greatness is what we're on the brink of

[autocratic]

Who: Saber/Nero (autocratic) & Ventus (wayfinder)
Where: Goldrenod City
When: Early Afternoon
Summary: Nero's got a bit of a surprise for Ventus himself, in return for his gift of a Magikarp. Commence massive derping and awkward.
Rating: PG
Log:


And... it is done!

[ After finally tying the knot of the red ribbon onto the object, Nero chuckles to herself. She holds up the finished product of her most recent project: a Keyblade, as Ventus had shown and described to her a few times. The bow rests on the hilt of the wooden Keyblade, its vibrant red coloring standing out from the grain and brown of the wood.

She just has to puff her chest up in pride. The odd shape of the weapon resonated well with her, and having analyzed his own make of his weapon, it was quite easy to get the general shape down. After all, if she could carve Aestus Estus from her own memory, it was child's play when an actual example is near and on hand.

Nero then proceeds to swing the practice weapon a couple of times, ending with a mild thrust at an invisible opponent before she gives a nod of satisfaction. The weight is good, the durability assured thanks to the quality of wood she searched for around the forests of Goldenrod. There are strings applied where needed to be, but overall, to Ventus, it might as well be indistinguishable from the real thing. ]

An admiral job, Gladius. [ She raises a hand to her faithful Scyther, who gives a small rumble of appreciation as she strokes his head. ] He will find this very pleasing. Ah, I cannot wait to see what reaction he will give.

[ Now she proceeds to whip out her Gear and send a text message to Ventus: ]

Ventus, an urgent matter has arrived that you and I must address. Meet me at the city gates.

[ Storing her Gear after the message is sent, she places the wooden Wayward Wind Behind her back. Good thing the weapon itself is relatively small, and her red, ballroom dress is wide and flamboyant enough that he won't notice. Time to wait. ]

Comments

[ex_aeroga402]

[At least she's not wearing a bikini, Ven thinks...and then immediately tells himself that ought not to enter his mind at all. Master taught him better than this nonsense, goodness]

Maybe I could learn a few things from training with you sometime then. I'm not a Master just yet, and I've got a lot of improving to do if I'm going to teach anybody as well as Master Eraqus taught me.

[autocratic]

[ The image is burned into your mind, Ventus. You can't resist. You can't.

At his words, another gleam strikes her gaze, and she places a casual hand upon the hilts of her own wooden sword. ]

Why not we partake in a sparring match now? It would be a good test to see how my newest piece will handle under actual pressure.

[ex_aeroga402]

[But he'll try because he can't be a proper gentleman if he's paying that much attention to those things. It shouldn't be difficult, darnit.

At least mention of a spar easily draws his full focus]

Really, you wouldn't mind or anything?

[autocratic]

Of course! I have not had a decent match with anyone in this world. It is quite boring. As you said, you need more practice: this will give me a chance to evaluate your own prowess, Ventus.

[ex_aeroga402]

Alright then, I'll do my best.

[Accompanied by one big, earnest grin. Ven's glad for the prospect of gaining experience, and he gets to see how his friend fights with such a huge weapon, too]

[autocratic]

[ She nods before turning to the city gates. Then she motions for Ventus to follow her. ]

There is a spot a little ways outside of the city that is an adequate place to hold such matches. Let us go.

[ex_aeroga402]

Okay, lead the way.

[He steps nearer, glancing at the keyblade again]

[autocratic]

[ And lead away she does! She proceeds to move her Aestus Estus into her hands instead of being strapped to her lower back. It's only a few minutes of companiable silence before they finally reach their destination.

Nero swerves to face Ventus in a rather open clearing on the side of the main road to Goldenrod City. She does not go into a proper stance, but she gestures to the area in a grand sort of motion. ]

And here we are. Do you have a condition set in mind, or shall I make one?

[ex_aeroga402]

[Ventus takes a brief survey of their surroundings when Nero comes to a halt, tipping his head curiously when she mentions conditions]

D'you mean like rules?

[autocratic]

Yes. The condition to win this sparring match. We are not out for each other's blood, after all.

[ex_aeroga402]

[He can't help a small wince at the thought]

That's true. I've gotten some bumps and bruises training with Lightning, but blood's kind of...

[autocratic]

Too much? Perhaps we should set the condition, then, to be the one who disarms the other first.

[ex_aeroga402]

I could give that a shot, although I don't hit as hard as others. Makes it a challenge, right?

[autocratic]

Ventus, force isn't just the only thing that should apply when attempting to disarm your enemy.

Well, this will be a test to show you. Prepare yourself!

[ And then Nero shifts into her stance, Aestus Estus at the ready. ]

[ex_aeroga402]

Right.

[Ventus gives a short nod and gets ready himself with a twirl of his new keyblade]

[autocratic]

Hah!

[ Here comes Nero, with some surprising amount of speed put into her charge despite her small frame and the length of her sword. In a wide sweep, she attempts to strike at Ventus' chest. ]

[ex_aeroga402]

Whoa-

[Ven barely manages to get that out, throwing himself to one side and rolling back onto his feet behind Nero. He's spent a lot of time reclaiming his lost dodge roll, and he's got it back now, taking a swing at Nero with his key]

[autocratic]

[ Her gaze attempts to follow Ventus' path of escape. She can only pivot slightly to bring her sword up in a block. ]

Do not just stop there!

[ Indeed, once she's stopped his key, she's pulling her arm back for a thrust. ]

[ex_aeroga402]

[He'd say he doesn't want to hurt her, because it's truly not in his nature, but he doesn't want to insult Nero. She's a fighter and she's obviously strong, so rather than say anything he jumps aside.

The sword still glances across his shoulder, and he's glad then that it isn't a blade, but it does make him wince.

And then he's taking a quick sidestep and slicing through the air with his key again]

[autocratic]

[ She knew she'd be taking a gamble by throwing such an open thrust to Ventus. Such a move can always leave one open, but her gaze still manages to keep a lock on Ventus while he moves out of the way and performs an attack.

Nero grits her teeth. Honestly, from being Servant to a human once more... The change was grating, and staying within this realm has softened her up just a tad. But she has not lost everything, and she certainly hasn't slacked on her own training, so when she sees that key coming down, she does her own somersault on the ground, a flutter of red and gold dragging on the ground for a moment before she rights herself.

She's actually smirking. ]

Good attitude, Ventus. Show me more!

[ Then she hefts her sword over her shoulder and charges once more with a swing overhead. ]

[ex_aeroga402]

[Ven opens his mouth to reply but only manages a sound when she comes at him again. A swing like that is something he wasn't able to block the way Terra could back home, but at the same time Nero's going to start looking for him to dodge if that's all he does...

So this time he thinks back to what Lightning taught him and plants his feet, bringing his keyblade up to defend as that big sword comes sailing down]

[autocratic]

[ Thwack!

Goes the two blades as they clash. Nero smiles even wider as he manages to set his feet into a proper position to withstand this clash. Hell, she's even prouder because she's noticing that both of her wonderful pieces are enduring the strain of this spar.

The emperor laughs, even as she puts pressure onto Ventus' blade. ]

Splendid! [ Now what will you do, Ventus? ]

[ex_aeroga402]

[There's a twinge in Ven's right arm that makes it hard to keep frowm drawing it back. His arm shakes a little but he braces himself and does his best to keep his arms locked. If he doesn't, that weapon's going to give him a solid clout and he knows it]

Th-thanks. You're faster with that big sword than I expected.

[And after several moments more, he throws all his weight behind his key in an attempt to knock that weapon back]

[autocratic]

[ Her only response to his observation is a smirk gracing her lips before that sudden force of strength is rammed against her. She keeps her control, of course, forcing the both of them to break the lock after that, but she doesn't stop her movements and goes to swing at Ventus' Keyblade with a sideswipe. ]

[ex_aeroga402]

[That attack, Ven dances away from, if one wants to call it that. He manages to move beyond the arc of her swing, dodging around and coming at her side with his keyblade]