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Post by Jules on Oct 6, 2008 18:52:51 GMT -5
Another day of training was over. Honestly, she was impressed with herself that she'd lasted this long. She would not finish in the all-star six months, that was for certain, but there was no reason she should be ashamed of her steady progress not at ALL helped by the fact that Armand was a stellar tutor whether he wanted to admit it or not.
She slung a bag over her shoulder and headed home. Zizzy didn't mind the walk from the training grounds back home----home, she couldn't not smile when she thought that it was a home with Armand. Never mind that it was a luxurious castle, she could honestly not care less about that part. Just that she shared it with him.
He was somewhere behind her, in fact. She'd gone on ahead because Vince had wanted to look over something with him and she hadn't felt like sticking around. Besides, she was tired and if she didn't get a start on the walk she'd be too sluggish to make it home (!!!) before dark.
For all Vince's stoic ways he could blabber when he wanted to, for the grounds had disappeared behind her and she was in a more rural stretch of the road back to Chimera.
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Post by Miss Jack on Oct 6, 2008 19:07:44 GMT -5
"Alone in Chimera, just before twilight..."
Iker stepped from the shadows into Zizzy's path. Armand's influence, his humanity, had all but fled, leaving Iker with a gaunt, animalistic look; his black eyes feral. He made a tsking noise with his tongue.
"That's not safe at all, and not very smart, Zizzy..."
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Vince raised an eyebrow as Armand, yet again, glanced in the direction of the castle with an almost childish impatience. "Why are you so eager to leave?"
"Zizzy's walking home. It's almost dark... I'm just worried."
When an exasperated roll of his eyes, Vince waved him off. "Go."
For all Vince's antics, ever since he and Mary hooked up, he'd been almost nice. Armand flashed a grateful smile and then gathered his things to leave.
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Post by Jules on Oct 6, 2008 19:16:39 GMT -5
Rage choked out any fear, any worry, any sense of self-preservation or flight instinct she may have possessed. It was the first time she'd seen him since that day and the sound of his voice was all that was needed to reignite the fury at the pain he'd caused, and what he'd done to her.
She didn't even think, tiredness swallowed by the depth of her anger, she flew at him, lightning encasing her fist that was aimed for his face.
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Post by Miss Jack on Oct 6, 2008 19:21:05 GMT -5
He grinned, enchanted, and stopped her fist with his hand, the lightning zipping harmlessly up his arm, orbiting their joined hands like a type of sealant. He forced her fist down, touching her cheek with his other hand. "I'm happy to see you too," he said.
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Post by Jules on Oct 6, 2008 19:59:17 GMT -5
Despite training, she wasn't strong enough to take on Iker in a fight if he could just turn aside her lightning like it was nothing. Her hand gripped his wrist, pulling his hand away from her cheek as she tried to do the same with her other hand in his hold.
"Don't you dare touch me." She thundered. Her skin covered head-to-toe in squirming lightning bugs, little zaps running over her skin like a swarm. Zizzy thrust her knee upwards, trying to catch him in the groin.
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Post by Miss Jack on Oct 6, 2008 22:33:30 GMT -5
He sidestepped out of harm's way and then taking the wrist of the hand trying to ward him off, he twisted her arm painfully behind her back. He rested his chin on her shoulder, holding her in place against his chest. With his free hand, he pointed two fingers to her collarbone. They shifted into a warped and gnarled blade, its point depressing ever so slightly into her skin.
"Try and relax," he said softly with his icy breath. "I thought you enjoyed our night together as much as I did."
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Post by Jules on Oct 6, 2008 22:47:50 GMT -5
Zizzy cried out in pain, as much as she didn't want to and felt her anger starting to lessen, being slowly encroached on by fear. How behind was Armand? She didn't want him to come and get hurt because she couldn't handle herself. Reflexively, she dipped her shoulder away from the finger-blade although she knew it wouldn't be much help.
His voice, soft and close to her ear made her want to vomit, her skin want to crawl off. "Thought wrong." She muttered before doing the only thing she could thing of---she tilted her head back and attempted to slam it into his nose.
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Post by Miss Jack on Oct 6, 2008 23:06:51 GMT -5
With her middle pressed to his chest, she couldn't gain much momentum, and he had only to lean away from her to escape the intended attack.
"Zizzy, Zizzy," he whispered, stroking her temple. "Why do you--" He froze abruptly and his grip on her arm tightened, the blade drawing blood for a moment. He jerked around, his voice a harsh snarl, "Let that arrow loose and it goes through her heart."
Armand didn't release the arrow, but he didn't lower it either. His eyes blazed with a cold malovence, but his face remained stony and indifferent.
"You are at a disadvantage, Ira," Iker hissed. "Lower your attack, or I will--" He gasped in sudden pain as an arrow connected with his upper shoulder, the one point of open area between him and Zizzy.
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Post by Jules on Oct 6, 2008 23:32:32 GMT -5
Zizzy winced as his grip tightened and the blade pierced her skin, but when he jerked around and she saw Armand she felt both embarrassed and relieved. It didn't matter that it hurt, she leaned back, twisted her free arm at an awkward angle to grab the shaft of the arrow and with a ferocity that wasn't usually present, or perhaps apparent, Zizzy pushed it deeper, lacing it with electricity---blood consisted largely of water.
He still had a firm grip on her, but she was hoping the pain would get him to loosen up. She'd attempt wrench free if she absolutely had to but she'd rather not dislocate her shoulder or break her arm. Armand's expression shocked her somewhat, but only for a moment, Iker deserved every iota of the hurt that was promised by that expression.
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Post by Miss Jack on Oct 7, 2008 22:32:36 GMT -5
Iker gasped through his teeth, his grip slackening involuntarily as he curled into himself to ward off the pain. Forgetting Zizzy for the moment, he reached up and yanked the arrow free. His blood, almost black, dripped from the wound to the dusty ground.
A feral snarl ripped from his throat and he glowered at Armand with pure, black hatred. Armand broke their heated gaze only a moment to look at Zizzy. "Get out of the way," he said stiffly.
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Post by Jules on Oct 7, 2008 22:50:19 GMT -5
Zizzy didn't need the prompt, she hurried to the sidelines, tensed. It was hard to watch, hard to not be able to do anything. But she realized this was one of the main reasons she was going through the training. She didn't want to put others at risk to defend her sorry ass and she did not want to need it. Not that she minded Armand coming to her rescue, but she should be able to handle herself.
Iker was bound to a promise not to kill Armand, and she was banking on that to give him the edge. Besides, if things even started to look like they were going in Iker's favor... she might not been strong enough to handle him on her own, but she could prove a distraction.
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Post by Miss Jack on Oct 7, 2008 23:13:05 GMT -5
Armand attacked the moment Zizzy was out of the line of fire, not willing to wait for Iker to get his bearings. Iker wouldn't play fair with him, and it was foolish to assume a 'nice-guy' mentality. But Iker was prepared; he shifted into Armand's brother and protected himself with a wall of fire that Armand hurtled headlong into, too late to stop. Armand covered his head with his arms and rolled once, dispelling any flames. Iker's leg swung near his throat and Armand twisted to his feet, blocking the attack and counteracting with two blades at Iker's stomach.
The hilts buried between two ribs; literally, without muscle or skin, and Danny sent him a sly smile. Armand growled in frustration and lunged again, but this time Iker blocked with a sword of his own, contrived from his arm from his elbow to his fingertips. They parried back and forth for several breathless moments until suddenly Iker was Zizzy, and she looked at him in terror. Even though he knew it wasn't real, knew it even as his form slipped, it still threw him and Iker knocked his weapon away, thrusting his arm blade at Armand's throat.
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Post by Jules on Oct 7, 2008 23:21:26 GMT -5
Zizzy moved so fast she surprised herself, hands slicing along his bladed arm as she pushed it away from it's destination. That hadn't been the smartest move, but she'd panicked, just wanted to get the thing away from his neck.
She pulsed with a vicious kind of electricity, it fell into rhythm with her erratic heart beat, limbs of lightning reached out, hooked in their own way to snap, whip, strike at Iker. Zizzy knew, by and large, it was useless, but if she could distract him for just a second. There wasn't a chance she'd stand idly by and watch Armand get maimed.
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Post by Miss Jack on Oct 7, 2008 23:36:45 GMT -5
Armand saw what she planned to do, only a second after it was too late to stop her. Something inside him twisted violently at the sight of the blood on her palms. It worked though, the blade veered off course, grazing by the side of his neck without any real damage.
Iker hissed in anger, turning on Zizzy. Several of the lashing arms of lightning found their mark, searing into his skin, but then he shifted forms again and as Zizzy, brushed away the attacks as if they were nothing but air. Armand grabbed her waist, ignoring the pulsing electricity she emitted, and jerked her behind him. In seemingly the same motion his fist drew back and he landed a solid, simple punch on Iker's jaw. Such was the force that Iker whirled through several identities before settling on himself, working his mouth slightly.
"Well, well," he rasped (in a purring sort of way). "If I had known what it took to get you to fight back, Armand, I would have let you in our indiscretions ages ago."
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Post by Jules on Oct 8, 2008 0:34:08 GMT -5
She clenched her shirt in her fists to staunch the bleeding and let herself be tugged behind him. Armand was more then capable, she knew that. The whole situation was still gorging on her nerves.
At Iker's words, Zizzy made a little snort of disbelief. Armand would know Iker was lying. She still felt like lunging at him, however, she stepped into a position to the left and a little bit behind Armand and couldn't help but think about how nice it would be to rip out his jugular or cook him well-done.
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