training center/other|action

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ Today, October 4th, finds Minako being more cheerful and lively than usual, if just the slightest bit forgetful -- appearing distracted and absorbed in her thoughts when not in conversation with anyone.

From evening to midnight, to finish off the day, she's tucked herself away in a corner of the Training Center, music blasting in her ears as she evades, spins and slashes down a Grat before finishing it off with a Fire magic.

Without breaking sweat and seemingly on auto-pilot, she immediately moves away from the defeated creature to seek another one.

Bother her now? During the day, during classes? Both? Go for it o/ ]

Comments

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

[Minato figures he could be spending the day differently: he could go hang out with Akihiko-senpai, or look for any memorial in Garden and pay his respects for the fallen, or something else.

Instead, he's spending the evening in the Training Center, having previously traded in his Garden-provided rapier for a battle axe, and hunting down Grats, his headphones providing suitably loud music.]

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ Spending time with the rest of the members of SEES did cross her mind; after all, if everything else between their worlds was the same -- then surely, on October 4th, that had happened as well. But, here, Minako was a stranger, barely known and she was almost certain it would be awkward on all ends. Especially for her. Especially after that bad start with Akihiko-senpai.

Right now, she's barely thinking, but focused enough to take the monsters out. Minako barely notices Minato as she soundlessly chases a fleeing Grat with quick and light footsteps, ready to lunge out with her naginata when she's close enough. ]

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

[Minato barely notices his counterpart, but he does notice the Grat running right past him. One quick Fire spell stops the creature in its tracks, and he then proceeds to swing the ax at it.]

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ The sudden burst of Fire startles her, enough for her to lose concentration. Seeing the axe out of the corner of her eye, she quickly backs away, but accidentally slips on a wet patch of grass. ]

Ah--!

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

[He manages to hear a voice through the rumbling of his mp3 player, oddly enough. Swiftly dispatching the Grat, he goes over to see who it is.]

Minako?

[Resting the axe on the ground, he offers a hand to help her get back up.]

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

Minato-kun.

[ She says his name, half-dazed, but takes the hand and pull herself up while also using her naginata as a leverage. Only a second after she stands up does she understand what had happened. Smiling sheepishly, she says, ]

Sorry, Minato-kun. I didn't see you there.

[zeroth-card.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry too; I wasn't paying much attention either.

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about it! I'm not hurt at all.

[ But she does take note of the axe on the ground. Curiously, ] You use an axe to fight, huh?

[derped.livejournal.com]

[It's late for Rion to be out - very late, between 11 and midnight - when he walks into the training center. Normally he's the sort of person who goes to bed early and the embodiment of "early to bed, early to rise", so him being about past about 10 is strange.

And generally not in the training center, where he's rarely - if ever - seen. It's a bit of a surprise to him when he comes across Minako, but not an unwelcome one. And he has noticed how she's a bit... off today; of everyone in Garden, he's probably one of the people who pays the most attention to her (for reasons that are obvious), and he's normally quite perceptive anyway.

But he won't mention that - he just waves at her and smiles.]

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ She doesn't see him right away, finishing off the -- she hasn't counted, didn't keep count -- last Grat in front of her. Returning to a neutral position from her battle stance, Minako checks her watch and bites her lip when she notes it's nearly midnight.

Sighing, she picks up her MP3, skipping the slow song. It's only when she glances around that she finally spots Rion and it's very easily she smiles as she waves back. ]

[derped.livejournal.com]

[A few steps forward, and then Rion looks around, just to be sure that there's nothing coming (like a Grat or a T-Rexaur or a ... bear or something. He hopes she doesn't mind that he's going to sign to talk, at least basic things; it's stuff that's been covered in class, and it's been clear through those classes that he is way, way more at home with sign language.]

How're you?

[He's not going to ask about what's bothering her; it'd be a little weird, he thinks.]

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ That somebody else is there and in line of sight keeps Minako considerably more focused. All the same, she removes her right headphone piece and lets it dangle -- I will~ Burn my dread ♫ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbsAyGQ0k_U) could possibly be heard, considering the volume she had it at. Slowly, she signs back, ]

I'm okay. You?

[derped.livejournal.com]

It's late. I can't sleep.

You're not sometimes here this late are you?

[Another step forward; he doesn't want to break eye contact with her, as this is a bit awkward for him, and it's showing that he's a little bit uncomfortable - he bites his lip a little bit, looking about from time to time. What he really wants to ask is if everything is alright, but he can't really do that without being weird, can he?

Another look over her. She does look a bit tired. Rion's brows furrow a little bit more in concern for her.]

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

I'm used to staying up late.

[ She speaks now, not sure how to sign it. It's not a lie, not after a year of Tartarus exploration and fighting in the Dark Hour -- or studying when there was a need to. Fighting here was different, didn't tire her out as easily as the Dark Hour did. But she had been here for hours without taking long breaks. Minako blinks, straightening. ]

Is something wrong, Rion?

[derped.livejournal.com]

[It's funny how she wants to know if something's wrong with him, when he's acting weird because he thinks something's wrong with her. Another slightly awkward shift, and then he thinks, trying to figure out how to sign this.]

Are you okay? I'm-- [She wouldn't know that word, but the expression of worry, of concern on his face should say more than he could have, either with signing or with written word.]

For you. You're different, today.

[Maybe he should just get out his board; it'd be easier that way, wouldn't it?]

[dragon-savior.livejournal.com]

[Between the lesson with Squall about Gunblades, and the expo going on during the day, he had been doing a bit more reading than he was practice. When nightfall came, he settled on the idea of visiting the training center. It had an odd comfort to him. The trees themselves were foreign, but the wild monsters and dense foliage all reminded him of home.

Sooner or later, he'd need to do more extensive practice with his Brood powers. Now would have been a good a time as any to get a little combat practice in, and maybe some flight later.

He sheathed his sword and settled into his usual stance, allowing his hands to rest at his side. Transforming always felt the same, like letting the knot out of a garden hose. The initial rush of energy always felt a little overwhelming, but the whole affair was second nature at this point. The only thing that stopped him from completing the process was the sound of another person being present.]

Maybe Rinoa is practicing again?

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ She doesn't hear him speak, can't hear anything over the music in her ears. Minako doesn't notice him either but, if she had, she would have recognized him as a classmate, though one she had never really spoken to.

A simple Fire spell takes out the next Grat in front of her, finishing it off. She eyes its remains and then starts moving again, unaware that anything is following her, or that somebody is close by. ]

[dragon-savior.livejournal.com]

[It takes him a little time but he eventually tracks down the source of the fire. Considering where her focus is, simply tapping on her shoulder might not be the best idea in the world. Not noticing the headphones, he tries calling out to her.]

Excuse me, miss?

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ Definitely not hearing him over the song currently playing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXKqFmpgvC0).

But, she does feel the slight tremors on the ground. Was she so tired that the world seemed as though it was trembling. Cautiously, she pulls her headphones down and glances around, trying to discover the source.

Minako jumps when a sudden loud roar rings out and backs away from the direction, just as a T-Rexaur steps through.

Dinosaur. A dinosaur. She blinks, mouth opened as she gapes. ]

[dragon-savior.livejournal.com]

[The unwelcome arrival gives Ryu pause as well. He's seen and fought some big creatures back home, but this one almost resembled one of his dragon forms. There were no other Brood alive, or at least who had their powers. That much was discovered at Dragnier.

If he wasn't mistaken, this thing thought they both looked remarkably tasty. Ryu stepped forward with his sword drawn. Worst came to worst, he'd have to blow his cover if his blade wasn't enough.]

I didn't think anything this big could grow naturally...

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ When she hears footsteps, Minako half-turns, noting the other person out of the corner of her eyes while keeping the dinosaur in sight. She eyes his sword for a quick moment and then gives a quick nod. ] It's a dinosaur. [ ...or was it? It was far smaller than she thought actual dinosaurs would be.

She held her naginata up, ready for combat. The idea of a challenge was -- it sounded fun. She was getting tired of the Grats too.

Before she can say anything else, it lunges. She steps back, evading its claws, while waiting for an opportunity to counter. ]

[dragon-savior.livejournal.com]

[Of course, this was a military school. People wouldn't run from something as tall as a house with rows of teeth.]

Nothing like this back home!

[His first thought was to their safety. Retreating far back enough to get a little distance, it only took him a minute or so to cast his Shield spell. It wouldn't stop an attack completely, but it could lessen the impact of whatever the beast threw at them. While Minako had its attention, his sword returns to his hand while looking for an opportunity to attack.]

[willnotsubmit.livejournal.com]

[Mitsuru also finds herself in the training center, working out any leftover...Emotions that she has. It's hard to say what exactly this day makes her feel; even with a semester worth of study material between her and the last time this day rolled around, she still hasn't forgotten what the date means.

It's a relief when she can bury all of that underneath combat, and improving on that. Again, her sword stays at her side as she continues picking off Grat's with well placed ice spells. Something about her control is...Tight, though. Those shards of ice she flings around are a little more brittle and narrow then usual. There are times where her aim is off as well-

Such as now, when she sends off a volley of projectiles, half of which bury themselves in the Grat, and the other half go tearing through the foliage and whatever is on the other side of it.]

sob hi

[heartlinks.livejournal.com]

[ She finishes another Grat and moves on without looking back at its body. They're far too easy, weak like the Shadows of the lower levels of Tartarus. And because they're too easy, her mind is starting to wander. Minako ups the volume of music and tries not to think, wandering in search for her next prey.

She doesn't hear the ice attack coming at her until it's too late. Minako flinches and lets out a short scream as the shards hit her left arm. Quickly, she snaps the MP3 player off and assesses her hand. It's not too bad an injury; she's had worse before.

Warily, she glances up towards where the attacked had come from, knowing that whoever had sent that attack must have heard her. Ignoring the prickles of pain in her left hand, she slips back into a battle stance and slowly moves forward. ]

/thud. Hello!

[willnotsubmit.livejournal.com]

[Mitsuru doesn't have the inhibition of headphones; once she hears that scream, she snaps up to attention. And also gives a hissed 'dieu' when she realizes that it sounded human.

The Grat is easily dead, and so she doesn't waste any time in stepping off the path and looking for where that ice attack hit. Given how much plant life she managed to shred with it, it's easy enough for her to pick her way through it and follow the arc of the attack.]

"Whoever cried out, give me your location. Are you badly hurt?"

[She tries to raise her voice over the noise she's making as she moves through the underbrush, but with how much it's crackling and rustling, it's hard to say how successful she is; at the moment, she's aiming more for speed and efficient movement then anything else.]