maskormenacelogs | [OPEN] What's a warlord without a war?

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[OPEN] What's a warlord without a war?

WHO: LEXA and YOU
WHERE: Various places around Heropa
WHEN: Throughout September
WHAT: Just a few open prompts (if you have something else in mind though, feel free to hit me up)
WARNINGS: Does a small electrical fire count?? Other than that, none for now, but possibly eventual violence in some cases

01. What a lovely home!

[Oh, hi! I didn't see you there. Have you been waiting long?

Well, either way, it's lovely to have you. Welcome to beautiful Heropa 18, home of the delightful and ever-unforgettable Pines family, who are always more than happy to see any friends, old or new, that have stopped by. Come on in and--

Oh... Oh, wait, no. There was just some kind of small explosion in there. Uh, everybody wait outside. I'm sure it'll be safe to go in soon. Just give them a minute to, um...

There! See! The door's open, and here comes one of the Pines crew now! It's Lexa! And she's... carrying some sort of machine in her arms that is very much on fire?? Oh, gosh! Is she okay?! I mean, she looks like it? In fact, she seems pretty nonplussed, despite the fact that she is currently up to her elbows in flames and sparking metal.

Aaaaand now she's dropped it in the street and appears to be fine, despite missing most of both shirtsleeves. Phew. That looked bad for a second.]

02. What a lovely day!

[For anyone not in the mood for fire and chaos though, I suppose Lexa can also be found fairly often down at the park, being all water and calm instead, as she meditates or trains with a sword next to the pond.

A little less exciting than the other option admittedly, but if someone asked to join her, hey, maybe some sword-swinging excitement could end up happening after all!]

03. What a...! Um. Informative text?

[And those with a taste for something a bit more... well, nerdy? Can sometimes find her supporting her local library, by checking out a book or two that seems interesting, as should all people who understand and appreciate the services such institutions do for us, of course!

Today she even seems to have stuck around for a bit, finding a nice, cushy chair to sink into and sip at her coffee as she reads a book all about the history of New York. It's a real page-turner, obviously.]

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[ Brianna shows up at the park at the prearranged time, machete tucked into her belt. Do you know how hard it is for a 13 year old to buy a machete? It's pretty hard, because only creeps are willing to sell extremely sharp blades to tiny 13 year old girls, but she managed somehow, and now she's ready to train. ]

Hey.

[See, you say that, but Lexa doesn't see anything wrong with it at all. In fact, when she stops her meditation to look over and sees the machete there, she nods, satisfied.]

Breeze. I'm glad you made it.

[She stands and approaches, smiling ever so slightly.]

Yeah, I mean, I had to find a machete. My whole weapons collection disappeared when I got here...

[ She rolls her eyes. It's taken longer than she expected to start building up a good cache again, but at least now she's on the right track. ]

But it's nice to know someone wants to train with me, 'cause I've been doing it by myself all this time.

Where I come from, warriors begin training much younger than it seems most are comfortable with here.

[She looks away, toward the city.]

But knowing how to protect yourself is important, especially here. If there's anything that should be clear about this place, it's that your elders won't always be able to do keep you from danger, no matter how much they may wish to.

Trust me, I know that better than anyone here, probably.

[ Even living half the time with Clara and Cosima, and seeing adults on the street every day, the thought is always in the back of her mind. All of this could disappear, or collapse into total chaos, at any time.

She follows Lexa's gaze out toward the city center with a sigh. ]

[Lexa could ask for more information. She briefly considers it. But there's time for that, time perhaps for Breeze to decide on her own that she wants to explain. Instead, she allows that thought a moment to settle and then asks a different question.]

Is there something you're hoping to learn today?

Not really. I figured we could spar or you could show me something cool.

[ To demonstrate, she unsheathes her machete, tosses it in the air, and catches it by the handle. ] Hah!

Alright. Show me what you can do then.

[ Well... okay. Mostly what she can do is some flashy maneuvering. It's clear that she has never had any actual training with an actual weapon and mostly relies on her extra speed for an advantage. She does have some extra balance and dexterity, though, as shown when she does a backflip for no reason other than to show off. ]

[She watches, smiling just a little.]

Impressive. You're very fast. Too fast for someone like me to keep up with.

But that won't be the case for everyone here. And sometimes, even when it is, someone won't have to keep up to keep you from hurting them.

Attack me.

Yeah, yeah, I know.

[ She goes for Lexa, swinging the machete at her ribs, but not as fast as she could normally move. ]

[Lexa doesn't even try to move. Just lets the machete hit her full-on in the torso, then in the moment that the blade's momentum is stopped by her body, she snaps a hand out and grabs Breeze's arm.]

That's why I'm going to show you how to fight with skill, not just speed.

[She is completely unharmed of course.]

[ Brianna looks down at where her machete should be stuck somewhere in Lexa's midsection, then up at her. ]

... Okay. [ Because, really, what else is there to say when you're fighting against somebody who can do that? ]

Good. You have a lot of potential.

[She gives Brianna's arm a small squeeze, then releases it and walks over to grab her own sword.]

Really? Well, I was widely known as third-deadliest kid in the FAYZ.

It was the kind of place where that was valued then?

Oh yeah. Definitely.

Did you have a teacher there?

No. I taught myself.

[ She puffs up a little bit with pride as she says—announces, really—it. Like, sure, the whole no teacher thing might not have worked out for her in the end, but until then, it had been a pretty great year and a half, heroics-wise. ]

[Lexa says nothing, simply responding with a small, thoughtful hum as she gives her sword a few test swings and allows Brianna the chance to either elaborate about her story or to change the subject if she wishes.]

I had a boss. Sam. He was so great. But he didn't have the same powers I did. Kids who didn't have powers got trained to use guns and stuff, but if you had powers, you basically had to teach yourself.

In that way, it sounds a little like this place. As far as I know, there's very little organized training for people with powers.

Yeah, everyone just does their own thing.

[It's not every day you happen by a fire in-progress. Or in this case, someone carrying fire? Either way, Lan's staying out of her way until she drops the machine.]

Um...are you okay?

[Not sure if he can help, but that was a lot of fire.]

I'm fine. I managed to get it out before anything else caught fire.

[It's said quite casually as she pats out the little bits of flame on what's left of her shirtsleeves, and then she gives the machine itself a small frown.]

Do you know where a fire extinguisher might be?

Oh...that's good.

[What is that machine, even? And why was it on fire in the first place? He has so many questions.]

Nnnot exactly, but I can go find one real quick.

[That is, go ask the neighbors.]

[Well, she THOUGHT it was a toaster. It used to be a toaster last week, but in this house sometimes machines don't stay the same thing they were a week ago.]

That would be helpful. I don't think it's going to explode again, but I'm no expert.

Ah...be right back then...

[He's going to do just that, then, head off to find someone who has a working extinguisher.

Fortunately, it only takes a couple minutes--having rollerblades on helped--and he'll return with one, which he holds out to her. He's not sure how to use it.]

Here you go, I borrowed it from a couple houses down that way.

[Luckily (or unluckily maybe?), she has had to use one of these before and quickly puts out the flames.]

Thank you. I appreciate the help.

[ Andrea is careful to keep a safe distance, knowing better than to startle someone wielding a sword. The movements remind her a bit of Michonne, how effortlessly she used her katana. When there seems to be a good moment to call out, Andrea is quick to compliment. ]

You're good with that.

[Lexa doesn't react immediately. She takes a moment to breathe now that she's completed the form she was going through, then calmly picks up the sheathe from the ground and slips the sword back into it with a very smooth, soft sound. Only then does she turn in Andrea's direction and look her up and down quickly.]

Thank you. I've had little use for it here, but I like to keep in practice.

That kind of weapon is useful where I come from, too. [ Obviously, Lexa is quite skilled, which can only mean she uses it frequently in her world. ] But people don't...use swords much. We used guns, sometimes arrows. This would have been safer.

And here many of us are the weapons.

[She sets the sword down next to a gym bag and picks up a bottle of water to have a drink from.]

I wonder how safe that is.

[ There's a lot about this place that Andrea doesn't trust. It's cultivated a sense of unease and caution in her. Though, that feeling of discontent is directly at odds with her gratitude at just having a chance to be alive again for a short while. ]

Not much about this place is safe. It's good to be prepared. For anything.

I agree.

[There is an implied "that's why I'm doing this."]

But I wonder. What is it that you think we have most to fear here?

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[OPEN] What's a warlord without a war?

02 sorry this is so late i'm the worst

yes how dare you im crying so hard right now

now I'M crying because you're crying

but if youre crying and im crying... then whos flying the plane???

oh shi--

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wow i suck sorry

how dare!

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