robinnest | Children of Hades

[Mal's right to assume Nico wasn't expecting her to play so rough, but Mal isn't accounting for everything either. Nico wanted to fight Mal to teach her and that meant fighting softer, not because he underestimates her, but because given the opportunity to learn things the right way and not in a hurry, technique mattered. So he's going easy on her, jabbing slower, telegraphing more than usual.

But Nico didn't survive two wars by letting his guard down, and nothing's a trigger for instinct like pain. Mal didn't fight fair, and neither did Octavian's monsters. Neither did Luke's forces. Nico knows how to fight people who aren't fighting fair (even if he didn't expect it from her.) He takes the hit to his ankle, lets his knee give out and bring him to the ground, and goes with it, rolling forward beneath her and springing to his feet behind her albeit with a limp. His sword is back up and guarding before she can close the distance between them again.]

[ she grins. ] You doing okay there, bud?

[ there’s actual concern under the taunt, more obvious in how she bounces lightly on her feet instead of attacking rather than being apparent anywhere in her tone or expression. her eyes are bright, her smile wide, her voice clear and strong: a sharp contrast to the horrified, guilt-ridden girl who accidentally twisted her brother’s leg. they seem two different people ( which is the point: this is a performance; that was something to be kept hidden. ) ]

Edited 2019-10-20 12:11 (UTC)

Sure. [He's focused on her, ignoring the throb in his ankle. He's had far worse in far more strenuous battles. He moves in again, this time his brain frantically reassessing her moves. (There's dirt on the floor, she could throw it in his face to blind him—he isn't sure what she might have in her pockets—) He's still holding back because Mal is naturally good as they'd both known she would be, but she doesn't have his experience and it makes a difference.

(Minos hadn't trained him like this, Minos had thrown him to the wolves, some more literal than others, and coached him from the sidelines. It might have worked but Nico would carry those scars for his entire life and he wouldn't do that to Mal.)

He breaks away from her guard for a moment, turning his sword and sweeping it so that the flat of it will knock her in the back of the knees and send her to the ground if she doesn't dodge.]

[ and still not thinking enough like a filthy fucking cheater would. what would minos say.

mal jumps over the blade, twisting her body in midair so that she lands on her feet. her smile remains in place. her left hand is at her wrist, quickly undoing the clasp of her slave bracelet: a rippling sheet of gold stretching from a ring on her middle finger to her wrist where it wraps around in a delicate braid of twisted gold.

she holds up the bracelet. the gold catches the afternoon light. more importantly, it catches the attention of something nearby.

mal tosses the bracelet at nico’s chest. ]

Catch, Oreo!

[ the newly baptized oreo the skeleton cat cannot ignore something so shiny. it races back onto the field and between nico’s legs in pursuit of its new curiosity. mal is right behind the cat. her intent: to disarm nico or trip him up again then disarm him. either one seems fun to the terrible and sneaky cheater that she is. ]

[If he falls, he'll crush the cat (Oreo?) and that will be that, the bones will return to the Earth. He knows it won't hurt the cat exactly, but it's not the way he wanted to send the cat off. Nico doesn't fall, but he does let his sword drop and immediately crouch to shelter the cat. Before Mal can finish it though, he's got the cat in his arms and is shadow travelling away. He emerges from a tree a couple dozen feet away, his eyes on the bones in his arms and something different in his posture.

He places the cat on the ground, throwing the bracelet out so it'll continue to play.]

I broke the rules so I guess I lose. [He isn't looking at her though.]

Guess you do, [ she agrees cheerfully.

thrilled with her victory, she chalks up his lack of enthusiasm to losing. having recovered one bracelet, she scoops up oreo. it was the first name that came to mind, but the cat does not seem to mind it. it's not like she could call it "fluffy." ]

No, this one's mine. [ mal laughs as she tries to free her other bracelet from oreo's tiny claws. ] I'll get you a proper toy later.

Edited 2019-10-23 22:21 (UTC)

[He watches the cat play with Mal's bracelet and feels the rush of frustration he'd felt begin to taper off. Maybe, he wonders, it'd be better to let someone else handle Mal's training. (He dismisses the thought as soon as its come, realizing Mal's likely to be even less inclined to play fair with anyone else.)

Softly]Mal, there isn't going to be a later. I can't keep it here.

Not enough power, right?

[ she holds out her hand. whatever the glow of his sword had revealed is hidden once more beneath her glove.

her expression isn’t smug anymore. it’s sincere. ]

Use me.

[His jaw falls open as he realizes what she's offering and his first instinct is to refuse because it's against the rules. Except, they aren't returning it to life, they're just allowing it to remain in the world, not unlike Jules-Albert or any of the others. And...and Mal is really powerful, it won't hurt her the way it could hurt Nico.

He hesitates, his hand rising and falling, eager to take hers.]

Are you sure? It won't take too much out of you?

Yes, I'm sure. And you owe me, [ she reminds him cheekily. mal wiggles her fingers. ] I want to keep the cat.

Hey. [His voice is stern even if his lips are twitching.] "The cat" has a name, thank you very much. She's Oreo.

[He takes her hand, smirking.]

[ mal makes a face at him like she's reconsidering fighting nico for sole custody of oreo. her fingers close around his. her eyes glow green.

the first touch of her power feels like fire: volatile and wild and primal. but not painful. like recognizes like, rising obediently to their joined hands, there for nico's use: a dragon docilely waiting after being called. ]

[Nico wonders if this is what it feels like to be Percy or Jason (or, well, Mal.) Able to draw upon all of their powers without scraping the bottom of a well run dry for the last drips and puddles. If Nico's powers are a well, Mal's are an ocean, endless, limitless. The difference is astounding. He closes his eyes and breaths in, funneling the power carefully—so carefully, he's never had so much to spare and he doesn't want to take more than he needs—into the bones of Oreo, still playing with the bracelet. He can feel when it's enough, when Oreo is full of enough power to sustain her, and he's quick to stopper the flow.

Nico lets out a shudder that has nothing to do with feeling drained, opens his eyes that he didn't realized he'd closed, and keeps his hand in Mal's as he turns to her to make sure she's okay.]

You alright? [He can't imagine he made a dent in that vast ocean of power but it's not the sort of thing he's going to take for granted.]

[ mal rocks back on her heels wearing an inquisitive look. she lets out a long "hmm" of consideration before raising their joined hands and twirling once beneath them. she drops her arm with a smirk. ]

Seems like everything important is accounted for.

[ the player extends her sincerest apologies that nico's new sister had to be a dick. ]

[The most charming dick Nico has ever met. Affection drips into his smile at that stupid (cute) twirl and he shakes his head, completely repressing the sudden urge he has to dance with his sister. (He doesn't even like dancing.)]

Good. [His eyes flicker to Oreo and his gaze softens further.] Thanks. For doing that. [Mal can play it off like it was a favor all she wants but Nico's not a complete idiot.]

I didn't do it only for you. I happen to like Oreo. [ how dare you suggest her actions weren't somehow selfish.

( the official breakdown is 86% for nico, 10% for mal, 4% oreo herself. ) ]

Now I have to reclaim my property before it's completely destroyed. So, if you will excuse me…

Of course. [To his credit, the words are sincere. He isn't actually intentionally calling out her kindness.]

We need to get her a cat bed. And some more toys so she doesn't constantly steal your jewelry.

Yeah, why do I get the feeling she's still going to get into my stuff?

[ mal comes back with cat and bracelet. ]

This is mine, [ she slaps the cuff back on her wrist, ] and this is yours.

[ she hands oreo to nico. ]

Don't get too comfortable; I will be stealing her.

That's only fair. We did do this together. [He takes Oreo in his arms, holding her gently as if she weren't just a pile of bones. Nico smiles, enchanted.]

Let's go show you the cabin, I bet you'll like it, it's very comfortable. [Oreo tilts her face Nico's way, blank eye holes inspecting him curiously in a way that probably shouldn't be cute but has Nico swooning just a little.]

Should we make her a cat door?

What's a cat door?

[ after making sure they've gathered up all their belongings, mal follows after nico back to the cabin. she smiles at oreo. the skeleton cat is cute. far cuter than most living animals. ( some part of mal still isn't over not getting her own kitten or baby moray eel or hyena cub when she was six and she wasn't invited to evie's birthday party. another still associates animals with her mother's raven, diablo, who would caw and peck at her and one time drew blood. mal hated that animal.

she made her peace with dude. mal would sit in one side of the room and dude would not whimper for carlos or jay or evie. peace achieved with animalkind. )

but as much as she likes the cat, she likes nico smiling more. he's happy and mal is happy to have made him happy. even if this cat had hated her too, mal would still have offered her power just to see nico like this.

the entire scene is precious and mal will happily give a black eye to any misinformed or uneducated beholder. ]

Edited 2019-10-28 02:26 (UTC)

Children of Hades

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