inbox.

[heorte]

Comments

[pittance]

I don't know. But I know we gotta figure it out, because this? Where we just act real hard like nothing went down? It's not working.

It's not gonna work with the kid here, [ adrasteia is basically their age ] Not with your people around. I don't know, Ellis, I hate this. I hate being your hanging fucking sword.

[heorte]

[ a few beats of silence. ]

You don't have a sense it's something that could be settled in the training yard?

[ for lack of a better solution. ]

[pittance]

[ a pause of his own. i mean, ]

[pittance]

You think we could get rid of the Sister long enough?

[heorte]

Jone got away with it.

[ so, maybe. ]

[pittance]

I don't know what Jone figures she's doing, [ she's crafty. it's something. ] But I'm not breaking a hand on you for nothing. None of this — one free hit shite.

[heorte]

I'm not bringing my mace into this.

[pittance]

If I wanted to die, we wouldn't be having this chat.

[heorte]

[ is this a weird moment to chuckle, or ]

Aye, perhaps not. And you think this will settle it, for you? Or should we give it a go and see, and consider other options in the event this fails?

[pittance]

I don't see how it hurts.

[ like. other than literally ]

You think it's gonna settle it for you?

[heorte]

I don't have anything against you.

[ a great, infuriating thing to say right after asking someone to meet you in the pit. ]

You know who I am. I can't fault you for it.

[pittance]

This — this is the kind of shit I mean.

[heorte]

It's the truth.

[ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]

[pittance]

Yeah? I know so much, why are you wandering around like you got ducklings? I know so much, what d'you tell them? Because it's not this.

[ (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ ]

[heorte]

Is that what you want? For me to tell them what happened at Adamant?

[pittance]

I don't care what you tell them. I need you to stop playing dead.

1/2

[heorte]

I’m not playing at anything.

[heorte]

Do you want to fight about this, or not?

1/2

[pittance]

2/2

[pittance]

An hour.

[heorte]

Aye, I'll be there.

spongebob voice: one hour later

[pittance]

[ It's night. Handy: Fewer folks in the way.

Vance waits under the orange, swinging light of a lantern; still, eyes cast strange to the dirt. His shoulder curls as a startled cat — doesn't uncoil. He stands frozen, with no alarm in sight.

No healers, either. Thank fuck. Seems there's still some turnover on the night shift (or just fewer brawls in the middle of it). They've a little time, at least, before being nagged into their graves. ]

https://i.imgur.com/PiaEEWR.jpg

[heorte]

An hour is enough time for Ellis to consider again that this is likely not a long term solution. But it's enough of a solution to be worth pursuing right now, particularly when the alternative is further conversation.

No armor, no mace. Ellis shucks off his coat as he approaches, expression shuttered.

"Ready?"

And to think, not so long ago he'd been agreeing with Jone about how little use things like this were.

[pittance]

He charges.

Doesn't matter if it even connects — a barrel run below the chest — some things you just gotta start before you got a chance to stop them. To think, or freeze up. Cool down,

Same thing. Bad odds, anyway: Eighteen inches between them and Ellis ever the fucking anvil. Bad odds if you want anything other than a break.

(Needs one. Conversations get heavy on two heads.)

[heorte]

Dodging isn't impossible, but it's not a habit Ellis has cultivated. And he doesn't bother now. He weathers the blow, the immediate collision, because that's what they're here for, because this isn't a training exercise and it doesn't matter about form or instinct or anything other than what's owed.

Vance didn't want this to be easy. That doesn't mean Ellis has to make it any more difficult than necessary.

He swings back. There's almost nowhere to aim at but Vance's head, which isn't as straightforward a benefit as it should be. It's easy to miss when habit is swinging up at something taller and bigger.