witchesreign | Four Paths to Power [Action, Open]

[A: Lunchtime!]

[Maria always carries that giant duffel bag around with her in lieu of a backpack, and lunchtime is the best time to see why. At a cafeteria table, she's pulled some of the contents out to sit beside her, and... apparently is trying to read three books as well as eat, all at the same time, while another pair of books and several magazines lie stacked on the table.]

[B: Extra-curriculars!]

[The only real hobby Maria has developed in Garden is Triple Triad, and to all appearances... she might not even enjoy it? Anyone who's played her knows she takes it deadly serious, playing to win. Right now she's sorting through her cards, ordering them by some arcane system only she knows, with all the intensity of a climactic battle.]

[C: The Training Center!]

[One things about Garden's weapon classes: they didn't promote type synergy in the slightest. That is, you could learn to punch, and learn to club someone, but you wouldn't learn how to combine the two into a blended fighting style.]

[This made academic sense; after all, generally SeeDs worked in teams, in which a person using a gun wouldn't need to pull a sword, since they have other fighters to engage in the melee. Still, thanks in no small part to her personal combat idol, she had a distinct interest in seeing if the two styles can be blended.]

[So the evening finds her facing down grats with her gunblades in their mounts and a rifle holster awkwardly affixed to said mount where she can draw it over the shoulder in turn. Watch her for a moment, and you'll see her engage a grat, move to swap the rifle with one of her gunblades and back in the course of the combat, then assess when the battle is over -- adjusting the angle and hang of the holster for a quicker draw.]

[It isn't going very well, but honestly, she hadn't expected it to.]

[D: Dorms!]

[Not long before bed, there's what practically sounds like an avalanche from inside Maria's room, followed by cursing.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What are you doing?

[Squall stands a little ways to the left, with his gunblade unsheathed and the typical Not Amused™ look on his face. He had just finished cleaning grat guts off his blade and was getting ready to leave when he noticed Maria.]

(How is she able to carry all of that?)

Sir, as I am fully recovered, I do this in clean conscience.

[She promptly salutes. Razor-sharp, practiced, clean.]

I'm attempting to blend short-range gunblade combat with long-distance rifle combat. And before you ask, sir, no, I don't expect it to go very well. This is just trying to see what happens.

[Squall returns the salute. He knows he's going to regret this, but...]

What's the point?

To learn, sir. What works and what doesn't. I intend to be versatile as well as strong.

You should focus on your specialty. It's better to be excellent at one thing instead of mediocre at a lot of things.

[How kind of you, Squall.]

I intend to be good at everything, sir. [She pauses.] Well, not piloting. I don't think I could do that well at all.

...Besides, if Instructor Farron can master our world's gunblades, I should at least be able to pick up the basics behind hers.

[Squall should know who this Instructor Farron is, but he still hasn't bothered to meet all the new SeeDs. He probably wouldn't remember her anyways -- although, the mention of gunblades on other worlds does ping his interest. He decides against asking and files it for later.]

[Instead of answering her, he sheathes his gunblade and walks off to the side. He leans against a tree, the heel of his foot balancing against the firm trunk, and slides his hands into his pockets.]

[Well, NOW she's self-conscious. So rather than continuing her blended-style experiment, she separates it up a little more -- targeting grats from a distance with her rifle, then swapping out for her twin gunblades as they draw closer.]

[She's much more elegant with them than one would think, practically dancing around the grat to butcher it handily.]

[It's strange seeing someone wield a gunblade other than himself or Seifer. And to use two of them? He's impressed, despite himself. He watches her slaughter the poor grat and simply nods at her when she finishes.] Not bad.

[You have GOT to have a talk with your girlfriend, Squall...]

[As for her gunblades, they're different models, designed for one-handed use. Most obviously, their weight rests mostly in the grips, behind the wrist, rather than in her blade. Because of that, each strike lacks the individual power of a blow from, say, Revolver, but as compensation the blades move incredibly quickly for their size, with the smallest adjustment of the wrist.]

[Still, it would be an inferior fighting style except for the triggers. They add speed and momentum so that each blade can strike and retreat like lightning. The grat doesn't even know what hit it.]

[At the praise, she flushes a little, smiling slightly.] Thank you, sir.

[If he could find her!]

[Once Maria slows down, Squall takes the opportunity to really look at her gunblades. He doesn't know much about their model, having went with the Revolver at a young age. Truth be told, he doesn't even remember why he chose a gunblade, only that he and Seifer both made their declarations around the same time.]

Any other cadets specializing in gunblades?

[They're two of a pair, and despite being upgraded to a stronger grip not terribly long ago, still look marvelously old-fashioned, with wooden and pearlescent inlays in the grips and stock. They're also magnificently well-cared-for.]

No sir, at least not to my knowledge. I believe I'm the only one since SeeD Rinoa graduated.

(...? Rinoa uses gunblades now?)

[He REALLY needs to catch up. Right now though he just looks at Maria, with a bit of a thoughtful look on his face.] Is Farron your instructor?

She was more of a mentor to me, sir. She teaches projectile weapons classes, but is familiar with gunblades, as well as gunblades from her world, which are in fact a transforming weapon with both gun and blade modes.

[She recites her answers like she's being given a verbal examination.]

[A curt nod, and he goes quiet for a few minutes, deep in thought. She was good -- she was really good. There wasn't much age difference between them, but he had the real life experience she needed...]

[With a heavy sigh, he looks up at her.]

...I'll talk to the headmaster about being your instructor. Maybe he and I can work something out.

[He has no idea what he's getting himself into.]

[She practically fumbles her gunblades. Hey, she's only professional to a certain limit, and that just went right past it.]

Sir?! You -- mean it?!

[He makes a face.] Don't hold me to it. I don't have a license, so he'll probably say no.

[His expression softens the tiniest bit.] ...But maybe I could tutor you instead.

That would be -- amazing! Wonderful! I mean -- please, thank you, sir!

[She's all but staring in shining wide-eyed amazement that completely shatters her air of professionalism and responsibility. Hey, she's a teenage girl at heart... in fact, this is the closest she's come to acting like one since she got here!]

...Right. [He lifts his shoulder in a noncommittal shrug.] I'm out of here.

[His allergy to emotion is clearly kicking in. As he starts to leave, he turns partially towards her.]

I'll send you a message when I get an answer.

[As usual, he doesn't give her a chance to reply, but as he walks away he can practically feel the salute that he's sure she's giving.]

Four Paths to Power [Action, Open]

C!

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