"It does to many of us." He remembered himself, on the cliffs above Finnick's house on Valentine's Day, and all the rest of what he had mourned here. He had moved beyond that, hopefully, or at least more than before, no longer mired in it. "It is nice to have some purpose here, at least, even if it is chopping up firewood." Or gathering sorcerous plants.
"I could help you train. Maybe." If it involved fighting, he could possibly know something that would be useful. It would be helpful to him, as well.
"You could." If he broke this sentence into pieces maybe it wouldn't sound so awkward? That helps right? "Lean on me. If you want. To rest. Or something."
"I am sure you have more purpose than that." He was a fine companion, and one of the few so far who understood her and her dominating sense of duty to a cause she could not currently fight for.
"I would welcome the exercise. I have fought some nearly your size before. I can take you." Nemesis was nearly matched for bulk and height, and she had won plenty of fights against her.
She chuckled softly and leaned into him, head resting... wherever it ended up. Up on his bicep if he didn't lift his arm to let her tuck under it. "Or something."
"Here? No." Trust him, it was the most reliable gig he could get. Outside of the random quest, not a lot of jobs required a heavily armed space marine.
"Are you certain of that?" He wasn't going to be foolish enough to doubt her--he'd been here long enough for that, at least. "You do not think it would even be a contest?" Don't wound his pride THAT much, please.
Wait. What was happening? He had offered, but he was a little surprised when she took him up on it. He did move his arm, so that she was resting against his side, which, thankfully, because of his body heat, had already dried. "What 'or something' did you mean?"
She laughed. "Now that is not what I said, was it?" Melinoë was confident in her abilities, that much was certain, but she wouldn't downplay his. "Allow me to get one of my Nocturnal Arms and we will see how close a contest it is." It would be... probably the most exciting thing that would happen since she got there.
She settled into that heat and found herself struggling to keep her eyes open. "Hm? Oh. I was just teasing you — although I hadn't planned on resting, I find myself... very comfortable." Huh. This was the second time this happened.
"We do not improve without some level of challenge placed before us." So if she did defeat him, he would work to improve, and vice versa--he hoped. "I hope they deal fairly with you buying back yourself." They hadn't with him.
BUT, he had upset them. He understood. He just hoped they left everyone else alone. But a goddess? He was unsure if they could resist.
What can Gadriel say. He's so charming that beautiful women fall asleep in his presence. Surely it's a compliment. Somehow.
But he didn't mind, adjusting a fold of the blanket over Elion (who was sleeping the 'is it asleep or actually dead' sleep of kittens everywhere) to cover her shoulders. He did not sleep. Why should he lose a minute of a good memory to something as banal as rest?
So he stayed, with her leaning against him, as the storm howled around them, and then, gradually gave way to the dripping sounds of trees shedding excess rain, just before dawn.
"Indeed." Melinoë's whole life thus far was a lesson in failing and getting back up again. Whichever way the fight went, she would be better for it.
Many things aided in lulling Melinoë into one of the deepest sleeps she had ever had that did not come from her return to shadow. The purring of the beast in her lap, the warmth of the man beside her, the rhythmic pattering of rain atop the tent and the ebbing rumbles of thunder. She awoke when the storm started to break — and when Elion stirred and mewed out his demand for breakfast. "Mm." She hummed in reply. "Morning already?"
"No." She replied, blanket slipping off her shoulders when she pulled back and stretched her arms high above her head. "I usually sleep during the day, if I am honest." And yet every time she was with Gadriel, she seemed to conk out in the night. "Shall we see it — once Elion is fed, I suppose."
It's his personal charm, obviously. "Elion, despite what he thinks, will not die if he has to wait five minutes for his meal. I will hunt for him later." Do not be fooled by the tressym's show of starvation.
He untangled himself from her and the blanket (one a bit more carefully than the other) and shifted himself back around toward the tent's entrance. "You will like it. Sunrise is like a promise of hope."
She gave the tressym a reassuring scratch between the ears, waited for Gadriel to move, and then stood up herself, a few more stretches done before she started folding up the blanket and setting everything back in order so she would not have to come back inside to tend to it.
"A promise of hope?" She asked and opened the flap, pausing only after a step or two with a gasp. Resting beside the cauldron was a large axe about the same size as Melinoë. "Zorephet!"
Elion did an excellent version of BIIIIIIG stretch, following her out of the tent. "You know. Dark yielding to light. Color returning to the world. It is...fascinating to watch." He understood why his Order's canonical hours had morning prayers at sunrise.
And then she made that sound. "Bless you?" Was she sneezing?
That made sense, she supposed. Melinoë could hope that a light would return to the surface once Chronos was dead, and her family on Olympus would see the sunrise every day. Poor Apollo, now that she thought of it...
"What?" She laughed, hurrying over to grasp the haft of the massive axe and grin as she lifted it. "Zorephet! The Moonstone Axe. She's come back to me."
"If you say so." It was only then that he saw the axe. That was...ludicrously large for someone her mass to wield. "Is that something you requested?" It would be nice if they actually delivered it fairly.
He wasn't that surprised. She had managed to heft his powersword, easily enough. He was certain long term his weapon would tire her wow that sounds dirty but she had wielded it when others admitted it was too much.
Gadriel held out a hand, to examine it more closely. "It looks well-crafted. Is this your primary weapon?"
She held the axe out to him. It was just a touch lighter than his power sword. "It is the one I favor most of the Nocturnal Arms." She nodded. "A good range, a hefty amount of damage, and easy to channel my magic into."
He took it with the respect he would use handling a Relic Weapon, testing the edge with his hand, and then the balance. "It is beautifully made and well-balanced." If his approval was meaningful to her, she had it.
"I would like to watch you train with it." Anyone else saying it might sound pervy, but...it's Gadriel. He's more likely sexually attracted to the weapon.
"There is a stream not far from here." Was she dragging Zorephet with her? Yes. Don't judge her this is just how shit worked okay?
She headed through the trees, the sound of the water flowing nearby easy to catch once they exited the camp. "It feels like ages since I held a proper weapon."
Elion ran ahead as soon as he heard the water, because he knew what was up, and had settled himself down to swat at the fish that swam by. He'll catch one eventually, and everyone will know, because he will yell about it.
"It was a relief when I got a sword from my world." Prior to that he had had to rely merely on his fists and general inability to know when to stop. A weapon was so much better.
He stepped back, on the riverbank. "Shall we begin?"
Oh yeah, she definitely needed to get Toula here so she and Elion could catch fish together.
Melinoë made space to assure they were far enough away from Elion's current hunting ground before she readied up, fingers flexing around the haft of her axe.
"Yes."
And she didn't need further prompting after that as she left a line of stars behind her, dashing forward and swinging the axe around toward him. Melinoë decided, to be fair, to keep her magic to a minimum, opting instead to use the powerful swings and her own agility to wear him down for... however long this fight lasted.
Well, that was pretty gracious, to keep the sorcery to a minimum. He honestly appreciated that.
The problem with an axe as a weapon was that...you could see it coming and once the swing was started, it was hard to change much about its trajectory. It had mass and momentum as its strengths.
And he had reflexes, enough to try to dance out of the range of the swing, to at least make it graze, instead of hard strike. "Should we set terms of victory?" Probably a good question to ask at some point, right?
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"I could help you train. Maybe." If it involved fighting, he could possibly know something that would be useful. It would be helpful to him, as well.
"You could." If he broke this sentence into pieces maybe it wouldn't sound so awkward? That helps right? "Lean on me. If you want. To rest. Or something."
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"I would welcome the exercise. I have fought some nearly your size before. I can take you." Nemesis was nearly matched for bulk and height, and she had won plenty of fights against her.
She chuckled softly and leaned into him, head resting... wherever it ended up. Up on his bicep if he didn't lift his arm to let her tuck under it. "Or something."
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"Are you certain of that?" He wasn't going to be foolish enough to doubt her--he'd been here long enough for that, at least. "You do not think it would even be a contest?" Don't wound his pride THAT much, please.
Wait. What was happening? He had offered, but he was a little surprised when she took him up on it. He did move his arm, so that she was resting against his side, which, thankfully, because of his body heat, had already dried. "What 'or something' did you mean?"
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She settled into that heat and found herself struggling to keep her eyes open. "Hm? Oh. I was just teasing you — although I hadn't planned on resting, I find myself... very comfortable." Huh. This was the second time this happened.
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BUT, he had upset them. He understood. He just hoped they left everyone else alone. But a goddess? He was unsure if they could resist.
What can Gadriel say. He's so charming that beautiful women fall asleep in his presence. Surely it's a compliment. Somehow.
But he didn't mind, adjusting a fold of the blanket over Elion (who was sleeping the 'is it asleep or actually dead' sleep of kittens everywhere) to cover her shoulders. He did not sleep. Why should he lose a minute of a good memory to something as banal as rest?
So he stayed, with her leaning against him, as the storm howled around them, and then, gradually gave way to the dripping sounds of trees shedding excess rain, just before dawn.
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Many things aided in lulling Melinoë into one of the deepest sleeps she had ever had that did not come from her return to shadow. The purring of the beast in her lap, the warmth of the man beside her, the rhythmic pattering of rain atop the tent and the ebbing rumbles of thunder. She awoke when the storm started to break — and when Elion stirred and mewed out his demand for breakfast. "Mm." She hummed in reply. "Morning already?"
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"Soon. The sun is about to rise." Don't ask how he knew. He just knows things about solar cycles. "Have you seen one since you have been here?"
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He untangled himself from her and the blanket (one a bit more carefully than the other) and shifted himself back around toward the tent's entrance. "You will like it. Sunrise is like a promise of hope."
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"A promise of hope?" She asked and opened the flap, pausing only after a step or two with a gasp. Resting beside the cauldron was a large axe about the same size as Melinoë. "Zorephet!"
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And then she made that sound. "Bless you?" Was she sneezing?
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"What?" She laughed, hurrying over to grasp the haft of the massive axe and grin as she lifted it. "Zorephet! The Moonstone Axe. She's come back to me."
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"I did." She confirmed with a bright smile. "Isn't she beautiful?"
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wow that sounds dirtybut she had wielded it when others admitted it was too much.Gadriel held out a hand, to examine it more closely. "It looks well-crafted. Is this your primary weapon?"
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"I would like to watch you train with it." Anyone else saying it might sound pervy, but...it's Gadriel. He's more likely sexually attracted to the weapon.
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Melinoë held her hand out. "My offer to train together still stands."
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"Whenever you feel ready." An Ultramarine? Turn down a challenge? Never!
"...we should probably feed Elion first, though." Priorities!
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"Ah. Of course. Is a hunt in order, then?"
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She headed through the trees, the sound of the water flowing nearby easy to catch once they exited the camp. "It feels like ages since I held a proper weapon."
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"It was a relief when I got a sword from my world." Prior to that he had had to rely merely on his fists and general inability to know when to stop. A weapon was so much better.
He stepped back, on the riverbank. "Shall we begin?"
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Melinoë made space to assure they were far enough away from Elion's current hunting ground before she readied up, fingers flexing around the haft of her axe.
"Yes."
And she didn't need further prompting after that as she left a line of stars behind her, dashing forward and swinging the axe around toward him. Melinoë decided, to be fair, to keep her magic to a minimum, opting instead to use the powerful swings and her own agility to wear him down for... however long this fight lasted.
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The problem with an axe as a weapon was that...you could see it coming and once the swing was started, it was hard to change much about its trajectory. It had mass and momentum as its strengths.
And he had reflexes, enough to try to dance out of the range of the swing, to at least make it graze, instead of hard strike. "Should we set terms of victory?" Probably a good question to ask at some point, right?
Speed running because I hate combat lmao
Gadriel loves combat T_T (Say 2 more tags then we finish?)
So does Mel but Lili sucks eggs
absolutely not true
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