Nariko Lunae (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gunslingerqueen) wrote2020-10-10 06:41 pm
gunslingerqueen) wrote2020-10-10 06:41 pm
IC Contact + Overflow
Wanna continue a TFLN thread? Wanna text or call Nariko, or just play in general?
Here's the place to do it!
Here's the place to do it!
no subject
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.
That last line of Nariko's made me think of a line/song from Hamilton and I smiled. Lol!
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.]
Oh! I have never seen it so that was very coincidental haha
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.
The best kind. Lol! Also, I hope this works! :)
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.
it does! I wanted to come back to it when I had proper energy sorry about the wait
[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.]
No problem at all! I really will backtag / slow tag forever so long as the interest is still there!
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.]
I'm extremely grateful for that
[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.
<3
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.
no subject
[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.]
no subject
[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.]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.
no subject
[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.]
I said it earlier but these two are my fav. :D
[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? :)]
they really are so much fun OTL ALSO feel free to shift them to Les' dreams!
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.]
Hope this works!
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.]
I thought I had Nathan's journal but I think it was attached to an old email x_x
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.]
I feel this struggle!
Huh. Interesting.
When he cursed, her mouth quirked up. She was just going to say something when he asked if she was Nariko and she tilted her head. While shapeshifting into other people wasn't a completely foreign concept to her, it was a rare gift. One that she certainly wasn't blessed with.
Unfortunately.]No, I'm not Nariko. [She paused then tilted her head.] I've been working with her a ton during the last few weeks though.
[She likely wouldn't have said anything but if that was him outside the living room with Nariko, then he knew her, right?]
What is your name?
no subject
Nathaniel Tennore, or just "Nathan". And you are?
[His shoulders rolled back, temporarily forcing his spine back to its proper height of 6'2, but when he sighed it was like the fight deflated out of his body, and he gave a nervous chuckle.]
Please just actually be a person and not like [He gestures to the phantom figures, the illusions outside. It's not obvious from their angle, but the memory plays regardless of whether he and Les watch it. Soon, Nariko will be plunged into the expensive horizon pool and Nathan will maybe, perhaps attempt to drown her.] them. If I meet one more trick of my own brain I think I'll just hop off a cliff.
no subject
[She watched him for a moment - the way he rolled his shoulders and stood straight. Unconsciously, she stood straighter, all 5'8 of her. At his question, her eyebrows rose but she sent him a little smile.]
I assure you, I am a person. A witch, actually. I'm used to pre and post cognitive dreams but this is a bit different. It definitely feels different. I'm assuming you're stuck here then? Wherever... here is?
[From what she could make out through the glass, it didn't feel like she was on Earth or at least, anywhere on Earth she's been to.]
no subject
"Here" is what might happen when a psychic meets a witch, I guess! This is a dream of a memory I supposedly have somewhere in my brain, and we're both in it for now!
[... So well timed with their conversation, the Other version of himself does, in fact, shove the memory of Nariko into the pool, visibly holding her under. ... It looks really bad, and the way his expression twists into awkward regret probably just enhances that.]
It's supposed to be of me and her, but half the time I feel like I'm seeing things that haven't happened yet. [He rubs the back of his neck, his exhausted groan is a surprisingly sharp nose in the depths of his throat, like the real frustration is clawing to get out of his body.] I don't even know if she's really my sister.
I know this went in a different way but I do find this interesting! :D
So, you don't actually remember any of this?
[It was interesting. She couldn't remember the... okay, no, she could remember the last person she shared dreams with like this. Les looked outside again just in time to see the Other Nathan shoving Nariko into the pool, holding her under.]
Oh shit.
[She glanced at him and frowned. Truthfully, she understood that frustrated and exhausted sound. Then he mentions Nariko is his sister and she blinked. She probably shouldn't find Nariko's brother attractive but here they were.]
Well. Since I've been training with her, in... the real world or awake world, if you will, I can tell you that she's alive. If that helps. And, before the whole drowning thing out there, she seemed younger. As do you.
I was really about to message you and apologize for somehow losing control here omg
[It's disconcerting to watch himself do something so violent and horrible, and to have it occur in front of an attractive woman whose kind of taking all of this in stride? If the cosmic Earth could open and swallow Nathan he might thank it on the way to his death.
But he tries to push through it with a mortified flush of red over his cheeks, and the nervous way he scratches one bicep, as if he could tear out the nerves.]
The awake version of me doesn't remember her at all, actually. But a year or so ago, a woman saved me from a really weird situation and when I looked at her it was like ... [The nerves dissipate as he tries to reach for what really happened.] Like finding something after years of searching. Except - Every time I try to find her when I'm awake I either forget again, or something weird happens. Since reality doesn't want to cooperate, I thought I'd try to look through my dream-memory things. They started up after I saw her in person, so I figured it might be a solid lead.
[He laughs, shrugs.]
And that's led me to you, apparently.
No! NGL, I love it! (and apparently she also finds him attractive so there's that. Sorry! Lol!)
She listened to him and frowned at the knowledge that the awake version of him didn't actually remember Nariko. Was the memory loss intentional then because of what happened here? Was it for safety? She wasn't sure but she could admit she was curious to find out.]
So it was like a lightbulb went off, metaphorically speaking? You had a good idea though because I've found dreams to be helpful like that. Well... helpful and annoying at times when you don't want it to happen.
[She tilted her head a little as she considered everything he'd said.]
Lucky for us both then. In here, in the dream, do you remember anything that happened leading up to... forgetting about everything? Or was this - [She gestured to the glass windows.] - the last thing?
[Not that she truly thought she could help restore his memories at all but she was curious.]
And if you want, I can give her a message from you.
haha no need to apologize I love surprises like this!
I guess you could say it was like that. After she saved me it was like someone shoved another set of memories into my brain. One version is just my parents and I, and the other is my mother, me, and someone I think is Nariko, but even know I can't remember her face unless I come to this specific memory.
[A violent skit, an odd choice, one that was somewhat helped by the fact that Nariko was defending herself in it, but they were clearly arguing, still voiceless.
The prospect of passing along a message makes him perk up a bit.]
Tell her ... [Something was doing its damndest to constantly erase his memory, and if it was simple magic then he himself would have found it easily. The truth of the matter was that it only made sense for Nariko to have been the one to cause this. But even knowing she might not want it, Nathan couldn't give up on finding her.] Tell her that if there's something keeping us apart I want to face it together. We're family, and we should be together - and if she's going to disagree, then the least she can do is come and say it to my face. No more running.
oh good because me too!