deercountry | clashing tens and hundreds of times / a light from tens and hundreds of years ago

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clashing tens and hundreds of times / a light from tens and hundreds of years ago

Who: Childe and Lumine
What: Lumine chooses violence this month and Childe happily obliges while dealing with Moon Presence stuff
When: December!
Where: The Gate

Content Warnings: they're just fighting and yelling at each other so idk if something comes up we'll put it in the subject line

[Trudging through the snow, Childe makes his way over to The Gate, his favorite place in all of Trench. He's easily found there, frequenting it whenever he can when he's not doing his odd jobs. Today the seats are empty, as there's no grand show of Hunters that take on monsters today, leaving it open for people to train. He's hoping someone who's particularly strong is available for sparring today, having finally had a good night's rest from the monstrosities that occurred during the previous month.

As he arrives, he beelines to where he can usually meet an unsuspecting Hunter to try to spar with him. But to his surprise, he sees a familiar face waiting for him instead. He tilts his head, before approaching her.]

Well well, I certainly wasn't expecting to find you here. Were you waiting for me?

[It's...a bit strange, it's not like her to show up here and wait for him. She's never done that before.]

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[ it's been a nagging feeling since lumine's woken up that morning, prickling at her skin like static in the air. it's certainly not blood pollution, its effects finally subsiding, and she feels fine in terms of her physical health, so she knows it's something else. like an itch she wants to scratch but she can't reach it or something she wants to hit but it's too far away, it has her fidgeting in her seat and pacing around the room.

holding aether's hand provided momentary relief, but the moment her twin's pulled away, the impatient feeling is back. and while it's not uncommon that the two of them stay together for a lengthy period of time, she also doesn't want to hold him back from doing whatever he wants. so she sets off, purposefully heading towards the gate where she thinks she'll be able to let out some steam.

... okay, a lot of steam. she pushes herself off of the wall and slowly walks towards the centre of the training area. ]

I owe you a round of beating, c'mon.

[ for, you know, getting kidnapped in front of her last month, what the hell. also, she really, really, really just wants to get this over with, hoping it'll help with that nagging, prickling feeling.

it's cold, having discarded her coat and gloves, and she briefly glances at the sky when snow starts falling again. she gives it a beat before lumine wordlessly and quickly lunges at childe, festering desire appearing in a flash of gold as she sweeps the blade towards him. ]

[His ears perk up. It's like music to his ears, Lumine voluntarily wanting to come spar with him. He trots after her, excited for the challenge. He's seen some of her combat abilities already, though it wasn't in the best of circumstances, but he knows she's grown since she left Liyue and wants to see what she's learned since going to Inazuma. It's one timeline difference that really hasn't bothered him. His own coat is left behind with hers, quickly taking it off to keep up with her.]

Oh? You're going to beat me down, is that what you think? I've gotten a lot stronger too, you know.

[Something at the back of his mind pops a question. It's not logical, but it's still there, beginning to eat at him.

Isn't this a little strange? There's something off here. Was it something I said?

He stands ready, meeting that clash with his own blades, feeling the hunger of battle rise in him. Having blocked her attack with his left, he counters with the right with a slash towards her midsection. Something not easy to block but should be well within her ability to handle with ease, as they begin their warm up in the snow.]

[ archons, unnecessary chatter during battle. how annoying.

lumine presses her lips together when he parries her blade (it's not that much of a challenge anyway), quickly jumping back to avoid his own attack. the moment she lands back on her feet, she sweeps a leg along the ground, directing geo energy across the concrete and summoning stone walls to try and throw him off.

and then she's hurtling once more, releasing an arc of electro energy towards him with a slash of her blade. guess who learned a few tricks from the last few people she's fought. ]

You talk too much, Childe. Just shut up and fight.

[ not that she was never aware of how talkative he is, because he is and it's honestly exasperating at times. but man, is it even more grating right here, right now? ]

[That's a trick he's seen her do once before, quickly avoiding the geo shards that fly up with the circular wall she constructs. He lands behind it, but it isn't long before she's coming at him with electro, forcing him to dodge that too. But instead of dodging away, he maneuvers himself to move in closer to meet her with another clang of their weapons, grinning like a little kid who's just gotten a birthday gift that he can terrorize people with.]

I'm not annoying you, am I Traveler?

[But there's that pang of paranoia again- what if he is, in a way that she'll just walk away and never fight him again? He'd already opened his mouth, and he's starting to suspect something might be wrong. His eyes betray him for a moment, before he can shake that feeling off as he separates himself from her and puts a few feet between them.]

[ lumine grits her teeth and digs her heels into the dirt when he moves in closer, her sword blocking and clashing with his hydro blades. water splashes on her skin, cooled by the weather, and it almost disarms her with how cold it is. freezing, even. but she quickly gets her senses back and tries to kick him away, only for her foot to connect with empty air when he suddenly backs off.

what. what just happened?

he looks distracted, at least, by something. not that she plans on trying to guess what it is or letting him get over said distraction, leaping into the air towards him as a ball of electro energy gathers in her hands to slam into his form. ]

You've always been annoying. Even more so right now.

[Wow rude!

His blades quickly rise in front of him to form an X to block the electro attack that she slams right into him. Electricity arcs every which way off of it, and he can feel some of the surges go through the blades into his hands.]

Surely you don't mean that! I thought we got along splendidly!

[There's a hint of hurt in his eyes though, stemming from the growing paranoia that he must of really pissed her off. What did he do? Maybe from the argument they'd had at the sleeper farm?

But he can't allow this to continue, and with one motion he pushes forward to break them apart, arms opening wide to quickly slam his blades together to follow up with a thrusting attack from a now newly formed bladed staff.]

Edited (messed up my html) 2021-12-05 02:04 (UTC)

[ splendidly, he says. not that lumine denies or confirms it outright, refusing to be diverted from their current state of affairs.

she skids back a few feet when childe pushes her, dirt and snow kicking up around her ankles, and barely parries his hydro polearm with her sword. festering desire vibrates in her hand as if sensing the growing bloodlust between the two of them, forcing her to roll on the ground to avoid the incoming attack before she can drop her blade.

finally. he's being serious about this, but he really can't stop talking, can he?

pressing her hand on the ground, she sends a shockwave of geo energy towards him before she gets up back up. bouncing on the balls of her feet, she zips in closer once more, slashing heavily and several times at him with her sword. ]

[There's...something off here. Something more than he first realized.

Focusing more on the fight, as it seems that Lumine is done with what he hoped was friendly taunting during a little warm up, there's just...something different in her approach. It's more hasty, more aggressive. He doesn't think she wants him dead, and thankfully his paranoia doesn't capitalize on that thought. But there's still a difference in her fighting style. But it's not for the better.

She forces him to leap to avoid the geo energy, still feeling the shockwave shake his body but managing to avoid the most dangerous part of it. He lands, ready to meet her sword with his own, nimbly blocking each attack.

But surely she knows that such heavy blows in a row isn't wise? He takes advantage of one of them, using her own momentum to parry her in such a way to try to throw her off balance, as another heavy strike comes. If successful? His blade is pointed at whatever vital area becomes open to strike. If not, he'll continue to block and parry with ease.

What's going on with her? This isn't right. This isn't like her.]

[ if lumine were in her right mind, she'd ask the same thing: what's going on with her?

as it stands, she's not, and each strike he parries sends her hand and arm shaking. her lucid self would've reminded her of the disadvantages of her movements; her unhinged, impatient self wouldn't have cared and still doesn't care, shifting her sword from one hand to another. a mistake, really, as her non-dominant hand barely fends off his counter, festering desire disappearing in a flurry of gold before it can even hit the ground.

lumine skitters back, his polearm pointed at her side. normally, this is where she'd capitulate and admit her loss; it won't be the first, and it's not like she's one to hold it against anyone. but again, normal isn't exactly what one would describe these circumstances are, and childe should be well aware of it by now.

she grabs the blade, hydro cutting through her glove and palm, and directs a current of electro along the water. her sword manifests once more in her other hand, lunging at him, blade thrust towards his neck. ]

[As they say, a fight really isn't over until one of the combatants dies, if this was supposed to be one of those fights. Childe isn't fighting to the death here. So her next move surprises him, his eyes widening as she just grabs the blade and starts to electrocute him through his own weapon.

It's a bold move. One to be praised, really. But a completely, and utterly unnecessary one for the purpose of this battle. He can feel his muscles tightening up almost instantly, and only by sheer willpower is he able to dismiss the hydro weapon to release himself from the current that's paralyzed him to thst spot.

The blade nicks his neck as he barely dodges it, and instead of summoning his weapon once again, he chooses instead to go unarmed for the moment.]

Hey, [he says, a little miffed,] though that move you just pulled was pretty clever, I didn't think this was that kind of fight. What's going on? You've been acting strange ever since you got here.

[ lumine waits for him to retaliate, to counter, to move.

but childe does nothing except dismiss his vision, the hydro energy under her fingertips dissipating and leaving a wet patch of blood and water in her palm and tendrils of unease wrapping around her heart. it's done, but it wasn't enough to pacify her in any way. how anticlimactic, she thinks as she too dismisses her sword. ]

Nothing, [ she says with a shrug, examining the wound on her palm. she'll need to get that fixed before she goes home, or else aether will ask questions. ] You just didn't take this seriously as I thought you would.

[ what happened to giving everything he can for all the battles he'll get into? or is that all lip service, she wonders? does it even matter now that this fight is over? ]

I'm not here for a half-hearted fight.

That's not the kind of move you pull in a sparring match. That's one for when you are trying to kill your enemy. Not that I mind a fight to the death, but it's as I said before. The round was mine, and we could have easily started fresh for another opportunity. [He pauses for a moment.] Unless it's a fight to the death that you want.

[It's now that the gripping paranoia from the moon reacting with his blood brings that thought back to the surface. Was she trying to kill him? Maybe she did want him dead?

No, he thinks, shaking that off. That doesn't make any sense. If she wanted me dead, she's had plenty of opportunities to do so.]

[ she squeezes her hand tightly to stem the bleeding, seemingly ignoring childe's ranting at her and pressing her lips together when it stings. ]

Why are you whining, Childe? Is it because you lost?

[ claiming that the round was his, please. lumine rolls her eyes as she opens her hand to inspect the wound, clicking her tongue when the wound opens once more and fresh blood seeps through the cut. without another thought, she wipes it on her skirt, white and blue now streaked with dirt and blood.

nothing new with this world, clearly. ]

You were distracted halfway through the fight, [ she scoffs in disbelief, turning back to where she left her coat and gloves. ] You have no one else to blame but yourself.

[She's right about being distracted. He knows this, and now that's she brought it to his attention, he thinks on it. He's been so concerned and focused on her, he didn't think to look inwardly at himself. Wasn't...his behavior, and his line of thinking strange too? Why would he think things like if she wanted to kill him or if this sudden change in her behavior was somehow his fault?

He shakes his head, staring back at her. Things are falling into place, but he hasn't put them all together yet.]

Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm still standing, and I stopped our fight to clear a few things up, that's all. If we're measuring it by the standards you've set for this little session of ours, no one's won yet.

[He draws his weapons once more, ready to continue. He has a theory, and he's going to test it during their battle.]

Let's go. I want to try out a few new moves, after all.

[ what.

she looks at him over her shoulder, feeling that niggling sense of irritation bubbling inside of her again. it was momentarily soothed earlier by the rush of adrenaline, but it's back again and she only has so much self-control to keep herself from lashing out again. does she have to point it out again and again to him? ]

I'm not getting ahead of myself. I won when you clearly gave up.

[ was he always like this? she can't seem to recall, but she does remember him being pouty about it back in the golden house. that was then, though. ]

Or is accepting a loss that difficult a concept for you, Childe?

[Again, he's hit with paranoia. Her words bite, and he's thrown again into a sinking place of believing she really was angry at him and not understanding why or what he did.

No. He can't let that consume him, not until this has been tested. So, let's exacerbate the problem he's starting to believe exists, and expose it. Sounds like it won't be that hard.]

Talk all you want. If you want a serious fight, you'll get it.

[His outward appearance looks as if her words bounce off of him, and normally they very well might of if he wasn't so influenced by the moon. He begins approaching her, twirling his blades in his hands a few times before launching directly into a flurry of attacks. Aggressive, quick and precise, each slash is aimed with the intent to frustrate and push her to her limits.]

What's wrong? [He yells, laughing manically.] This is what you wanted, right?

[ annoying, annoying, annoying—who knew that he'd be an even bigger sore loser than she expected?

her sword reappears in her hand, gritting her teeth as lumine parries his incoming attacks left and right. it's sloppy, though, and she's clearly caught off-guard, sharpened water slicing a thin line on her cheek when one of his blades came too close for comfort and it's only battle-honed reflexes that pushes her to swerve right before it can disfigure her.

in retaliation, she summons a geo construct from the ground right beneath his feet and takes the momentary opportunity to leap on top of it. ]

You're the one who's still yapping, Fatui.

[ the wound in her hand throbs as she grips her sword tightly, launching herself at childe with as much fury as she can muster. she coats her blade with electro energy, sending a huge arc of purple lightning towards him with a slash. ]

[Small victories are what are won in this fight. There's a part of him that's glad Lumine is fighting him right now- had this been an instance where being on her game was vital, he's afraid she may not live through it, depending on the opponent. But fear not, he has no intention of killing her, even if his attacks don't suggest that. He pushes and pushes until he finally forces her to move and try something new, the geo construct nearly throwing him right in the air as it surges upward beneath his feet. He jumps off as it rises, landing on his feet a few yards back as she takes the higher ground on top of it.]

Sticks and stones, Traveler.

[He can't really fight her effectively using his hydro weapon, she'll just electrocute him again. But he also doesn't think that switching to his delusion in this fight is a good idea either, not for what he wants to achieve. So he decides to do something unexpected, moving as fast as he can, dodging past the arc of lightning she throws at him towards her. He can feel the air sizzle as he barely moves past it, and he swears that it burned off some of the hair on his neck.

He knows there's some kind of attack coming his way now, as he comes into melee distance. He has to get to her before that happens. If he doesn't, he's dead.

He has to.

The hydro blades snap out of existence just as fast as they had come into being, and he throws out a hand to try to grab the wrist of the hand she has her sword in, and with his other he puts as much strength as he can with an uppercut right to her gut.]

[ lumine can't say she didn't expect it; childe has always been her most unpredictable opponent thus far. but at the same time, her mind has been going on overdrive during this entire fight, and her focus hasn't entirely been the same since earlier this morning. had the circumstances been different, she would've caught it—would've caught him.

so the punch? totally her fault for not dodging it, but she's not about to admit that.

she would've fallen to her knees, the wind knocked right out of her and tears prickling her eyes, if it weren't for his grip around her wrist still holding her up. instead, she staggers on her feet and coughs harshly as the pain spreads across her body like wildfire. but if he thinks she's simply giving up, then that's where he's wrong.

yes, he may have had this brilliant idea of momentarily incapacitating her but like what he said earlier, she's still standing.

her fingers release her sword, its dark blade disappearing into gold flecks, but in its place, she gathers anemo energy in her palm and allows the vacuum to explode between the two of them to get him to release her. stick and stones, right? ]

[Is she...crying? The light catches those unreleased tears, and he misses the anemo energy gathering in her palm until it's too late. His instinct would have been to break her wrist to keep it from exploding like that, but even then in this fight, would he even of taken that step to begin with anyway? Not that it matters now- the release of compressed wind blows him back and he lets go, shielding his face to keep it from being sliced open by the wind. Cuts appear up and down his arms however, blood beginning to run down them and dropping into the white snow.

Another dangerous move. He was right on top of her, barely a breadth's width apart from her after knocking the wind out of her.]

That was a little reckless, don't you think? Perhaps you can't respond yet. Either way, enjoy your small victory there. Catch your breath and wipe the tears from your eyes. We're not through.

[Yeah. Silently he's worried about the damage she may have caused to herself with that little stunt, and he just can't see it yet. From now on, he'd have to proceed with caution. He can't quite shake this feeling that this is his fault, finding it difficult to battle that and Lumine at the same time.

But at least, he's realized there's something up. He just needs to look for something else to confirm his suspicions that it might be the moon messing with both of them.]

[ the recoil from her last elemental attack causes her to skid back just a little, her face stinging when the anemo energy draws more bloody lines on her skin. nothing debilitating, but certainly something that will rouse questions from her twin. still, it's done its part to force him to let go.

the distance between them gives her time to assess herself and catch her breath, laboured from the exertion. the discomfort from his punch hasn't subsided yet, and taking a deep breath causes her to clutch her side as pain lances through her and more tears well up in her eyes. a cracked rib, maybe? after all, he didn't exactly hold back with that one hit; she'll have to get it checked.

it's not the worst injuries she's received, but the rational part of her brain knows she's in no shape to continue this fight. the part that's clearly bent of out shape, however, still wants her to shut childe up for good. ]

You're such a sore loser, Childe, [ she grunts at him, taking short, shallow breaths, each one a puff of white cloud in front of her face.

lumine closes her eyes, blinking away the tears warping her vision, and grits her teeth as she straightens to her full height and summons her sword once more. her entire body throbs with unimaginable pain, but she hasn't gone down just yet.

adrenaline pushes her into full gear once more, and she sends anemo energy down her legs to increase her speed and propel her forward. electro runs across the length of her blade, lightning arcing from the steel, as she launches a flurry of slashes at him again. ]

Edited 2021-12-08 16:40 (UTC)

[Watching her recover already said to him that she probably shouldn't be continuing. He's a little banged up too, in all fairness- being electrocuted and slashed up like he is isn't anything to sneeze at. He'll admire the fact that she's pushing herself so hard, even if it is due to circumstances out of their control. If it were him, he'd do the same. It is what he loves, after all.]

Again with the name calling...it's really not becoming of you, Traveler. Are you sure you're alright? Did I do something to make you so angry?

[It's the first time he's outwardly acknowledged his own issues- the question is more sincere than his tone of voice lets on. Her flurry of slashes meet a hydro barrier that laid invisible until she connects with it, now flashing into existence at every blow until it finally breaks underneath the duress of her attacks, with him ready to counter the moment it does. Blades flash to push her backwards, before he leaps upwards into the air to start firing upon her with his bow, water cascading out in waves from it as he laughs.]

[ does it really matter if it's becoming of her or not? her mind is currently clouded with frustration and displeasure over all of this, her body wracked with pain and only numbed by adrenaline. and she's more focused on finishing this off as quickly as possible.

lumine quickly backs off when the shield collapses, already anticipating what's coming next; she's fought him enough to figure him out. instead of surging in for another attack, she draws out another geo construct right in front of her, blocking the first wave of hydro energy from his bow, before she zips around him to try and dodge the rest.

and it would've been a passable effort to try and counter him—after all, he'd land back on the ground and then, she'd be ready to leap on him, sword thrumming with electro energy—if snow and water were the type to mix well.

she loses her footing on a slippery patch, crying out when her ankle curves at an angle as she tries to catch herself and evade the incoming wave, landing on her bottom instead with a loud thud. still, unwilling to give up, lumine throws her electrified sword as hard as she could towards him before water forcefully slams into her. ]

[He's suddenly found himself in a bad situation, with only seconds to make a decision. The sword sails through the air, spinning at him. He begins to drop out of the air down toward the ground, but it's not fast enough- the sword sinks into his left shoulder, electro energy bursting forth from it through him as his body locks up and he falls the rest of the way to the ground. He lands hard, the ground sending shocks through his body to accompany the ones already coming from the electrified sword. Had he started to drop a moment later, the sword may of ended up somewhere more vital.

It takes a moment for the electricity to dissipate from the sword, and he grabs it and removes it from his shoulder. A shockwave of pain ripples through him as he does so, and his hand comes up in front of the wound, glowing red. Closing his eyes, he concentrates, and the blood flow slows to almost nothing. He hasn't fixed it, but it gives him more time to get to a doctor, if nothing else.

Walking forward, he finally throws Festering Desire onto the ground at her feet, returning the sword to its master. He's created an additional problem now. It's December, and Lumine is now sopping wet. All too aware of how being wet in winter works, continues to walk past her back to where their things were. He grabs both his coat and her own, and returns- his own jacket, if she'll allow, will go around her first to soak up the water. He doesn't have a towel, so that will have to do for now.]

I'm satisfied with this fight, [He says, feeling fulfilled with their bout, but knowing that if this goes any farther it surely won't be pretty.]

[ everything hurts.

the pain that's been momentarily dulled by adrenaline comes back in full force, slamming into her like childe's hydro energy. breathing becomes difficult once more, not just because of the water she's inhaled when she almost drowned above ground but also because of the lancing pain at her side from her injury prior to that. being completely drenched only exacerbates it all, the cold stinging every inch of her exposed skin like a thousand needles.

a part of her wonders, as she staggers back to her feet and picks up her sword, wincing when she accidentally puts her weight on her ankle, if she'll even be able to evade any inquiries from aether. probably not, especially when she looks like she's been dragged through hell and back. perhaps her only consolation is childe looking worse for wear just like her. ]

No one asked, [ lumine mutters before she tosses his jacket back at him, grabbing her coat instead and wrapping it around her. she doesn't need his pity, knowing that she came out of this fight more banged up than him.

fighting the urge to shiver, she tugs her coat closer to her body, closing her eyes and burying her face in its thick collar. ] Are we done here?

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clashing tens and hundreds of times / a light from tens and hundreds of years ago

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