(ง •̀_•́)ง (ember_celica) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-04-06 01:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, morrigan, yang xiao long |
So do you do photography too?
Who: Morrigan and Yang
What: Random meetings! Pickpockets!
Where: Out and about
When: recent
Status: complete
Rating: PG-13
Yang had had plans for today. Training at the gym. A strawberry slushie as a reward. Maybe treat herself to one of those illegal cage matches, like you did. But that had gotten derailed at the convenience store when a little punk had stolen her wallet. The brat ran right out and Yang chased after him. He glanced behind him and then started to run like the devil was after him.
And Yang was chasing him like she was the devil so he had every reason to run.
Morrigan had been on an errand. First had been to a bookshop to pick up an order she’d made. She had found something that could potentially help with finding an antidote to the Dreamshade poison, and had needed a book to help with the research on it. Which was finally in. Then it was off to a plant shop. She needed to see if they had a couple plants in stock.
She was on her way to the second shop when a young man bumped shoulders with her. She stumbled, but she caught herself and managed to not drop anything.
“Hey!” She called out, casting a glare over her shoulder at him. “Watch where you’re going!” She turned around only to see what seemed to be a steam engine heading for her and she attempted to get out of the way.
The man slipped Morrigan’s wallet into his pocket as he tried to pick up speed. Yang shouted. “Stop him! He’s a goddamn thief!” Her purple eyes had taken on an almost red glint to them and there was almost a brief yellow glow about her body, especially in her big blonde hair.
A thief? Well, that was certainly interesting. Morrigan turned to see the man. No time like the present to try out her magic, right? So what was the best way to stop a running target? Why, freeze them of course. However, that probably wasn’t the best thing to do when in public. So she decided to try that lovely Horror Hex she was fond of in her dreams. It would stop the man in his tracks.
It took a few seconds, but Morrigan finally cast the hex. She heard the telltale shriek as the man was afflicted and promptly stopped in his tracks. She couldn’t help but to smirk a bit proudly at herself.
Yang stumbled to a stop, nearly running into the man. What the hell just happened? Okay so it didn’t matter. She grabbed him by the shoulder, steam practically blowing from her nostrils. “Give me back my wallet and I won’t rearrange your face!”
The man just stood there, shaking, and babbling about monsters.
Morrigan, curious to see the effects of the spell, went over to get a closer look. She arched her eyebrows, a smirk on her lips. “He may be a little out of touch with reality at present.” She looked at the young woman momentarily before something on the sidewalk caught her eye. Her wallet was lying there. She frowned, quickly bending down and picking it up.
“The little rat,” she said as she looked at the man. “Perhaps I should have done worse to him.”
“Still could.” Yang checked her wallet to make sure everything was there. Then she sighed. “But if he’s learned his lesson then I guess that’s enough.” But hey she’d helped foil a crime Ruby would be so proud. And it had been kind of fun! Maybe not fighting monsters fun, but fun. She tilted her head at the … really hot woman, wow. Her type tended to be shorter than her, and dark haired. Ahem. “What did you do to him?”
It was better than dealing with Darkspawn. Morrigan considered the young man, pondering hitting him with a jolt of lightning. But considering she didn’t have much control over her magic yet, she’d probably electrocute him to death instead of giving him a little electric shock. She then quickly took inventory of the contents of her wallets, verifying everything was still there before putting it back in her purse. At the question, she glanced around before stepping a bit closer to the other woman so she wasn’t so easily overheard by anyone else walking by.
“Magic. It’s a Horror Hex spell normally meant to frighten opponents on the battlefield, rendering them unable to attack and defend effectively. I felt it was a safer spell to try rather than the freezing spell I know. I only just started getting my magic and have yet to have full control over it.”
“That is so cool,” Yang whispered back. They didn’t have anything like that on Remnant. She cracked her knuckled and gave the man a sour look. “This is your one chance, asshat. Got it? I ever catch you picking someone’s pocket again you’ll be wearing your butt on your head for reals.”
Morrigan looked the man over. “And you shall suffer worse than that little horror trip at my hands in such a circumstance.” Morrigan had worse spells in her arsenal. Not to mention she could also concoct some terrible poison to make him sick. But she’d leave it at spells. Less chance of her getting arrested if he claims ‘a spell was cast on me’ as reason for pressing charges.
He looked at the two women, then backed away slowly, before turning and bolting at high speed, the faintest whiff of urine in his passing. Yang wrinkled her nose. “Gross. Effective. But gross.”
She turned to Morrigan and held out her hand. “Great teamwork! I’m Yang!”
“Ah. Wonderful. Well, at least he has left now.” Left and taken that scent of urine with him. Morrigan didn’t want to smell that sort of thing. It was kind of unseemly. Turning to Yang, she took the offered hand after slight hesitation (what was with all the touching people did??) and shook it. “I am Morrigan. T’was a pleasure helping you stop him.”
Touching was a normal thing and Yang liked to touch people! She folded her arms after Morrigan let go, and grinned at her. “Thanks for the help! Stuff like that can really ruin your day. It’s a total downer.” She gave Morrigan finger guns. “You’re a good egg!”
Touching was not such a normal thing where Morrigan came from. She liked her personal space, and rather disliked people invading her proverbial personal bubble. “You are quite welcome.” Though seeing the finger guns completely baffled Morrigan. She blinked a couple times. “Thank you, I believe?” Morrigan didn’t think she was that good of a person. She certainly wasn’t a ‘good egg’ as far as she was concerned.
“What were you doing,” Yang twirled her hand. “Y’know, before the whole getting robbed thing. Which you were awesome. Did I mention you were awesome? You totally scared the piss out of him.”
“I was heading to a plant shop.” At the repeated compliments, Morrigan had to smile. “Careful, lest your compliments make my ego over-inflate. Though thank you, I do enjoy using my magic where applicable.”
“Plant shop? Are you a botanist?” The pun potential was off the charges and before she could stop herself, she added, “So do you do photography too? Since you’re familiar with photo synthesis and everything.” Cue cute grin.
“No, I am an herbalist.” Which she seriously hoped would save her from the puns, but it probably wouldn’t. At the cute grin, Morrigan just looked at Yang, a bit unamusedly. “Ah, you’re a funny one, I see.” Despite the look on her face, there was a note of amusement in her tone.
"Okay so say you got some plants and someone gave you some insects to help with pollination, would those be freebees?" Yang went through life seeking adventure and fun and as long as she didn’t hurt anyone in the process she didn’t really care. Though some puns might be worth jail time. That wasn’t one though.
“Only if they are bees.” Morrigan managed the retort. Some days she was in the mood for it, and some days she wasn’t. Clearly today was one of the ones when she was in the mood for it. “T’would seem that you have a pun for every occasion.”
“Almost! Sometimes it’s not really that appropriate.” She had some standards. And she could probably have found a way to make a pun from that reply but didn’t didn’t feel like it. Still, a cheeky grin remained on her face. “So what kinda world gives you magic?”
Well, at least Yang had some standards where puns were concerned. Not everyone did. “One where dragons are real. There were also gryphons once, but they are extinct. Though that is what people thought about dragons until recently. So perhaps there are gryphons around somewhere as well.” Personally, Morrigan would love to see a gryphon some day, if that was a possibility. “Magic also seems to be extremely genetic as it runs in families. Some are born with the talent, some are not.” And with that wording, Morrigan was simply going to hope she’d avoid a Maybelline reference.
“Dragons! That’s so cool! I dream about gryphons. Kind of. There are these things called Grimm and they sometimes take the form of animals. Or always. Usually bears or wolves and crap.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Semblances are kind of like that sometimes too, but usually it’s unique and only sometimes it’s maybelline.”
“Dragons are far better when observed from a distance. I have had the unfortunate experience of being in combat with one. They are formidable, amazing creatures.” Morrigan did have a deep respect for them, after all. “Grimm? Are they shapeshifters?” Morrigan ignored the maybelline comment because she was suddenly intrigued by these Grimm creatures.
To Yang, that sounded like the Ultimate Battle of Awesomesauce, and she wanted to punch a dragon. Right in the face. She shook her head in answer to Morrigan’s question. “They’re monsters. Sometimes they look like corrupted animals but sometimes they’re kinda mythological. I kinda think there’s a fairy tale element. Like my little sis is like red riding hood. And Grim’s Fairy Tales right?”
If Yang wanted to punch a dragon in the face, far be it from Morrigan to caution her against such action. It took much more than a punch to the face to take one down. “Grimm’s Fairy Tales is what popularized the tale, though it existed before that and is linked to the werewolf trials.” But she managed to stop herself from waxing poetic about it right then. “Monsters that enjoy terrorizing people?”
Yang nodded along. “They don’t have souls, they just...eat people. They’re attracted by negative emotions. Fear, anxiety, anger. That sort of thing. I dream about a school where I’m going to be a huntress.”
“They sound similar to Darkspawn in my dream world, only Darkspawn are not attracted to anything except destroying whatever is in front of them.” Morrigan had to say that she was more than a little intrigued by the parallels between dream worlds. “I imagine you mean learning to be a huntress to kill these Grim creatures as opposed to what a hunter in this world typically means?”
“Yep! Well I mean hunters do other things but mostly we kill Grimm and make the world safe from them. And there’s this stuff called Dust that helps us with our powers and our weapons.” She held up her fists, which at first appeared as if she were just wearing a pair of braclets. Yet she cocked one and it transformed into a gauntlet on each hand, with a barrel over her fists.
“Fascinating. What powers do you possess?” And then Morrigan eyed those bracelets that turned into gauntlets. The design was an intriguing one. “Are those guns? And what are they made of?” She wondered if they were made from some sort of enchanted metal or something of the sort.
“Some kind of metal. The bullets use that Dust stuff. My powers let me kind of..We call it Aura.” Yang struggled to translate into something that would be easier to understand. “It’s like an extension of our soul? We can resist damage, heal cuts. That kinda thing. I can jump around like crazy. My special thing is I get stronger the more I get hit.”
“You become stronger the more you get hit? That sounds a bit like a Berserker or a Reaver in my dreams. Useful talent to have, especially when paired with the ability to resist damage and heal wounds.” That clearly made Yang a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Morrigan would not wish to be on her bad side in such a situation.
Yang nodded, bouncing on her heels. “I mean it still hurts. But a little pain and anger can go a long way. I’m like the Incredible Hulk. Except sexy and my punches are bullets.”
Morrigan nearly asked who the Incredible Hulk was, but decided she didn’t care nor did she want to hear some long winded explanation about something she didn’t care about. “Tis no small talent to be able to take a hit and keep going. After all, such a thing may be the difference between life and death.”
Yang wanted to say that that was an exaggeration, but for all her bravado she still kind of understood (or thought she did, only time would tell if she really did). Being a hunter wasn’t just adventure. It was work. Her teachers tried to tell her that. And okay maybe she didn’t quite believe it yet. After fighting what she’s fought how could she think it was anything but awesome?
“Yeah, guess you’re right.”
“It takes a special type of person, and the correct array of powers, to be able to do that. The things I have seen in my dreams, I am more than content to being able to stay out of the heat of battle and attack enemies from afar.” At least when she wasn’t shifting her form, of course.
“I dream my little sis has a scythe that turns into a sniper rifle. Which…” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Kinda negates the point of being at range if you’re running around swinging it, but then she’s really good at using it to propel herself around or augment her attacks.”
“That is quite the shift of a weapon there.” Morrigan’s eyes widened slightly. Though she supposed there was something to be said about such a versatile weapon, even if one form of it negated the other at times.
“It transforms,” Yang said. She was as proud of her sister as she was herself! “Maybe I should sketch it sometimes. I don’t think she’s dreamed at all though. Would be kinda nice if she did.” She’d feel less lonely. They could geek out together. It would be awesome.
“T’would seem that the two of you would have quite the time exchanging stories about your dreams.” Not to mention how they both had quite the weapons to wield when fighting. “Your sister is learning to be a hunter as well?”
“Yeah! She got skipped ahead two years, even!” Yang had been so proud of Ruby that day. She’d always known her sister would go far. “She’s actually the leader of our team. We get paired off with people, and then two pairs form a team for the whole four years we’re at Beacon. During the whole team selection mission she came up with a great plan and everything. She got paired with this prissy snob though.” Still, she liked Weiss.
“She sounds like a very intelligent young woman.” People did not just skip ahead years in school without good reason like that. “That sounds like a practical way to handle things, not allowing people to go out alone and operate in teams. Though that could also make things more difficult if personalities clash.”
“She’s smart. Really naive though.” Yang hoped that naivity lasted as long as possible. She never wanted to see her sister’s optimism falter. “Yeaaaaaaah though. Okay so we ge launched into the forest and the first person you make eye contact with is your partner. I lucked out and got the cute bookish girl?”
“Ah, she still maintains such a worldview?” Morrigan well knew how precious that was, and that it should be cherished. After all, her own had been taken away at a very young age. But that’s what happened when one had a mother like she did. “Tis an odd way to choose partners. One would think they would have some formula worked out to pair people together based on strengths, weaknesses and personality type.”
“Yep! I’m sure eventually she’ll be all cynical and crap but I’m gonna enjoy it while it lasts.” Yang shrugged. “We had to retrieve relics, and whichever pair got the matching relic was your team. I think the idea is that we get thrown into adversity really quickly and have to make it work with what we have.”
“That is a perfectly sound idea at a base level. However, adversity is not always a good idea. Sometimes the adversity cannot be overcome, no matter how high the stakes are.” There were people in the party in Morrigan’s dreams that if they were the only other people in the party, they would spend the entire time arguing about how to do something. The Blight would basically overrun them before they were able to do anything to stop it.
"I kinda trust Ozpin to know what to do." The Wizard of Oz parralels were still fresh on Yang's mind. Professor Ozpin. A green tower. Glydna Goodwitch his assistant. Just saying Ozpin's name was weird. "I know there are ways for teams to change if there's a really huge rift in a team!"
“At least there is a way to change the team in the event differences cannot be overcome.” Morrigan would have liked such a thing in her own dreams. But then, that would’ve simply left her and Maia to stop the Blight. Not exactly the best odds there.
Yang shrugged. She didn’t mind how it worked. It had worked out best for the four of them as a whole. Sure, they had their little fights but they were teenagers. That happened. Right? “Kinda weird who ends up as leader sometimes. A team of our friends got the well meaning but kinda mediocre guy in charge. But he’s got a sharp mind and is a good planner so that kinda makes up for his lack of fighting skills.”
“There is more to being a leader than one’s skill in battle. So that is not surprising.” Morrigan still questioned what qualities Alistair actually had in the leadership department, and was very grateful that Maia had taken the leadership role as opposed to him. Morrigan would not take orders from Alistair. And, well, she generally didn’t take orders from anyone.
“Skill helps a little bit.” Yang swung her arms around and then clasped her hands behind her back. She’d forgotten what she’d come out to do but that didn’t matter. “So you have a cute accent where are you from?”
Morrigan quirked an eyebrow a bit. Did someone just call her accent cute? That was not an adjective that she would associate with herself. “I am from England. Specifically the county of Kent in southeast England.” And from a little village in the countryside at that.
“Cool! I was born in the county of Orange in SoCal.” She was teasing, and hoped it didn’t come across as mocking. “But I’ve gone back to my dad’s homeland a lot. Never been to England before, always wanted to go.”
Morrigan didn’t take offense to the teasing, though she wasn’t entirely certain it was teasing. Nevertheless, she said nothing on that, and moved on. “Homeland, South Korea, I would guess?” Given the amount of time Morrigan had spent in China, and even traveling some other parts of east Asia, she had come to learn the differences in appearance.
“Yes!” Yang looked surprised, and she respected Morrigan a bit more. “My family lives in Busan. It’s like...way southeast of Seoul, on the coast. Well they’re near Busan.” Close enough.
“I spent a little time in Seoul. I spent quite some time studying in China. I traveled a bit in east Asia, though not nearly as much as I would like.” One day, Morrigan planned to return there. However, it was unclear when, precisely, that would be.
“I went to China once. My dad was doing a show there, a fight. He almost won!” But it had been a good day and after the fight the three of them had explored around a bit. It was a good memory. “Hope you get to go again. I probably won’t be visiting family for awhile. I gotta get famous first.”
“I do plan to return again, though when is still up in the air.” Morrigan said with a smile. She did love Asia. She would simply need to see how things fell into place was all. “What is it you wish to become famous in?” Because of course the answer would determine just how difficult it would be to become famous.
"Fighting! I'm going to be an MMA star. Like the UFC. Things like that." She punched her fist into her palm, a wicked grin on her face. Her hair and other things (she was quite gifted in the frontal load department we can thank her mother for that) bounced from the sheer force of the impact.
“Well, I wish you luck in that endeavor. Though you may not need it as you seem to be quite the skilled fighter.” After dreaming about the Blight and all of the fighting the ragtag group had done along the way, Morrigan could tell a warrior when she saw one. And Yang certainly had that look to her.
“Thanks. And good luck in your plant stuff.” Yang was sure it was important, she just didn’t understand how and didn’t need to. But she could respect it.