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Katrina Renee Eriksen (bloodlusting) wrote in nosuchtimes,
@ 2008-09-30 13:47:00

Entry tags:

adrienne conté, katrina eriksen

Crossing Blades - The History of Katrina and Adrienne
Who: Katrina and Adrienne
When: February 2007 (?)
Where: One of the gyms at school.
What: Their first face-to-face meeting.

Katrina was really beginning to hate this place. She was sick and tired of all the fucking drama, of dealing with people constantly, of having to get up and go to classes everyday... the only things she wasn't bothered by were her few friends - although her encounters with them had become less and less frequent as her habit grew - and the easy access to the bar in town. The bar was important for two reasons: not only did it allow her to get drunk when she wished, but it was where she met her heroin dealer, something that was happening more and more lately.

Not that it really mattered - it wasn't as though anyone was going to do anything about her habit. No one except her best friend, and Katrina hadn't even seen her since the night of her fateful birthday party... but she didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think about anything which was one of the reasons she was here in the first place. Katrina was nearing the end of a heroin high, had just had her fill of blood from the cafeteria and had felt the need to do something physical. It had just made sense to come to the gym and fuck around with a sword or two until she was ready to pass out.

It was late, but not so late that everyone was sleeping. Katrina could still hear people moving around in the halls, vague voices and footsteps that she wasn't paying much attention to. She could have, if she cared to, with her vampiric senses, but these people didn't matter to her. Their problems and conversations meant nothing to her. So instead of eavesdropping on her peers, Katrina concentrated even more on the sword in her hand.

It was relaxing, in a way, to let herself not think of anything but the blade in her hand and the movements of her own body. She liked it that way sometimes - although practicing with someone else made things more interesting and challenging, it was a relief to focus solely on herself and what she needed to do, without having to anticipate or react to a partner.

Katrina had always been able to focus on something to the extreme. Since her turning, this had been enhanced and so it was now - she cleared everything out of her mind except her movements and the blade. She was so concentrated that she didn't even hear the footfalls of someone else entering the gym.

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cursedwithfur
2008-10-02 01:04 am UTC (link)

Adrienne had always been a physical person. She liked staying active, loved being outside. Rock climbing, or hiking through the mountains had always been her favorite past times, but here at the school she had been exposed to something else that got her adrenaline pumping: swordplay. It wasn’t an activity that Adrienne would have ever considered before coming to this place, but now that she was here it seemed only natural to learn how to handle one. Funny how being turned into a werewolf made you see the world in a different light. Guns couldn’t really hurt the sorts of praeternatural that she had become, or the other kinds that she had met. But swords? Well, no one ever recovered from having their arm severed from their body, or their neck sliced open. People could recover from gun shot wounds, but not so much for a well-placed blade.

Perhaps it was Adrienne’s newly born feral side that enjoyed the thought of fighting with swords. The raw power that was associated with it and the type of damage she could do with it appealed to her for some reason. It was for that reason that the werewolf found herself going to the gym that night. She was restless, and instead of going outside into the snow for a run, she decided to go practice some of the skills she had learned in class. Problem was, Adrienne hadn’t expected anyone else to be in the gym that night. She also hadn’t expected that the person she would come face-to-face with was Katrina.

Adrienne knew of the girl, and had actually talked with her over the journals a few times. They got along as well as could be expected from a non-physical encounter. At least they didn’t bicker like so many other people were prone to at the school. Adrienne had gone to Katrina’s birthday party, too, but hadn’t talked to the girl directly. She knew who she was – knew the people she hung out with, and the person who claimed to be her best friend. But most of all, Adrienne knew of Katrina from Zach.

The vampire didn’t even seem to realize that Adrienne had entered the gym. She was so wrapped up in her swordplay and the movements of her body with the blade, that she didn’t notice anyone or anything else. Adrienne didn’t want to bother the girl, but at the same time she had been looking for the opportunity to talk with her, for Zach’s sake at least. “Hey,” Adrienne said finally as she continued to move toward the rack of swords that was lying against the wall. Adrienne moved her hands along the hilts of the various swords left out for students who wanted to practice. She finally stopped at a long sword, one that was light in her hand, and yet could withstand attack from someone else. The blade was slightly curved giving it the look of a katana except it was much longer.

Pulling it from its spot, Adrienne examined the blade for a moment before she spoke a little more. “Didn’t think anyone else would be here tonight,” she said with a grin. “You don’t mind the company, do you?”

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bloodlusting
2008-10-02 01:56 pm UTC (link)

As Katrina had gotten more and more focused on the blade, her movements around the mat had gotten faster and faster. But as soon as she heard the voice of someone else in the room, she'd stopped immediately. It was amazingly, really, how quickly her body reacted to her thoughts without her having to actually think about it. It was, she thought, one of her favorite things about being a vampire.

Slowly, Katrina lowered the blade down to her side, its point almost touching the floor as she turned to look at the newcomer. She didn't recognize the girl, but that didn't mean anything - there were so many people here, and the vampire didn't pay attention to her peers enough to remember them. She watched the smaller girl look over the practive swords, noticing how she picked one with care. There was an immediate difference between them, then - whenever Katrina came down here (which wasn't that often, she would admit), she picked up whichever blade she got her hand on first.

It took her a moment to realize that she'd been asked a question, and that questions usually required answers. "No," she said quietly. "I don't mind." Short, concise, and to the point - not much, but at least she'd answered. Katrina wasn't feeling very loquacious at the moment, but then again, she hardly ever truly was. She took the chance to let her muscles relax for a moment, after all, she had been down here for a while before this girl had shown up. She wasn't tired, not yet at least, but even her vampiricly increased strength needed chances to rest. She could hear her heart in her chest - the slightest bit louder and harder than it normally beat, but not nearly as strong as a true living thing's would have been after the exertion she'd put herself through.

Katrina wiped the thin sheen of sweat off her forehead before lazily circling the blade in the air a few times, making sure to stay well away from the other girl. An idea came to her then - she was warmed up with the blade, and hadn't really practiced with another person in a while. "So, were you planning to just fuck around by yourself for a while, or would you like to spar a little?" Katrina asked, with maybe the slightest hint of a challenge in her voice.

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cursedwithfur
2008-10-07 01:41 am UTC (link)

Adrienne wanted to know what it was that Zach saw in Katrina, why she had become an important person in his life. There was a slight tinge of jealousy brewing within Adrienne's chest, but she quelled it quickly. There was no reason to be jealous, especially since Zach and Katrina were just friends. Except Katrina was pretty in a non-traditional way, and Zach obviously saw something in her. The werewolf shook the thoughts from her mind, determined to give friendship a chance. She smiled sincerely at Katrina, and let out a short laugh at the vampire's choice of words.

"Well if I were by myself, I probably woulda just fucked around. But, as long as you're here, I think a spar would be more fun." Adrienne swung the blade around in her hand, warming it up slightly and getting a feel for the way it moved through the air. She let the blade drop to her side and moved it over to her left hand. "I'm Adrienne, by the way," she said with an outstretched hand. She would play dumb for now, pretending to not know the vampire at all. It wasn't like the journals had pictures up of all the students or anything. If Katrina remembered her at all, it would be from the journal interactions. At least, that's what Adrienne hoped. "Nice to meet you."

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bloodlusting
2008-10-07 11:02 am UTC (link)

Katrina smirked a little at the laugh, and at the response to her proposal. That was good - at least this girl wasn't some stuck up bitch who thought herself better than the rest of the world. But the vampire was a little shocked at the name when the girl introduced herself. She looked at the outstretched hand for a moment before shaking it.

"So you're Zach's girl," Katrina responded, not really a question, but just a general statement that communicated that she knew who the girl was. "Katrina Eriksen. The feeling's mutual," she continued with a slight smirk.

The vampire was very interested in learning about her friend's girlfriend. She would have been extremely disappointed in Zach if he'd decided to date some obnoxious airhead. But from her experience, airheads didn't come down to the gym to practice blades late at night, and that in itself made Katrina a little more open to the idea of this girl being with Zach. Not that she had a say, but he was her friend - a good friend, at that - and she wanted to make sure he got a girl who deserved him.

Katrina swung the balde in a circle next to her before settling into a fighting stance in the middle of the practice mat. "Ready when you are," she told Adrienne.

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cursedwithfur
2008-10-08 01:35 pm UTC (link)

The words that left Katrina's mouth left Adrienne a little shocked though she didn't show it on her face. Adrienne just smiled, a slight blush forming upon her cheeks. She wasn't sure how to answer it exactly since she and Zach weren't official yet, but they were definitely dating. She didn't say anything out loud, the blush in her cheeks saying more than any words could. What she did say, however, was a repeat of Katrina's statement. "So you're Katrina," she said with a sly grin, trying her hand at playfulness with the other girl. "Then it's really nice to meet you... finally," she said with a small laugh. She had a feeling that while Katrina had a reputation of being a bitch, there was a side of her that other's didn't get to see much. Adrienne had a feeling that contrary to popular belief, she and the vampire could actually become friends.

The lycanthrope wasn't looking to prove herself to anyone, but there was a part of her that felt she had to make a good impression upon Katrina. She was a little afraid that Katrina would try to turn Zach against her if she didn't like her enough. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that, but Adrienne didn't know Katrina enough to make that judgment. She was just going to be herself, which had been a little hard to do ever since she had been transformed. Life as a werewolf still took some getting used to, and Adrienne was a little more shy than she normally was.

Despite that, Adrienne readied herself for the spar against Katrina. She settled into a comfortable stance, smiling a bit sheepishly at Katrina. "I'm not very good yet," she said in the moments before they would actually begin. "But I'll try my best to give you a good fight." Adrienne had just started swordplay a month or so ago when she arrived at the school. The class had been enjoyable so far, but they had covered the basics and had only recently begun sparring against others in class. Adrienne hoped she wouldn't make a fool of herself out here, but if there was anything that Adrienne was confident about, it was her natural athletic skill. With that, she was confident that she could hold her own against the much more experienced vampire.

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bloodlusting
2008-10-15 10:04 am UTC (link)

Katrina couldn't help but notice the blush that crossed Adrienne's face at her words. She didn't have to say anything - that pink tinge said it all for her. The fact that lycanthrope threw the same statement back at her was another thing that increased Katrina's opinion of the girl. If she'd shyed away or gotten upset, the vampire probably would have walked off without a second thought. Adrienne had some spunk to her, and in Katrina's book, that was always a good thing.

The way Adrinne moved and handled the blade in her hand spoke volumes to the vampire. From the looks of it, she'd had some experience, probably the beginner's class, but she didn't seem as comfortable with it as Katrina did. Then again, she hadn't actually done anything with a blde in quite some time. This would be good for her.

Because Katrina could see that Adrienne didn't have nearly as much experience as she did, the vampire decided to not put all her strength into the match. Although the smaller girl was probably stronger than she looked, there were no guarentees, and she wasn't really interested in hurting anyone at the moment. Besides, it wouldn't have been any fun to beat her oppenent within the first few minutes.

Katrina shook her head at Adrienne's words. "No problem," she said quietly, bring her mental foucs back. The vampire stood perfectly still, just watching the other girl, not making any movements. It was one of Katrina's tactics - to make her opponent get things started. She wouldn't move until Adrienne swung her sword.

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cursedwithfur
2008-10-16 01:11 am UTC (link)

The lycanthrope was grateful that her relationship with Zach hadn’t come up again. She was happy to be with the alchemist, and she knew that he was the type of guy that she could definitely fall for, but it was hard to say what they were since they weren’t official. They liked each other, but that was as far as their admissions went; that, and a few make-out sessions here and there. Adrienne wasn’t going to shy away from it, or get upset by the vampire’s statement. Words only hurt as much as a person let them. Besides, Adrienne thought Katrina was good people, and she wanted to get to know the girl more.

Adrienne wasn’t an expert with her blade, but she wasn’t an outright beginner either. She had always been a quick learner when it came to athletic endeavors and swordplay was no different. Though she was in the beginners’ class, she was confident that she’d be able to keep up with Katrina in a simple spar. She still wasn’t completely used to sparring against someone else, but she would give it her best!

It seemed like an epic battle of sorts, vampire versus lycanthrope, and yet it wasn’t as serious as all that. It was just two girls having fun with swords in the middle of the night. Adrienne smiled at Katrina’s words, nodding quickly as she refocused her attention on the fight. She noticed that Katrina wasn’t moving; she was probably waiting for the werewolf to make the first move. And here Adrienne was going to wait for Katrina to strike first. It was just as well that the werewolf made the first move since she didn’t want to wait forever for the spar to get started. Adrienne lifted the sword above her head, and swung it down toward Katrina. There wasn’t a lot of strength behind it, but then again the two girls weren’t looking to hurt one another.

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bloodlusting
2009-02-18 02:30 pm UTC (link)

It had been a while since Katrina had really put any effort into her swordplay. While her blades class was interesting, it didn't concentrate on swords, instead focusing on all different types of weapons. That was fine, but it did leave something to be desired with it came down to a spar, especially one involving only swords.

She saw Adrienne's body shift and the direction the blade would come from, but the vampire didn't move until the last possible moment before it would have hit her to raise her own blade to block the attack. Without a pause, Katrina turned the parry into an attack of her own, striking out at the lycanthrope's left side.

Let the fun begin, she thought to herself, and it was the last true thought the vampire had before throwing herself - mind and body - completely into the match.

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cursedwithfur
2009-02-19 08:57 pm UTC (link)

Katrina parried the attack easily, and with a fluid motion she moved to counterattack with a swift thrust of the sword to Adrienne's left side. The girl dodged the blade with a quick side step and started to circle the vampire. They were only a few seconds into their match and already Adrienne could tell that Katrina was giving it her all. Adrienne wasn't completely confident in her skills, but like she promised Katrina earlier she would do her best.

Unlike the vampire Adrienne's mind wasn't completely focused on the fight. She was thinking about her opponent, excited at the prospect of getting to know one of Zach's friends better. She wondered what Katrina thought of her as well, and she hoped that her opinion was good so far. Adrienne didn't normally worry about those sorts of things, but the recent thrust into the praeternatural world had made the girl's confidence shrink significantly.

Adrienne finally stopped circling Katrina and lunged forward with her sword. She wasn't near enough to actually pierce the other girl's body, but the tip of the blade would come close enough to scare her. The lycanthrope wasted no time in pulling herself back to an upright position, one that enabled her to swing her sword against, this time aiming for Katrina's right side.

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bloodlusting
2009-02-24 09:27 am UTC (link)

Katrina believed that fighting someone was a good way to get to know them. So while she was concentrating mainly on the spar itself, the vampire took care to watch the lycanthrope, and learn what she could from the way she handled herself on the mat. It helped that she would have been doing this anyway in order to figure out the best way to work against Adrienne's fighting style, but having another reason to pay attention made Katrina all the more focused on the task at hand.

Dropping the tip of her sword, the vampire went to block the blade as Adrienne lunged forward, but saw her mistake as soon the lycanthrope's weight shifted again, quickly. Watching the other girl's muscles move, Katrina brought the blade to her side and spun to her left, away from the now incoming sword. Settling into her stance once more, she flicked her own sword up a little too late, and missed Adrienne's blade completely. With a sigh, Katrina started forward again, this time to initiate her own attack towards the lycanthrope's shoulder. She swung the blade high enough that it would miss if it wasn't blocked, but not by much.

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cursedwithfur
2009-02-25 10:57 pm UTC (link)

The werewolf almost gained an advantage with her last attack, but Katrina reacted to it quickly, blocking each of her moves. The vampire settled into a stance again, giving Adrienne time to do the same. While Adrienne wasn't exactly winded from their session, her breath had increased significantly and she could feel a light sheen of sweat forming on her brow. It wasn't long before she was moving again as Katrina came forward, swinging her sword toward Adrienne's shoulder. It wasn't something that the lycan expected, and she brought up her sword at the last possible moment.

She didn't think she had blocked it, but luck was on her side and she had. Adrienne slid her blade against Katrina's, pushing it away from her own body. Adrienne wasn't very good with blocking, and she relied on common sense (and what she saw in movies) to help her along. If she withdrew her sword fast enough, she could possibly attack Katrina dead on. It was worth a shot, though she didn't think it would work. Adrienne followed through with her plan. She added a little more force against her blade to push Katrina's sword away, and pulled back far enough that she could plunge her weapon straight at the vampire's chest. The tip of the blade would never reach her, of course, but it would come awfully close.

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bloodlusting
2009-02-26 01:11 pm UTC (link)

Being so focused had a tendency to make Katrina react to anything instictively. She didn't think about her actions, she just acted. Normally, this worked in her favor, and allowed her to do things without worrying about the rationale behind the action. It made life simpler, she thought.

She was caught off guard, first when Adrienne managed to block her attack, but also by her reaction. The force the werewolf used had pushed her sword to an awkward angle, and it would be damn near impossible to bring it back in time to block whatever was coming next - especially considering that the sword was now coming stright for her chest.

Katrina didn't think, didn't even realize what her body was doing. Her reaction was pure instinct - something sharp and pointed was moving very rapidly towards her heart, and the vampire in her immediately recognized this as a threat, forcing her to move away from the deadly object. Unfortunately for her, that meant moving backwards, and with her arm still at the awkward angle with the sword hanging limply from her hand, this motion threw her completely off-balance and she fell to the mat, landing on her back looking straight up.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed. Katrina hated losing. But at least she had learned something, and not just that she needed to come down and practice more. The vampire let go of the sword, leaving it to lay on the mat where it had ended up after her fall, and pushed herself into a sitting position.

"If you can do that with just some of the beginner's class, I'd love to see you when you really know what you're doing," Katrina said truthfully, a definte sense of respect for the lycanthrope who was now standing over her. Zach, it seemed to her, had made a good choice.

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cursedwithfur
2009-02-27 09:03 pm UTC (link)

Adrienne hadn't expected her attack to work, but it successfully caught Katrina off guard enough that the vampire stumbled backward. Adrienne pulled her sword back the moment she saw Katrina fall, and reached out her opposite hand to grab at the girl. She was too slow to catch Katrina, though, and the other girl landed right on her back.

There were a few moments of silence after Katrina's small outburst. Adrienne was still holding onto her sword, but the tip was pointed down toward the mat, and the werewolf was leaning some of her weight against it. She smiled at the vampire when she finally sat up. Katrina's words made Adrienne shake her head modestly before she plopped herself onto the mat in front of the vampire. "Thanks," she said finally. "But I only did what I had to to keep up with you. You're really good." Adrienne rolled her shoulders, and stretched out her arms - she didn't realize how tired she was until that moment.

"Thanks," she said again. "For fuckin' around with me. It was fun." The werewolf didn't think Katrina was as bad as people painted her out to be. She could definitely see why some would call her a bitch considering the tough exterior, but that didn't mean Adrienne didn't respect her. Zach was lucky to have Katrina as a friend, and Adrienne hoped that maybe she and the vampire could be friends, too. "Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

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bloodlusting
2009-03-04 02:34 pm UTC (link)

Katrina rolled her neck as Adrienne lowered herself to the floor in front of her. She knew from experience that if she didn't stretch after a workout like that, she would pay for it in the morning, vampire or not. Lazily, she raised her arms over her head, fingers interlocked to stretch the muscles as she listened to the lycanthrope.

"Yeah, no problem," Katrina responded. She had, surprisingly enough, enjoyed herself. Adrienne's suggestion of another sapr at some later date surprised her as well - she wasn't used to people wanting to spend time with her, and it took a moment before she nodded and said, "Sure. I look forward to kicking your ass next time." With that, the vampire stood, and put her sword back on the rack before leaving the gym in desperate need of a shower.

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Fin.

cursedwithfur
2009-03-05 08:29 pm UTC (link)

Adrienne didn't say anything in response to Katrina's comment about kicking her ass. It was enough that the vampire even accepted her offer to hang out again. The only thing the werewolf could do was smile at the other girl, a gesture that communicated a lot without a single word.

Katrina left shortly thereafter, leaving Adrienne alone in the middle of the gym. The only sound in the room was that of Adrienne's breathing - slow and steady. She laid upon her back, spread eagle on the floor, and basking in the moonlight that shone through the high windows. It was nice meeting Katrina, and Adrienne hoped that they could become friends. It was something that only time could bring about, and that was something that Adrienne had plenty of.

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