Username: 
Password:    
Remember Me

Search by :  Username E-mail Region Interest AOL IM ICQ Number Yahoo! ID MSN Username Jabber

ℓιηα ιηνєяѕє (dragonspooker) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-06-20 19:41:00

Who: Lina & Gourry
What: Gourry gives a grouchy Lina some sword training
When: Recently~
Where: An open field
Rating/Warnings: Pretty low
Status: Complete!


Maybe one day she’d put up a flag out here to claim the land hers - it was where she and Edward used to train their offensive tactics, and it was wide open and at a distance to where straggling hikers couldn’t just accidentally stumble upon two people sparring with spells and alchemy. Surrounding forestry, a babbling brook that widened into a river bouncing with fish down the path; it really helped with how parts of the ground looked scorched and disturbed with some tiny pockets that had taken the brunt of power.

It was somewhere Lina could be free and naturally wild, but all that summoned destruction was put on hold for this visit.

Instead it’d be a clashing of blades, steel to steel, trying to not always dodge to the left because it’d been a constructive criticism of Gourry in their dreams. Her skills in swordsmanship were decent - came to with the territory of being related to the legendary Ceiphied Knight, a formidable swordswoman in her own right - but there was none like Gourry. None. Not even her sister, not Zelgadis, not anyone she’d ever encountered in her travels and she’d encountered a lot. Three lifetimes worth, and he still held the reigning title of the best sell sword.

Lina had always been impressed but her method of praising involved snide commentary like ‘at least you’re useful.’ He knew her enough to decipher the meaning behind it.

“Okay, break,” she huffed and puffed, signaling a time-out for the moment. It was hot, the air dry and the sun beating down on them relentlessly. Her skin was beginning to look a little toasty and pinkishly burnt on the tip of her bare shoulders. “I’m outta shape when it comes to this kind of combat, gimme a break you show off.”

“You burn really easy in this life, don’t you? Or is the sun hotter here?” Gourry laughed, smiling at her as he rested the back of the sword on his shoulder, his free hand on his hips. “Man, I’d have thought with a baby you’d be even more fit, Lina. I guess you really let yourself go, huh?” He honestly didn’t mean for any of this to come out even remotely mean, he’s just… Gourry.

Hey! In her defense it’s not like she was often on the road, on foot, at the mercy of nature and -

Wait, he said what.

Lina twitched, scowled, and let her short sword drop - it was the best fit for her, newly polished and sharpened - before she snapped her fingers. “Aqua create.” Self-explanatory spell, really, because the result was a pillar of icy water shooting from the ground like a geyser to fall on him because you’re a jerk, Gourry, that’s why.

“It’s the swordfighting I’m rusty on, you ass! Do you think there’s a high-demand for duels around here?! No. Shut your big mouth.”
Gourry yelped as he was covered in water, flailing his arms. “W--Lina!”

“Quitcherbitchin’,” sneered the sorceress, crimson eyes holding a glint of satisfaction. Considering her usual tactic was to toss fire in his general direction, this was mercy - and maybe a favor. Lina was cooling him off. See? She cared. “That’s what you get for speaking, jellyfish.”

Then she plopped her butt on the soft grass, dressing in sparring clothes consisting of red leggings and a yellow tank top, tunic-style. “I’m sucking a little hardcore when it comes to sword action in this dream rodeo I’m in, and since you’re kicking my ass into shape there I thought you’d be the best pick for here.”

Gourry smiled. “I’m glad I can help,” he squeezed his hair out. “You’re really good, for a magic lady, I mean.”

“A magic lady,” Lina deadpanned, but the amused tilt of her mouth betrayed her tone a little. “Thanks, I think. You’re really good for someone who thought a fiancee was a pickle.”

That was a way to gauge if he’d gotten that far yet. He was nearing the end of the homunculus version of Rezo terrorizing them and obliterating Sairaag, and they had come out of that alright. It’s all the stuff that would happen after that had her stomach somewhat coil.

Then again, Gourry didn’t seem phased by what happened - ever.

“I did?” Gourry looked surprised. “Well, I know it here because of how often it’s talked about and used. Maybe I never did in the dream world.”

“Yep, you did,” she confirmed, rolling her eyes. Martina was someone she dealt with only in one of her lives, thank Ceiphied - anymore than that would drive her into non-functioning alcoholism, though that cult-obsessed princess had a very miniscule piece of her heart. Sort of. Anyway, Gourry would dream about her head up his ass soon and her declaration of their engagement. “You had Sylphiel and one other salivating after you. Latter made the jump and declared you two betrothed, briefly, before she realized your brain was actually just mashed potatoes.”

Don’t worry, Gourry. At least you’re pretty.

Gourry laughed. “Wow, I am pretty popular in the dreams. Anyway, ready yet?” He offered her his hand.

“Don’t let that inflate your ego,” she huffed a laugh but took his hand anyway, the other picking up the hilt of her blade. Might as well keep going while they had momentum - in their more realistic scenarios, you couldn’t just get a break in the middle of battle because of aching feet.

Lina gave a twirl of her sword just to get her wrist back into motion. “Say, Gourry? Do you ever wanna get warned about something bad before you remember it?”

Gourry took a few steps back, grasping the hilt with both hands as he steadied himself. “Huh? Nah. I’d rather face whatever happens when it happens, if it does.” He smiled. “No use in worrying about it before it happens.”

She bit her lip. Even if it involves getting kidnapped by a demonlord disguised as a child that possesses you to fight all your friends? was the question at the tip of her tongue - but, okay. If Gourry didn’t want to be spoiled, she wouldn’t spoil.

Lina would internally worry. A lot. And hoped there wouldn’t be any consequential bleedovers.

“Fine,” she exhaled a sigh. “Fine. Lead the way, o’ master swordsman.”

Gourry smiled at her. “I’ve seen how everyone is over the dreams on the net. I get it, I do, bad things are most likely going to happen, but… You’re here, aren’t you? Right here in front of me. Nothing will change that. So everything will be okay.”

Cute response, but it didn’t quell the rising urge to smack the smile off his face. Maybe she was overthinking things - as she had a habit to do in her own mind sometimes - and maybe he’d shrug it off like he always did. Or maybe he wouldn’t, and would fair better off knowing what to expect.

But Gourry had a way of surprising her. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way.

Swiftly, the redhead pirouetted into an offensive pose and delivered the first strike. “It’s not about me, you idiot, it’s about you.”

Gourry blocked the hit easily, clanging metal echoing as he tilted his head. “Oh? Then it’ll still be fine. You still are here, no matter what happens in the dreams, Lina. I’m fine.” He pushed off the ground and pushed at her in an attempt to move her footing.

Why was he always so blase? He always put such an emphasis on her own safety but gods forbid she put any in his - mostly because he’d pat her head and tell her something equivalent to what he was saying now. Looks like certain things never really do change, do they.

Lina’s nose scrunched, grumpily, and held her form where it was, stubborn and strong and trying to push back against the giant that was Gourry Gabriev - but then switched tactics, deflecting his sword and hopping back. “What’s the worst thing you think can happen in them, huh?”

Just to get a little perspective. She was trying to make it known there was something in the horizon, eventually, but he seemed resistant about the specifics, period.

“I eat all the food and you ditch me,” Gourry stared at her seriously as he came at her again to connect swords.

Wait, what -

That’s when Lina lost her footing, stumbled, but regained balance to sloppily meet metal with metal and glared. “Seriously, Gourry?” Had she done that once? No, she hadn’t, she was pretty sure of it - he’d never let her hear the end of it. To take back her dignity, she feinted to the left and brought the weapon back down, strength fueled by the infamous irritation he had a habit of pulling from her. “You’ll be wishing that was actually what happened, you know.”

Maybe she was being testy. It was her third - third - goddamn showdown with Hellmaster himself approaching in the horizon, and she’d seen it unfold two different ways but in the end she’d never really be all that prepared to face him. Not with the lengths the demon lord was always willing to go, not with the lives he would dangle before her eyes like bait.

If she ever saw a kid that looked like him no one could stop her from punting the child. Arrest her, she didn’t care.

“You said think of the worst thing!” Gourry laughed. He brought his weight forward into the lunge, and then, abruptly, swept a foot at hers to try to trip her.

Gah! His swiped succeeded and she fell, fingers still tightly wound around the hilt, but her ass meeting the ground didn’t stop her from trying to trip him. If she was down here then she might as well try. “Definitely not the worst thing! Does your life revolve around your stomach?!”

Don’t answer that. Lina knew what the answer was already, and it was a big ol’ yess.

Gourry stepped over her feet quickly with a chuckle. He held his hand out to her. “Well… yeah?”

Sure, brush off her attempts like a mosquito, wound the ego with it why don’t you? Lina scowled, took his hand and mustered all the strength in that teeny body of hers - which was impressive many a time - and brought him down like a crumbling tower next to her.

Or, you know. Tried.

“Sometimes it’s a miracle you’ve survived this long.”

Gourry let himself go, well, he had been taken by surprise, so he really just let himself go with it. He oofed loud, coughing. “Whaat? Why do you say that?”

“Do you really want me to list all the reasons why,” was her huffy response, the grumpy sigh exhaled blowing strands of messy bangs from her eyes. In reality she knew his senses could be sharp, sometimes - depending on the situation, anyway. On the surface, Gourry kept her in his constant state of wanting to beat him over the head senseless with a pair of slippers. Maybe a chair.

His head was so thick it’d probably break it. Lina didn’t have a doubt. “Just make sure to keep me updated on everything you remember? Even if it’s something stupid like how you hated how I put you in a dress.” That way she could keep a better track of things in case something happened. She wasn’t sure if it would, but she also got swallowed up into the Sea of Chaos just living her life here so who knew.

“...Again?” Gourry stared at her in horror. “You’re going to put me in a dress again?”

“Twice,” she confirmed nonchalantly, and then grew smug with pride. “First time - well, you know that story. Second time we had to infiltrate a Kingdom of only women and it turns out, most people who lived there were crossdressers anyway.” Talk about culture, or whatever. “Then there’s a third time, but I didn’t have a hand in that development.”

Lina turned to him, grinning wickedly. “Watch it, Gabriev. There might be a fourth.”

Gourry cringed away, letting out a whine. “Noooo. Why do you like it so muuuch?!”

“Part of me likes to see you suffer.” It was a joke. Mostly. Maybe. Shrug. “Weirdly, that’s the only timeline I force you to wear girly ruffles and do your hair up in pigtails - we didn’t land on those weird situations in the other ones.” All the versions seemed to have a special kind of hijinks to them, adventure and hilarity and moments that made them question is this really happening before shit hit the fan. And shit always hit the fan for them pretty severely, in the scheme of things.

Gourry didn’t need to learn about all those unless he was stuck with the other two timelines. One at a time worked best before his brain exploded.

Lina used the sword as a cane to help her up. “Okay, break done. Let’s keep going for a couple more rounds before we call it a day? I’m gonna get hungry soon.”

Gourry nodded. “You paying?”

“Not a chance,” said the sorceress, her smile more playful than sinister, and readied her sword for downward slash. Lina knew how much it cost to feed Gourry. There was absolutely no way in hell anymore.