sparring with an audience

[tigerpoet]

[If you're passing by the detective agency's office today, you might get to see a fight. Fauna, a familiar sight to most around Starsand, and Atsushi - no, the other one. The other other one.

Atsushi's grinning as they battle, so there's probably no bad blood involved… then again, with these two, it's hard to tell, especially with Fauna's mask covering any expression she might make.

Atsushi is a straightforward fighter, and his strikes with his sword are powerful. He doesn't dodge much, but he takes Fauna's fire and ice attacks head-on and keeps going strong. His attacks are almost reckless, the aggressive style of someone who knows he can tank any hit his opponent deals him and can fix any injuries later, trading openings in his own form for damage dealt to his opponent.

Fauna's fighting style, in contrast to her normal, headstrong nature, is quite methodical- First, blasts of fire and ice, scarring the battlefield to restrict her opponent's movements. Then a form change to her owl form, a bombardment of high-speed knives as she flies around to create openings. Then, when she's finally restricted and worn her opponent down, she strikes- Her lion form comes in swinging, intending to end it in a single, electric blow.

The battle ends in a draw, with Atsushi's sword at Fauna's neck and Fauna's sword at his heart. There's plenty of time afterwards to catch either of the two in conversation, if you've stuck around to watch.]

Comments

[nightwild]

I can see why you like it.

[She sighs, and takes a deep breath. She closes her eyes, and lets herself slowly relax.]

It would be a comfortable place to be alone.

[spacialeyes]

Yeah. I can't leave you alone up here, but I can be quiet.

[There's no point in talking to her when she's angry anyway. He'll just get hurt.

So Yuuto moves away to give her some extra space.]

[nightwild]

... You don't have to.

[Her eyes are still closed as she relaxes, trying to calm down, letting her armor fade.]

[spacialeyes]

But I'm pretty annoying, right? I wouldn't really know how to comfort you either. Since I don't think that what you said was entirely wrong..?

[...]

I apologize. It was hard not to overhear.

[nightwild]

[His words are both a knife to her heart, and a comfort. She doesn't disagree. She's right. She doesn't deserve happiness.

Why can't anyone else see that?]

You're fine.

... You want to make memories with people, anyway, right?

[spacialeyes]

Mm, well... I apologize if you dislike hearing this, but you sounded like Oyashiro-sama. She did the same thing, you know? She gave everyone someone to hate and take their anger out on. I didn't understand it at first, but I get it now.

It would be easier if everyone gave up and used hatred to solve their problems.

But that isn't what you want, is it?

[nightwild]

... I don't know what I want.

I want to be punished. I want to be happy. I want justice. I want to forget it all happened. I want to not have to think.

Everything I want contradicts itself. It's all impossible. So I might as well just think about how to be useful instead.

[spacialeyes]

Ehehe... I don't think it contradicts itself..?

[But he shakes his head. Yuuto knows that sometimes, things are so ingrained in your mind that you can't pull them out with logic. It hurts. Being told you're flat-out wrong for being hurt is also painful.]

But that's not a bad idea, Fauna-san. 'Being useful' is kind of a sad way to put it, but...

While we're figuring it out, what if we help prevent others from becoming like us? For me, I think that would make me happy. I can't forget it, but I can turn it into a weapon and use it to help people! [And Yuuto begins to chop the air with his arm, as if he has a weapon.

Then he settles down again and smiles.]

And at the end, maybe we can be like Oyashiro-sama. Maybe we'll help so much that people understand we were hurting too and they forgive us. I think forgiveness is okay. It's harder than hating, but isn't it better for the people around us anyway? When I'm full of hate, it hurts so much... I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Let's earn forgiveness, Fauna-san! Let's save people from anger and hatred!

[...] Sorry, I'm no good at words.

[nightwild]

[She listens... and laughs.

It's not joyful. Not mirthful. Bitter... but not unkind. She sympathizes.]

I don't need forgiveness. What I want is justice- I want to make things right. To make a world where good is rewarded and evil is punished.

... But I'm not smart enough to figure out how to do that. All I know how to do is fight. Can I really save people that way?

[spacialeyes]

Forgiveness isn't about you, Fauna-san. It's about the other person!

[But he won't fight her on that. He looks down at the planet they came from, with its pinkish tint and blurred details.]

Instead of complaining about what you can't do, why aren't you learning to do the things that you think you need to do?

[nightwild]

If I knew how to do that, I would.

[She grumbles.]

It's not like there's a cure for being stupid. I wasn't smart even before I dropped out of school.

[spacialeyes]

Of course you weren't. That's why you go to school, Fauna-san.

Have you tried studying since then?

[nightwild]

I couldn't study before, what good would it do now? I already know that no matter how much I study, it never helps.

And what could I study to help with this?

[spacialeyes]

Fauna-san, you're too young to say that...

Hm. Psychology..? Physics for your power? Literature to help you understand more world views.

Oh, and math is pretty relaxing? For times when you're mad?

[nightwild]

Math is the opposite of relaxing. I've never scored higher than a 50 on math in my life.

[spacialeyes]

But it's always the same! Isn't that kind of neat? You can have a favorite math problem and no matter how bad things get, the answer won't change!

I think that's pretty reassuring?

[nightwild]

That's not helpful. You have to memorize all those equations and formulas and none of them make any sense!

[spacialeyes]

... But the fact that they do make sense is the point?

[Yuuto will never understand these math haters!]

But what about the other stuff? What about reading?

[nightwild]

I don't understand it. It's always, "what does this passage mean", but if you just say it means what it says, everyone laughs at you.

[spacialeyes]

Maybe you need to read with the right people, then! I'll bet there are a lot of people who would love to read with you, Fauna-san. People here like you!

[nightwild]

What's the point in reading with other people? It's not like that's a group activity.