it in time, but oh hello floating boulder that just collided with the unfortunate shithead...

He refocuses on his enemies, bemused. Well... Alright. He can roll with it. If it's on their side and all.]

Edited 2011-12-22 23:24 (UTC)

[For the moment, Vivi's attention is focused on her opponent. The loss of his spear doesn't seem to hamper him much as he draws a short sword and lunges at her, swinging down hard. She leaps to her feet and dodges to one side; the momentum of the soldier's swing gives her time to get behind him and gain some distance before he recovers. She lashes out with both her Peacock Slashers, even as he's turning back to face her. She sees an instant of surprise in his eyes as her blades whoosh past him on either side of his face, then he breaks into a smirk. His thoughts are plain: you missed.]

[It only takes the slightest tug on the rings of her Slashers, and her true intent is evident as the blades loop back on opposite sides, wrapping their trailing wires loosely around his neck. Still, comprehension doesn't seem to dawn on him until she tugs again, sharply this time, tightening the wires. The soldier brings one hand to his throat, trying to tear them away, and with the other brings his short sword up for another blow as he continues to advance.]

[Vivi holds her breath. This will be the tricky part; as he gets closer, some of the tension goes out of her Slasher wires. She has to act before he gets free. She feints to the left, hoping to put him off balance, and when he swings, dives forward again...right between his legs. She's on her feet in an instant, running, trying to gain as much momentum as she can as she yanks the Slashers behind her. He's a lot bigger than she is, so even ignoring the somewhat weakened state she's in after her kidnapping, she's not sure if it will work.]

[Thankfully, the abruptness of the action coupled with the tight wires hindering his airway seem to be enough, and he pitches forward, head connecting with rock with a painful-sounding crack. Vivi finally dares spare a glance to see how Lindsay is doing.]

DRAFT LOG #2: The Battle Game!

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

1st Day - Locked to Vivi, Sanji, and Lindsay

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