Daphne ☆ Reza Blackwell (daphnis) wrote in mythologs, @ 2012-05-21 22:14:00 |
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Entry tags: | !event #020, daphne, set |
[closed/complete]
Characters: Daphne [daphnis] & Set [voiceofthunder]
Date/Time: 18th May, noonish
Location: Gladiator training grounds
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None unless you count Set as being his own warning.
Summary: The faux-siblings meet on the yard and trade tips on how best to kill other people. You know, typical family conversation.
Something was off. Having lived with his ability his whole life, it wasn't something he thought about or even acknowledged until it was finally gone. And he was aware that something was different. Before he was always moving and reacting a beat ahead of the game, but there on the training grounds he was endlessly frustrated by a suddenly human normality that he found to a handicap. Were he his original godly self, the trials of the training ground would have been nothing more than a blink of an eye. However, as it was, he was discovering where his true limits were as a mortal for the first time since he could really comprehend the difference.
Sighing with a wooden sword in hand, he paused for a moment to catch his breath. He suddenly wished that he had taken fencing instead of golf a phys ed course was demanded by his high school's curriculum. It would've come in handy. Considering his past, a spear would have suited him much better by memory. He took a moment to look around to see what everyone else was doing.
And there was a familiar face. Was it familiar? He was caught in that weird dissonance of knowing he had never really met her before, but also understanding that she was his sister in this world. Set frowned. He never did well with siblings. But perhaps it was worth saying something? Although he was second guessing himself, he did finally start walking over to her.
"Hey you!"
Daphne was not as unapproachable as War, who would've probably have attempted decapitation even with a wooden sword, but she wasn't particularly warm towards most. Except she knew this was her brother, and that made her features soften a bit and her posture relax despite the initial tension riding around the neck and shoulder upon hearing him call out.
Hey, in her profession 'hey you' was usually followed by a violent act, whether gun, knife or something more primal. Fist to the face or knee to the gut. She smiled faintly, that was much easier than this. It also meant that you were less likely to die when you were gunning down someone but...
Well. Here they were. "Set." She blinked brown eyes at him and inclined her head, "I'd call you brother but it sounds weird."
"Please don't," he nodded to completely agree with her that it was indeed as weird. Though it seemed easy enough to approach her. Maybe it wasn't so much weird as it was his initial reaction to anything he could consider a sibling. "I usually end up hating my relatives and I'd prefer to keep it cordial for the time being." It didn't sound incredibly nice to say, but it did mean that he had no intention of causing her any problems.
Not that he was sure about what his own intention were just yet. It was just nice to talk to someone else for the time being. To get another perspective of the situation. "We haven't actually met before this, have we? It's hard to say who I know and don't know any more."
Reza's smile grew just a little bit more, seemingly rather pleased with the suggestion. "Set, Egyptian Set I take it." One-shoulder-shrug, "It does not matter to me, just in case you were wondering, if you are Set or not or the shenanigans of your pantheon." It was true, what did it have to do with her? Daphne's priority would always be her Blackwell clan, and her partner. "I am rather happy to keep things cordial, and seeing as we're not actually related, it shouldn't really be a problem." She rolled her shoulder trying to ease the tension, the workout wasn't new but this was not particularly comfortable.
"At least I am related to someone who is not going to be useless in the ring." A backhanded compliment, but one nonetheless. "What are you- back in New York- I can't imagine you play with swords for a living."
It was a relief to hear that she didn't care. Not because he was bothered when people didn't like him for it. On the contrary, he was just as bothered when people actually did like him for it. To have someone just not care in general was refreshing. He gave a slight smile, amused at her half compliment.
He wasn't going to admit to her that he was feeling off his game. After all, she may have been his sister in this... time? World? Setting? But she was still a potential opponent when it came to the ring. The fierce women of his pantheon made him all too aware that a female could certainly take a man in a battle. He needed to keep any upper hand he might have with everyone there. "I think I'm regretting my life choices, actually. I'm the principal percussionist for the New York Phil. I beat things for a living, which you'd think would come in handy, but a sword is a bit different from a mallet."
It was manageable at least, but a change of weapon would certainly do him good. "What about you?"
Well, it was true. Reza had a punch-in-the-gut type of honesty that not many people would enjoy, and most people didn't actually like being told that she didn't care. They thought it was either love or hate, but for her it was just simple indifference most of the time. It had to be, she couldn't really sympathize with the people she killed after all (nor did she wish to). His description of his job made Daphne snort before she laughed. There was a certain openness to it that was granted because he was 'family' in this life.
"Something like the 21st Century's version of Murder, Inc." Daphne smiled dimmed, she didn't look it- she was tall and thin- but yes, she most certainly could snap your neck if required. "What about a spear? Aren't your people good with spears and bows?" She didn't really know that much, it was a completely innocent question.
"That's right. A spear is more of what I had in mind." Although Set was hesitant about admitting what he had in mind, he didn't see a point in lying. It wasn't like any skills with one he had could be hidden while training. But the god was rarely depicted without some sort of spear or staff. It was his weapon against Apep, and plenty of others. It just made more sense. A bow, he imagined, would be much harder to find.
Taking his mind off of it for just that moment, he gave her a full smile this time. "Murder, Inc.? You'll do fine then, I imagine. But die and I'll tell people that you were adopted." She was not real family, but it was always nice to uphold some sort of honor through name. Even there.
"You don't have to worry about that, Set. I'm not going to die." It was more than just false confidence, especially considering that there were other big guys fighting. Yet she had two advantages, one being a woman and underestimated and two actually being a killer in daily life. "You should be worrying about me telling everyone you were adopted." She gave a sharp grin that showed no hard feelings. "I can give you a few pointers if you need a quick reminder." Daphne narrowed her eyes and looked him over.
It wasn't her checking him out, she was assessing his body type, the way he stood and held himself.
Set gave Reza a funny look, slightly bothered by her insistence that he might have needed help. Still, he was wise enough to know that memory only went so far. Especially when his body was not in a state that he was used to. Oh, the woes of being just a mortal.
"Fine," he agreed. He had never been a small man, always happy for his height in situations where he needed to intimidate someone. However, one could not rely on size alone. In the past he had taken down monsters larger than him, and he would've preferred to be able to do the same if necessary in this life. If she was indeed what she claimed to be, then she was certainly capable of helping him a bit. He would swallow his pride long enough for that.
"Luckily for you, you're rather tall." Daphne noted, just for the sake of filling the silence, "Don't let there be a repeat of the David and Goliath story though." Moving away from him she headed to the side where she picked out a wooden sword before returning to his side. "The spear is no good unless you get them hard in the first blow, isn't it?" Daphne was pretty sure of that, but she was giving him deference trying to allow him to keep a modicum of pride in this whole lesson. After all the goal was staying alive, not be condescending.
"Start with spear then sword, you have long range anyway. The fact you're not fit might not be as dreadful as it might be in the case of other people."
Set refrained from making a comment about how he was tall, not a big hairy giant who never brushed his teeth. It wasn't like he had seen an electric toothbrush since they entered the world, and he didn't want the fact that he pampered himself a bit to seem like a weakness. "If you do it the right way, one good blow should be all you need," he noted. Though Egyptian spear combat may have been a bit different from the Romans. The weapon could've been long range depending on how the spear was held, but it could have just as well been close range. He would need to practice both.
"I'm not that out of shape." Still, he nodded again in understanding. It was much like using a crook and a khopesh, but the shape of a Roman sword was all wrong. It would get the job done at least. "Who would you assume to be the biggest competition so far?" It was hard for him to tell, but perhaps she was a bit more informed.
He took his own wooden sword and positioned it carefully in his hand. "And what's the best way to hold this then?"
"Hard to say." Daphne considered, "Some of the people here were knights of Camelot, soldiers of the Trojan war, or even Gods of War." A shrug, "I imagine they have at least a basic knowledge on what to do. That is what you should assume, that everyone here knows how to fight, and the trick is finding whether or not their own current body is the weakness." Without further words she took the sword and his hand and stretched it out forward.
Yeah, he had really good range with the blade. "Assuming we get a sword like this, it can slash or pierce depending." Very carefully she arranged his fingers around the handle. "You want to make sure not to break your thumb, protect that, you kind of need it to hold things." In this case things that might have your life depend on it. "Because of your height you probably don't need to waste as much energy lifting your shield." Swinging from above was the natural way of fighting for most but when there was a height difference... "Protect your mid-section, wait till the opponent swings at you, block and then wait for that opening. Pretty simple right?" A wry smile.
"You do know what to do with your shield if you lose your sword, right?"
One of the issues with being a god turned mortal was that terrible idea of superiority that made him cringe at the idea of losing to anyone less than an equal god. Some knight or solider they wouldn't do. However, he was forcing himself to cope with the idea that he was, at the time, a mortal in every sense of the word. That had been the least of his cares up until this point. He had no edge other than the stature good genetics had given him, and memories of battles where he had only been matched by Hours.
Allowing Daphne to move his arm forward, he glanced at the others present out of the corner of his eye. Hours was there, wasn't he? That would have been an interesting match for old time's sake. Although... there was also Osiris. He had been asked to watch his back, but Set liked to think that he wouldn't do so poorly. Against him, well, Set wouldn't hesitate to kill him... again. But it didn't seem like the right time just yet. He just needed to bash in the heads of some uninvolved people, whoever they were.
Which brought his attention back to his now-sister. His mind was in a lot of places, but he was listening and appreciating the advice she was offering. "Of course," he assured, knowing much. "When it boils down to it, everything is a weapon, isn't it?"
"Only if you know how to use it. With a shield, try to bash your opponents thumb, or go for the hilt of the weapon." Her hand dropped and she moved back, "That's about it really. You could do really well with a spear you know." She considered eyeing his height and frame. A good quick throw could disable someone before they even got close, but... "So if you strike first with spear and then go for the sword in case you miss. A shield you can probably do without. It all depends. There is also the luck thing."
Sometimes... in the middle of a fight? Shit happened.
"It can't hurt to be over-prepared." Of course Set was also aware of the weight of the equipment. Carrying too much into battle was just as stupid as going in with nothing at all. He did need to narrow down these weapons. Just picking the most important two to his own skillset would do. Which would, of course, require more practice on his own to see what really suited him best. Spear did seem like the most likely weapon at this point. His senses and reaction times weren't up to what they usually were, but that didn't mean he didn't have good hand-eye coordination. Perhaps his occupation did have its skill advantages.
Nodding one last time, he flashed her another smile. "I'll do my best to make luck only a minimal factor. What will be your weapon of choice?"
"Depends on who I'm going to up against." Daphne replied, "Sword and shield mostly, axes and morningstars are too heavy for me to wield and need more practice. I wouldn't mind some pointers with a spear." There was nothing more that Reza had on the whole thing, and she was curious about what an Egyptian god could tell her on the use of spears.
When Daphne went up against someone on the arena, she probably would be using two swords and use her speed and lithe frame. She was tall but not bulky, and if she could manage to conceal a blade - small one, something beneath the leather armor- all the better.
He hadn't even thought about the axes or morning stars. Having some sort of flail was satisfying in his mind, but he knew that the probability of that particular weapon working well for him was also fairly slim. He could wield it, but he was far from familiar with them. "A spear is versatile, I think. If you use it well." He didn't have a spear in his hand, but he raised his sword the way he remembered holding a spear in the past. Though he questioned his position for a moment. It felt right, but the body was different. And he wasn't exactly fighting any snakes trying to swallow the sun.
"It does depend on where you're standing and where your enemies are. Like this you can strike down, but," he paused, repositioning his grip on the sword to give her the basic idea of the different ways it could be held. "Like this you can throw it, of course. You could also just keep it against your arm and use it as a general piercing weapon." He knew he was being a bit vague, pulling together the details in his mind still. But his demonstration was hopefully good for giving her the idea. It was easy to show than to explain it.
"You would probably do best using it as a weapon to be tossed. Or a direct lance."
Daphne made a sound of appreciation. His instruction was interesting and she would have to practice a little, but she fully intended to. Lances were not exactly covered in her type of training anyway (who the hell used lances back in modern times?) Stepping back she tried to give him enough room to demonstrate how the lance would function if he were holding one. The sword was a sufficient replacement for the moment. When he was done, the hitwoman grinned. This time the smile was wide, not just a twitch of the lips.
She had some respect for her 'made-up' brother.
"I wouldn't use a spear if I could avoid it." She shrugged, "No offence, it just wouldn't be as efficient for someone like me." But she appreciated the explanation, though frankly she didn't think Set was the type who wanted or needed a lot of thank yous and apologies and whatever those type of words did.
"None taken," he assured, not that he needed to. If she had a good weapon to work with, a spear wasn't necessary. He accepted that just because it suited him better didn't mean that it suited everyone better. It was an interesting thing to wonder though. What did a modern day hitwoman use? A gun? Poison? A mix of things? He was caught up in his film-influenced thoughts for just a moment. Seeing how she actually performed in battle probably would have been worth watching.
Set turned briefly to look back at the other training yard, not just out of the corner of his eye this time. "Well, we should get back to it then. There's a lot of work to do still."
"Don't die out there, or I really will claim you're adopted and mentally deficient." The insult didn't have a bite to it really, Daphne was simply displaying her odd family-sense of affection. Not that Set was family, but right now it felt like he was. Did it make a difference that they were not bound by blood? Yes, to her it did. Right now though? It didn't seem to matter. At least not in this minute. Besides Set had imparted some useful information, Daphne was taking that as a sign of good faith. Of course she'd given him accurate info as well. Set didn't frighten her, so oops?
He didn't really seem to be going for intimidation though.
Daphne didn't bother with a goodbye or thank you or other conventional words. She flashed him a quick, confident smirk and turned away going in her own direction (probably to fetch a spear).