gunslingerqueen | IC Contact + Overflow

Oh, that!

[Did she forget? Or is it an act? ... No, she totally forgot. That didn't mean too much, of course, she was hardly a charity service and while Les' plight is worth empathizing with Nariko's got her own problems in life, for the price of "free" she'd be back in New York already. But the price in and of itself is perhaps a more nebulous and frankly unthinkable thing than the destined witch may be expecting.]

Yeah, about that! Don't worry for now, I haven't actually decided what it is yet!

[How anticlimactic, but she grins as if she just told her about a cruise.]

It won't ever be anything you can't pay, or something you can't do for me. I was in London for a bit before this and I was originally thinking I needed to lay off the work for a bit? [To actually be home and sit with her feelings. To let things hurt for a little bit.] And then you texted me, so clearly all of that has changed. [A flit of her hand, her drink is almost drained again. Humid hot is so different from dry hot.]

There's no one waiting for me back home and frankly I've been hoping to find someone I can really spar with.

[Truth be told, that threw Les for a moment but when she explained that it wouldn't be something she couldn't provide or do for her, she nodded in agreement. It wasn't out of the ordinary but she hadn't expected it.

At the mention of London, Les smiled a little. She never stayed in London for long, it held far too many memories. But she missed London a lot.]

It's an agreement then.

[She paused and took a drink from her tea before giving her a little grin.]

I get that... I miss London sometimes. [She tilted her head and nodded in understanding] It's been a while since I've had someone to really spar with so I'm glad it's worked out so far.

[Les looked up when she sensed one of the waiter's coming toward them with her crepe.]

Oh that looks really good.

Did you live there? I was only there for a few days, didn't really have time to actively look around or anything.

[Traveling was always for work and that was a shame all its own, but she didn't really like to travel for pleasure by herself and there wasn't anyone to bring along either. The approach of a normal person makes her head tilt slightly, a little paranoid until they're gone and Les is free to ooh over the genuinely delicious crepe.]

I really feel like you did pick one of the best crepe places in the country, you're going to love it.

[She leaves the other woman to enjoy her food for a bit, feels no particular need to fill up the space between them with words. Of course, talking is great but Nariko's learned not to force it the way she used to as a young teenager.]

Are you really okay with a complete stranger staying with you? I could totally fuck you over, you realize.

Yeah, I did. For a number of years. If you get a chance to go back, you should. I'll give you some recommendations of places to check out.

[While Les couldn't return for any length of time before she felt the overwhelming need to run, London had always felt like her second home. After a couple of bites, Les had to absolutely agree with the other woman, the recommendation of this place was on point. She'd definitely have to come back.]

I am definitely coming back for more of these.

[She tilted her head at the question and considered the other woman for a long moment. Truth was, at this point, she didn't think she had too much to lose.]

You could and it won't be the first time that has happened. But I'm not too concerned. I could equally fuck you over as well.

[From now on Nariko's probably going to ask Les where to eat even if she's capable of deciding for herself. She's clearly got natural instincts and Nariko loves food too much to do anything but take advantage of that. But more important is that last moment there, the mutual recognition of how easy it would be to screw each other is something that sticks out, at that moment - and it would even years later.]

You could, [It's important to acknowledge the reality of it all, she thinks.] but you won't.

[Choosing to not do something shitty just because you can is the first step to holding onto humanity - onto hope.

And right now hope looks like two women finishing a damn fine meal in a cafe in Florida. Nariko pays no matter what Les says, there's the matter of transport to figure out though its probably best to just take whatever car Les has, if possible. We're not at the point in our relationship where you want me to drive, Nariko says, smirking the whole time. Still - she hasn't seen much of Florida, everyone always said she'd like it but the constant roulette of bullshit that her life has been didn't really allow for scenic vacations.

As they make their way toward the destination Nariko observes how far out they are from the nearest town. Everything is always location, location, location, after all and if whatever chosen spot doesn't meet her requirements she'll certainly say as much. They need somewhere remote but not too remote, big enough for full on sparring matches, fortified to make up for the fact that neither of them are human. It's a tall order to ask of any realtor.]

[The mutual recognition of how easy it would be to screw the other over was something that would stick in Les' mind for a long time to come. It was, perhaps, a reason why she felt a bit more at ease with the other woman.

As far as things went, she didn't have a problem driving. It was a small thing that she still enjoyed. Although, she did have a lead foot and had a problem sticking to the speed limit. From what she could tell though, that was a common occurrence in Florida.

She had reached out to one or two people that she trusted (and who may have owed her a favor) to help her find a place that she could rent out for a while. Some place that was far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city and would allow them to train without alerting the cops. Thankfully one of them had found a place that was being rented out by someone else who wasn't quite human and so fortified for anything that they might run into.

The plus side was that it had a large enough garage space, land and a pool. While in Florida, right?]

It's a bit remote and the town is tiny but the land, garage and pool make it a little worth it? There's plenty of room inside, decent sized kitchen and living room.

[She parked in the driveway and got out. When she'd arrived, she had weighed the pros and cons of a loaner or buying a used car. Les was still trying to sort that out but figured she'd play it by ear, depending on how long she stayed in town. For now, she was renting the car for another two weeks.]

[At first there's only a soft acknowledgement to what the other woman says. The place is definitely out of the way but she considers that a plus, all things considered. They wouldn't need to be near a hospital or emergency services since there wasn't much that Nariko couldn't heal or account for. The neighbors weren't exactly right on their ass either, and even glancing at the front of the house said it was more than enough space for the two of them. Getting out of the car, she whistles faintly, lets herself display how impressed she is with the setup.]

We could probably live here for the rest of our lives and never run into each other, shit.

[It's expensive as hell, which tells her a few things about Les - good things to know, in general. The first of which being that she clearly has good taste when it comes to food and houses, though Nariko was a bit more of a Mansardic gal by default.]

It's definitely remote enough, I like that. Of course, the pool and kitchen are a plus, too. [There's really no need for her to eat anymore, the function is useless, but she'd spent most of her life cooking for another person. It was a difficult habit to break.] I think it'll work just fine. [She couldn't feel anything particularly unique about the area either. If there were other witches, wizards, vampires, lycans, ethereal spirits, Gods, or anything else that might also pick up on she and Les, then they were very good at hiding.]

Sure you won't get cabin fever, or anything?

[Nariko had kind of already made the decision, but any slight hope of staying somewhere else was officially nonexistent. They'd definitely be sharing the house for the duration of her formal training and maybe beyond it too, depending.]

[The owner, an old friend of a friend, had explained that if Les wanted to one day purchase the property, she could. Truth be told, she wasn't sure if she really would like Florida enough to purchase but she could truly never say never. She hadn't expected something like this but she couldn't deny that she really liked it. It had more than enough room for both of them where they wouldn't be stepping on each other's toes.

Les grinned at the comment and nodded in agreement.]

It's true. We won't be getting in each other's way. A friend of a friend knew the guy and he's not quite human himself, so it's outfitted pretty decently from what I can tell.

[She had sensed much the same as Nariko and was thankful for that.]

Since that's settled, perhaps the two of us can put together a great ward around the property. I did a little for self preservation and habit, but considering what we will be doing, we may want something a little stronger.

[At the question about cabin fever, Les laughed and shot Nariko an amused look.]

I'm not going to lie, I usually go for much bigger cities - somewhere I can get lost in for a bit. But we're close enough to a city that it shouldn't be a problem. Really though, I couldn't pass up how much space this place has. Then again, it might be too much.

The town does have some good restaurants from what I've seen so far.

[Les started to give Nariko the tour, starting with the expanded garage, the pool and then inside the house.]

["Like" and "Florida" weren't two words that ever seemed destined to meet in Nariko's mind. But just the front of the place is nice and makes her reconsider the whole thing, it vaguely occurs to her that she hasn't asked Les where she's from or where she grew up. But maybe that kind of thing is still a little too personal, and Nariko should try to keep some level of professional boundary involved.]

It's a good idea. The less likely anyone or anything is to find us, the better I'll feel.

[Though that was more a matter of comfort. No one lived long enough to chase her down if they were stupid enough to try, but some of what she had planned would sound ... Very bad, out of context. Though her gaze is focused on the surroundings, she does nod, a smile playing on her lips. Well, apparently they're both city types! A good thing to have in common.]

It's not too much.

[As far as Nariko understood witches still needed to do normal things like sleep and keep normal rhythms, but she wasn't always routine in that sense. It'd be better if Nariko could do whatever she needed or finish more static jobs while Les was resting. The space meant that there wasn't any hope disturbing each other.]

You've kind of got a hot streak going with these recommendations so I'll take your word for it. I hope some of them deliver.

[But, hey, if she had to find a secluded place for a transport spot then she absolutely would ... Despite technically no longer needing to eat, either. Human rhythms and all that. As they go along the garage gets a nod of approval but it's the pool that leaves her eyes wide, as if affronted that such a beautiful thing will be there, at any moment they choose to utilize it.]

Fucking hell, this place really is gorgeous.

[The tall ceilings are impressive, the kitchen's surprisingly small, but Nariko can work with it. They're maybe about halfway through when the decision finally sets enough that its worth saying out loud.]

Alright, then, we're doing this.

Edited 2020-11-05 01:18 (UTC)

[Les nodded. It was good to know that they both had safety on their minds. The last thing Les wanted was to be located/found by anyone who might be out for her blood.]

Agreed. I would have tried to find a location closer to the coast but what we'll be doing, I figured not having neighbors so close by would be optimal. So, we're a relatively short distance away from the city.

[It wasn't anything she wasn't used to. In London, The House she'd shared with... them was at least 45 minutes away. It had its own appeal. She enjoyed the city and the way it was never completely silent. This way, she could focus on something other than her own mind. Eventually, one day, she'd work through it but that wasn't today or in the near future.]

Oh let's hope so - delivery is the best invention.

[As they stood in front of the pool, she took a moment to marvel at it herself. At Nariko's response, she couldn't help but laugh and nod in agreement.]

It'll be perfect to relax in after training or... just to hang out in. And the bar is a nice feature.

[If they had company or people they invited over, it would be the perfect entertainment spot. But, unless they made some new friends, she doubted she'd be inviting anyone over anytime soon. She hoped, at the very least, that they would form a friendship or working partnership. There was a small part of her that felt that maybe she didn't deserve to have friends since she wasn't there to save Jordan. But logically, she knew that was the unresolved grief and guilt talking. She was not going to burden Nariko with that mess just yet.]

The kitchen is a bit smaller than I'd expected but should still work alright.

[Any hesitation that she might've felt whether Nariko would commit was settled with that statement.]

Perfect. I chose a bedroom so if you want to go choose one and get settled? We can go shopping for any necessities that you may need.

[Truth be told, she hadn't really lived with anyone else in a while (since she'd left England last time). There was a part of her that was realizing she'd missed it... at least a little bit.]

Edited 2020-11-06 03:47 (UTC)

[It would be a nice house for entertaining but at the moment Nariko couldn't be entirely sure of how often she'd actually be going out. Usually, she never really hesitated to go out and do whatever she liked, bring home however many people interested her at any odd hours. The house's layout meant that she wouldn't have to really change up her routine, she could probably keep the same pattern without Les ever being particularly bothered by it, unless she was secretly a massive prude. Or a reasonable person who disliked strangers. But even Nariko struggled to decide if it was worth that. For as dedicated as Les was to learn and become stronger, Nariko was equally steadfast in her commitment to teach.

So things like baseless sex and even making friends would be distractions.]

Hm ...

[The reasonable thing to do would be to talk out those boundaries, to go over it but frankly Nariko doesn't want to. She had only ever lived with Nathan - well, and Lucian by default, but that didn't really count - and that wasn't a dynamic that could be utilized on Les, especially since they were probably, roughly about the same age as one another. And while Nariko hadn't given herself enough time or space to figure out if she enjoyed living alone or not, this really did seem to be for the best.]

I don't really need anything, actually. [Les would be forgiven for thinking that was odd, since Nariko had nothing but a Prada purse to her name, at first glance. She didn't really plan on having anything shipped to their new home either, that'd be too much of a hassle.] But! Let's give it till six a.m. Monday, that's when I'll start kicking your ass into shape! And we'll keep at it until you're able to give me something of a decent fight.

[There was no timetable to that, and while Nariko didn't doubt Les' skills, necessarily, she wasn't the easiest opponent in the world for a number of reasons. But as everything began to take shape she found herself smiling, a bit hesitant and concerned about her own demons, maybe, about how easily Les' goals reminded Nariko of her own. Hopefully the ending would be different. Turning to face her properly, she offered a hand, grin playing on her lips.]

Good to be working with you.

[Eventually, perhaps, they would talk about these boundaries but as far as Les was concerned, it didn't bother her one way or the other what Nariko did with her time outside of training. Whether that meant bringing back anyone or not. Les knew plenty of silencing charms and the house was big enough that she didn't think they'd have any problems running into one another in compromising situations. Not like it was back then, back home.

She was a little surprised that Nariko didn't need anything since it didn't appear she had much with her. But it did remind her of a couple of other powerful people who could make what they wanted with a simple thought. She'd always hoped she'd get that power one day. As far as powers went, she wasn't sure where they would go from here but she hoped that one day they would grow stronger.

Les grinned. It was going to be hard, the training that was, and she knew that. But, at the end of the day, if and when she went up against the next person on her list without as many injuries as the last time? She'd count that as a win. Not only that, but she was looking forward to having a sparring partner again. Someone she wouldn't have to tone down her strength with and would in fact need to use all her strength. Les reached out and shook Nariko's hand.]

It's great to be working with you. Though, I may come to regret that.

[Her tone was teasing though as she considered what the other woman had said earlier that afternoon, about coming to hate her.

The rest of the week then the weekend went by in a blur after that. Les spent that time getting to know Nariko a bit more. She also spent that time getting used to living with another person for the first time in a few years. Truth be told, it was kind of nice to not be stuck completely in her thoughts and planning. The planning was still there, obviously but it wasn't her 24/7 focus. She was certain that the next time she went up against one of the bastards involved, she'd be able to take them on a lot easier.

Les was up at 5:30 on Monday morning, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, and nursing a cup of coffee. One thing that hadn't changed about her in all these years was her maybe-sort of caffeine addiction. Whether it helped or not, she always started her mornings with a cup (or two). She may come to regret it a little later!]

There's coffee if you want any.

Edited 2020-11-08 23:06 (UTC)

I appreciate it, but I wouldn't have too much of that if I were you.

[Living with another person after so long, after everything that had happened was ... Odd. Nariko had spent so much of her life watching for Nathan, barricading the doors and letting him sleep on her chest, feeling him crawl into her bed after nightmares - hers or his, didn't really matter - that when she had actually begun to live out on her own it had been overwhelming. It was too quiet, too sparse, and she wanted to fill that emptiness with something, anything, and that morphed into lovers and sleepless nights and aimless adventures that were not fulfilling because she was alone. Now, even though the house itself is gargantuan for two women, Nariko is surprised at her own inability to let Les in a bit more. A few years ago she would have practically been up the woman's ass.

In her own way that's still the case. Nariko minds herself but she does talk, she's companionable, warming up from polite affability to genuine cheerfulness, the echo of her once-self. But on the morning in question she's much more serious, already in the mind for what she's about to do. Try as she might it is difficult to prepare people, especially those with more human bodies, for what she can do. In workout pants and a sports bra, her long hair bound up into a ponytail, the differences between their first meeting, the weekend together, and that moment might be clearer. The wall has to come back because if it doesn't then she can't do what is necessary.

In the end Nariko chose the garage. It was easy to soundproof with magic that Les would be likely to sense, miraculously padded on all sides and reinforced with yet more magic. When she had managed to accomplish such feats didn't matter, Nariko starts out with drills, easy, direct hand-to-hand.

And then ramps it up phenomenally.

Over the next six hours Nariko absolutely hurls Les left, right, up, down, and then diagonally in any other direction she can manage. If she gets a leg up on her then Nariko simply takes it out with brutal efficiency, she's inhumanly quick and strong, yes, but she's also experienced, it's too easy to read Les' moves, the difference in their physical strength is to be expected, to a degree, but Nariko quickly understands why she'd sought out a teacher. If Les falls then there's a strong bark of "Again.", no question, no complaining, Nariko works her as hard as Lucian and Zachariah once taught her.

Actually, that's not true. For as brutal as Nariko is she doesn't break bones, tear skin, she does try to leave Les with some confidence, and certainly doesn't push her to the instant that she might pass out from pain or exhaustion.

By the time she declares them finished with physical training for the day, Nariko hasn't really broken a sweat. There's a slight, decidedly big sister-ish smile on her face, tinged with sympathy.]

You did good!

[Sure, the criteria for that was don't die, but still. It's an accomplishment.]

[Although she had sensed the magic and knew there was some sort of padding, being thrown left right and all directions still took a toll after the second... fifth time. At the end of the day, Les was flat on her back, catching her breath. Nariko was a tough trainer and although every muscle in her body hurt she was really glad she'd reached out to her. She was going to learn a ton and her body would eventually adjust. It had the first time around after all.

She looked up at the other woman and at her slight but friendly smile and chipper words then groaned.]

I didn't die so I would say that's an accomplishment on it's own.

[She couldn't hold in the laughing groan that slid past her lips before she slowly stretched out.]

Woman, you are a force.

[And that was a compliment! Nariko didn't hold back, not Les hadn't anticipated she would, but it was something that she admired and could respect. She could only improve from here. It wasn't like David and Ben had necessarily held back on their training but romantic and sexual feelings had been involved.]

Oh, I know.

[The sympathy melded into pride. A lesser person would have done nothing but bitch and moan about sore muscles and a concerning lack of ability to move. But Les quite literally laughed it off and seemed perfectly at east.]

You're already doing better than my first time, though, so let's not limit it to just surviving.

[The first time Lucian had hurled her in every direction Nariko had whined like a little bitch. Not because she couldn't take the pain, or even because she wanted the man to go easy on her, but because she'd been the one with romantic feelings, and her mentor-sort-of-lover hadn't paid that any mind. Lucky for both women, Nariko wasn't devoted to remaining entirely stoic and detached after each session.

Just wait until we start incorporating magic into the fold! I'm sure that'll be a trip.

[Rolling her shoulders, she offered a hand to Les, not an offer to get her up so much as it was to help her stretch out a bit.]

Something tells me this isn't your first go around.

[When she'd gone through this before, she remembered Jordan and her complaining just a little (okay, probably more than a little). They had known, of course, that in order to survive whatever they'd come face to face with, they needed the training. Even still, she had reveled in it and had felt stronger and better afterward.

Truth be told, she was glad to feel something, even if it was sore muscles and exhaustion. It was a nice change from feeling otherwise numb. She laughed at the compliment and gave her an exhausted grin.]

Thanks. Oh, incorporating magic is going to be its own beast and a different kind of exhaustion.

[She appreciated the gesture and took it, stretching just a little more before releasing it and slowly standing.]

No, when we found out about our... destiny, Jordan and I asked our boyfriends to help train us. Well. Okay, they actually volunteered considering they were vampires. We couldn't very well go to a human trainer. We were a little concerned we'd throw them into a wall. We had to make them agree that they wouldn't go easy on us. Truth be told, I've kind of missed it.

It means I'll have to work even harder not to viciously kick your ass.

[Witches were ... Kind of a strange bunch to deal with when it came to offensive battles! But Nariko had to admit that they were definitely adaptive and strategic, so she was hardly underestimating the other woman so much as Nariko knew that she had a tendency to go overboard when it came to such things. ... It would be a while before she felt comfortable enough to do such a thing with Les, especially since it hadn't exactly been part of the original deal.

But weapons had been, and that's the most logical step before she ends up hearing a little more about her new student. Tilting her neck to one side to work out some of the strain, Nariko raised a brow.]

So, you didn't know about it your whole life? [Kind of surprising, especially given who their boyfriends were.]

Is there a reason you didn't ask for their help again?

[It's not hard to take a guess at why, and she feels a tinge of guilt about going near it but, hey, Les opened the door and by now, Nariko's actually a little curious. Not that a vampire could have anything on an immortal construct that maintained cosmic balance, or anything.]

Good point. I will be interested to experiment how far I can push my magic, training with you.

[Magic was a complicated situation for Les. She did everything in her power to keep on top form with the magic she held but she also did everything in her power to mask it. The last thing she wanted was to be found out by those she was seeking (to destroy). Les wanted to have the upper hand in those situations. She was quickly realizing that there were a good amount of beings who were underestimating her simply due to the fact that she didn't have the other half of the Enchanted anymore. What they didn't take into consideration was they had been above average in their own right.

It was something that Les was using fully to her advantage.]

No, we didn't. [Les paused. She hadn't intended to share so much about her life like that with the woman but here they were. We had magic from a very young age but when my father and I returned to New Orleans, Jordan's grandmother and my father wanted us to live some kind of normal life. So they hid who we were - bound our powers for as long as they could. We found out during our senior year of high school.

[Les tilted her head and considered the question.]

Ben is dealing with his own shit what with losing Jordan and his Sire. I wasn't going to ask him to help train me. Besides, they'd expect that.

[Besides, he was working on finding out who was involved in the hit so they could take them out.]

[The look Nariko gives her suggests that the topic might be a work in progress for a long time, and that's before realizing what Les' magic use would do, and the attention it would draw. It's one thing to train a witch in more standard forms of combat but magic was ... Weird, and while she wouldn't underestimate the other woman, Nariko did tend to overestimate her own sense of control. Just because she could heal any conceivable wound Les might suffer didn't mean they should just go full-on ham with it.

It's easier and safer to move on to the answer to her question.]

Do you think that was the right way to go about it? Not knowing about it until you were older.

[The question comes with an unspoken caveat, it pokes closer and closer to the guts of the other woman, she doesn't have to answer if she doesn't want to! But Les is the first person whose experience has actually mattered to, as far as Nariko is concerned.]

[Les saw that look and brushed it off for the time being. They'd cross that bridge when they came to it, she figured. Truth be told before they added her magic to their combat training, she likely needed to dedicate some good time to it in general.

At the question, Les paused and considered her answer. It had changed over the years. Later, when she undoubtedly wondered why she shared so much, so soon with Nariko, she'd likely blame the endorphins and the workout.]

At first? Yes, I did. We both did. [Les walked over to where she'd placed her water and picked it up. It was clearly a move that forced her to pause. She didn't talk about this much. Les took a long drink before she continues.]

Now? No. I understand why they did it. They had been worried that our ancestors would find us and take us away for training so we could dedicate our lives, our very obnoxiously long fucking lives to this destiny. At the cost of not having a life. [She turned to look at Nariko.] If that had been our lives... maybe she'd still be around. They both would be.

Huh.

[Maybe they'd still be around. Maybe if you knew ahead of time, you wouldn't have the illusion of a normal life, nothing to miss when it all burned down. And yet, Nariko had seen the result of great people trained in their calling, she'd devoted nearly all of her life to it, and if the question was turned on her it wouldn't exactly be equal. Besides, regardless of how things had gone for Nariko, her fate would have always been the same. It was worse for Les, who could have experienced things differently.]

I never did say I was sorry for all that, did I?

[Which, frankly, is a useless thing to say. Apologies meant nothing to the dead or the living who had to keep on. Empty platitudes and such.]

I choose to say it in the form of teaching you how to take several handguns apart and put them back together in less than five minutes.

[Because that was practical, and real. It was something Les could have control over, and sometimes that was what one needed when certain choices had been taken away.]

Not that I think that life would have been anything either of us would have wanted and you can bet that we would have rebelled in every way possible but...

[She shrugged a shoulder then raised an eyebrow at her with a quirk of her mouth.]

Not exactly but you we're right. At this point, all I can do is move forward and take every single one of those bastards out in the process.

[She appreciated the sentiment all the same. Truth be told, she preferred the practical lessons that Nariko would teach her such as shooting, taking apart handguns, and putting them back together. Physical training. All of it were things that she could have control over and she could focus on for the time being.]

So, what's next?

[OOC- and soon I think we can go to maybe a few weeks later where Les has her dream about Nathan? :)]

[... But what came after that? While occasionally absolutely incapable of keeping her mouth in check, Nariko knew better than to ask a question that she herself couldn't answer. Her life would be different if she'd made different choices, if she could actually put down the person who helped make her into what she was.

Whatever waited for Les on the other side of her revenge was her adventure. She didn't need Nariko fretting over her - Not unless that became an explicitly added service. But the most relevant one was, in fact, tactile and mentally draining. Guns were a little more complex than most realized, and they'd hopefully wipe out Les' remaining strength.]

A long lecture, and many tiny pieces of a bigger thing!

[Leaving the well crafted training area, Nariko takes her to the garage, where she's already set up a decent workbench that could accommodate four people, if needed. With precision, she unravels a handgun, explaining every aspect down to the smallest piece, and then has Les do it.

Over, and over, and over again, until her brain threatens to melt, or her fingers lose direction of where they should even go next.]

[Give Les martial arts, swords, daggers, and/or magic and it took a lot to wear her out. Taking a handgun apart and putting it back together was something else entirely and by the end of that first day, Les swore she couldn't feel her fingers. It was a lot but by the second week, she was getting a bit better. She at least could put it together in a decent amount of time.

To be honest, she'd always enjoyed the idea of taking one apart and putting it back together. It just seemed to badass but she never thought she'd have a reason to. But something she was learning, there was a use for it in the world she found herself in and you could never be too careful.

It wasn't until well into the third week that Les realized how mentally exhausted she was. Since she had taken on this revenge mission of hers, she'd done everything she could to block off any of her dreams both the pre and post-cognitive sort. They didn't come around often but there was always a reason for them when they did. And at this point, she needed to focus on this and not whatever they were trying to tell her. When it came down to it, she'd prefer to not dream at all but she'd learned the hard way to not fuck with that. Two years of nightmares of a past life was enough to just let them be.

After saying good night to Nariko, Les had hauled her ass to her room, took a hot shower, and fell into bed. It felt like no time at all before she found herself standing in a living room with a young man who looked a bit familiar. He wasn't looking at her and she didn't say a word, at first. The fact that she was aware of being in the dream meant there was something she was supposed to pay attention to.]

Apparently I'm more tired than I anticipated - it's been a while since I've had one of these dreams...

[She looked at the boy and tilted her head.]

Are you able to hear or see me?

[She'd know what she needed to know if he could. Normally they didn't and she was a passive participant in whatever happened but it didn't hurt to check.]

[The living room was modern, bordering on detached. Outside the wall-length windows was a perpetual night, a sky littered with shining stars, constellations that would be named by the phantom images of two people at the poolside. One of them was likely to be recognizable despite the phantom-like nature of her profile, Nariko's black hair was just as thick and long in the half-memory as it was in real life, after all. But the person beside her, and the man who stood in front of Les were less familiar, the version outside was younger, but they were the same.]

Huh.

[His eyes were blue, the freckles along the bridge of his nose shifted as his expression scrunched, and he seemed to realize where they were.]

Oh, this is - fuck. [The living room. The sky. The memory. And a woman he'd never seen before.]

I was about to say, that's one hell of a change from what I saw last time, but you're definitely not Nariko. Right?

[That wasn't the sort of thing that should be a question but here they were, just the same.]

IC Contact + Overflow

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Aw, Les opened up a bit! :) After this we can have them transition to checking out the house!

Hope this is okay!

It's perfect!! Also. Sorry, I tend to always go into prose - even in brackets. /facepalm

You're fine! I am completely okay with prose whether its in brackets or not!

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That last line of Nariko's made me think of a line/song from Hamilton and I smiled. Lol!

Oh! I have never seen it so that was very coincidental haha

The best kind. Lol! Also, I hope this works! :)

it does! I wanted to come back to it when I had proper energy sorry about the wait

No problem at all! I really will backtag / slow tag forever so long as the interest is still there!

I'm extremely grateful for that

<3

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I said it earlier but these two are my fav. :D

they really are so much fun OTL ALSO feel free to shift them to Les' dreams!

Hope this works!

I thought I had Nathan's journal but I think it was attached to an old email x_x

I feel this struggle!

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I know this went in a different way but I do find this interesting! :D

I was really about to message you and apologize for somehow losing control here omg

No! NGL, I love it! (and apparently she also finds him attractive so there's that. Sorry! Lol!)

haha no need to apologize I love surprises like this!

oh good because me too!