Firebringer
.
Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
|
Post by Firebringer on Feb 13, 2021 11:25:08 GMT -8
Firebringer is standing in the midst of a stupidly abandoned warehouse. It was sketch as hell, but it was also perfect for throwing punches and hanging out. It reminded her of Baltimore a bit. So many boarded up buildings with all that space to set up ridiculous plans and train. Secretly. When you really wanted to throw punches and be noticed, you just hung out at the Summer hang out, set up from an abandoned gym that was repurposed for their needs. She brought and set up a small table that she put a water cooler on top of, a bottle of juice, and some brownies. Because who doesn't like brownies? That and, while she should drink water, it feels weird going down. Other liquids are better. She doesn't feel like she's going to drown. Now all she has to do is wait for Kai Rose. While she waits, she is warming up her body, stretching and going through a series of progressive martial exercises (burpees, planks, push ups etc.) She's probably majorly gonna kick my ass. I probably deserve it though. Life has been going nuts and I need someone to knock some sense into me. Huh... maybe I should fight Rowan soon too. You know, I should probably make sure she can't just pop up on me.The Torrent allows glamour to flow through her body as she channels the wrath and vigilance of Summer.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 13, 2021 20:38:07 GMT -8
Kai wasn't long, making her way into the abandoned warehouse with a glance around the room and a grin at the sort of place it was. She'd wondered what kind of spot Firebringer liked to train in. This worked fine, and was the kind of place she could toss some blunts around in without damaging any walls that mattered. The lithe Wizened was carrying a case that was about three feet long and a foot and a half wide. She wore simple clothes, a grey athletic t-shirt with sweatpants and runners.
"Oh, you brought drinks! Thanks. Good thinking."
She put the case down and opened it up. Within was a compound hunting bow, a small quiver and a number of wooden arrows with blunt tips. She grabbed a bottle of water and cracked it, taking a tip even as her mind reached out and scanned Firebringer's sanity.
"How you doing? I really appreciate the invite. We haven't really had much of a chance to talk, despite all the insane stuff going on lately."
|
|
Firebringer
.
Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
|
Post by Firebringer on Feb 13, 2021 21:28:31 GMT -8
"Gotta stay hydrated... ish." Firebringer says with a bit of a laugh. She's sure as she grows stronger, water will be something that comes back to bite her somehow. Which really sucks because it would be nice to do a normal thing like drinking regular water without feeling awkward about it.
She stands up and does a quick stretch up and rolls her shoulders a little bit before walking closer to the table, she gets herself a bit of juice instead of the water.
"I've been fine." Ish. Imbolc was an oof. "Works been an interesting set up lately with all the festivities, but nothing weird. I've been looking forward to spending some time getting to know you and potentially get some tips. How have you been?"
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 13, 2021 21:42:47 GMT -8
Kai's stretches are interesting. There is a lot of focus on fingers and wrists, then elbows, then shoulders. She works down from there.
"I mean, aside from my friend getting jacked by a bunch of ghosts at Yule, can't complain. Solomon's not asking all that much of me yet, but things here really never get dull, do they?" She flashes a smile at the suggestion that Firebringer wants to get to know her better. "What do you do for work, anyway? Also... do you want me to call you Firebringer, or do you have a name you go by among regular folk?"
|
|
Firebringer
.
Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
|
Post by Firebringer on Feb 13, 2021 22:05:19 GMT -8
"Yeah, gees. What happened with Golden was horrible and Rowan... I was terrified for him. It was all just a hot mess." Not as much of a hot mess as Imbolc though. She pushes back her long, frizzy hair into a loose bun, not that she really needed the hair tie to hold it in place. She could practically make her hair look like a troll doll's if she wanted.
"I'm a bartender at The Back Door, a really cool Drag Club downtown." She smiles as she speaks. Honestly, the place was slowly becoming a second home for her, "You can call me that, or Fire, or Dani. Whatever floats your boat at any given time."
She rests a hand on her hip, taking a moment to watch the way Kai stretches, curious as to how each stretch worked for the kind of moves she was going for. She knew she was incredible with a bow though.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 13, 2021 23:47:58 GMT -8
She breathed out a long, low yeaaaaaaah and shivered a bit at the thought of how fucking cold it had been, how creepy the little footprints had been. "You know, it... there is so much I can do, so much strength Summer has offered me by showing me that anger is a fuel for action. How we can use it to make things good and safe. I'm sure you've seen it, felt it yourself. They teach us that we can seize control of our destiny and fight, right?" It was such an empowering message. "That day, I felt... powerless. A soldier firing down a hallway at an enemy I can't touch or see as my friend was taken. Nothing I could do."
She paused, staring off into space as she thought about it. Maybe she was seeing it again.
"It shows us that our enemy is crafty and clever and that we've got to be just as smart. Rowan could really play a big part in that, once he's more... settled in."
|
|
Firebringer
.
Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
|
Post by Firebringer on Feb 14, 2021 12:21:52 GMT -8
Fire nods as she listens, a sympathetic look on her face because she really did get it. She felt powerless too, just watching Rowan disappear like that. She felt like she just let it happen. If something had happened to him... It gave her a bit of a painful stir. She'd already lost too many friends, she doesn't know that she can deal with much more of it.
"I know exactly what you mean. That's why I feel like I just can't train enough."
"You're right though, about Rowan. He needs to get his footing and we're trying. He really is trying. Each of us has to take life a step at a time and sometimes those steps are baby steps, but they're steps all the same. The right support gets us there."
She lets out a slow sigh, "I'm worried I'm gonna end up steering him angrier than he needs to be at times, but if I'm not authentic with him, then I'm not being a good friend either."
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 14, 2021 19:29:35 GMT -8
Kai hefted her bow, inspecting it with experienced eyes as she explained Rowan's situation. At the point where she said that the Darkling was trying, she said, "I know. And you're right. You can't be fake with him, both for your sake and his. Most people benefit from having folks who back them up -- and also show them how not to cross lines." She picked up an arrow and began some test draws, nimble fingers working swiftly. The arrowhead was clearly blunt, a training tool. "What happened at Yule was... like he felt he was somehow Aello's peer? I'm not sure why. They're really not. She's streetsmart, but she's a teenager." She shrugged, moving to the training space as she slid her quiver up her shoulder.
"Okay, so I'm not going to mess around with hands. If I'm going to be an actually useful training partner to you, I'm going to show you how to deal with people like me -- because I don't see a weapon on you, I'm going to guess you're fight up close."
She gestured at the bow.
"Do you have much training in how to deal with active shooters in general as a hand to hand combatant?"
|
|
Firebringer
.
Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
|
Post by Firebringer on Feb 14, 2021 20:07:12 GMT -8
Because he is a teenager. It makes perfect sense. But I'm not going to tell the whole Freehold his story. That's his story to tell.
The Elemental nods, "Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've met a Lost who felt more a peer to a teenager than to an adult. I had a friend back in Baltimore who was taken when he was 12, aged 50 years and came back and didn't know how to adult. Then there are the temporally displaced friends. Taken in the 70s, find themselves in the 10s when they come back. Displacement in general. At least he isn't my friend, Cass. The girl was feral her first year out. But that's beside the point." She shrugs and gets into a steady position, watching Kai.
"Yeah, I'm a fist to fist kinda person." She says, her gaze following to Kai's bow, "Generally, I've worked with dodging when it comes to the ranged fighters. Dodge and redirect really when I can, but I'm not great at it yet."
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 14, 2021 20:28:57 GMT -8
"You figure that's what's going on there? That actually explains pretty much everything," she mused before moving on. If that was so, all it would take is an adjustment to what she expected from Rowan.
"Okay. You've got the gist, but we can refine that some, give you some strategies for it." Solomon's vassal gestured at the space between them. "The only way you beat me in a fight is if you keep me from using my distance advantage. Fae Cunning helps, but there are ways to cheat and make that power useless, so understanding the theory is helpful. You have to close the gap. How you do that is up to you - be it stealth, distraction, speed, or some other means of temporarily incapacitating me so that you can close the distance. You've got to come up with something clever on the fly, because your smart shooter is going to be doing what they can to maintain their distance.."
Fighting hard wouldn't do most of the time. Fighting smart was the only good option.
"Once you've done that, you've got to get on the shooter, stay on the shooter, and keep their weapon's business end off of you as best as you can. Changelings are hard to keep a hold of with a grapple, but regular people can be stopped by grappling really well." Kai tapped the hand holding the bow with her off-hand. "Most Lost are bound by the same rules as regular folks when it comes to injury, though. That's your ticket. You need to deal with the shooter's bow. This arm stays relatively stable compared to the other, which is meant to move and flow with arrows. This arm, this hand, is your target. Stop the hand -- then, you'll have control."
She paused to let that sink in. Wrack the arm, and anyone using a two-handed weapon was in real trouble.
"There are some drills we can do, depending on what superpowers you've got. Or, if you'd rather, we can just do some trial runs."
|
|
Firebringer
.
Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
|
Post by Firebringer on Feb 15, 2021 13:06:16 GMT -8
Firebringer nods as she listens. Perhaps she did rely on Fae Cunning more often than not for ranged encounters. She doesn't really have any thoughts of her own as she is taking in Kai's advice and information.
Okay. Yeah. Simply said, but incredibly difficult to do.
Normally, I would use fae cunning to dodge and redirect. A lot. Some elemental shielding. Can summon fire anywhere I can see, but sometimes you don't want fire to be able to spread. And glamour. Would be good for lighting someone's bow on fire though. Stun someone when I create my gauntlets. I know at some point, I'd like to get my punches to result in some range, but I'm not there yet.
"Why don't we do a trial run and go from there." Now that she's talked about stopping the hand, I do wonder if I could actually make that work. The Elemental seems focused. There is a reason she went with this warehouse though. Fire doesn't hold on concrete. Just in case.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 15, 2021 14:37:12 GMT -8
"Let's do it. I'm using blunts, so let's not put each other in the hospital, okay?" Magic was fine by her, but unconsciousness was as far as it needed to go. "Stop the hand, if you can. Once you've done that, we'll reset."
Kai pushed Glamour through her body to slip herself around in the timestream*. "Let me know how far away you want me to start. I'd suggest no less than twenty-five yards so you have to deal with the distance and plan for it, but it's your call."
|
|
Firebringer
.
Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
|
Post by Firebringer on Feb 15, 2021 17:06:28 GMT -8
The Ifrit nods as Kai speaks, considering before nodding, "Let's start with 30 then and see what happens." She readies herself to go, getting into a fighting position.
First, try to get there before trying something weird.
She can feel the glamour coursing through her veins, a hint of smoke rising up from her body as her mantle quietly crackles. Time to get my ass handed to me.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 15, 2021 19:03:20 GMT -8
Kai's arrow is nocked and she is sighting at the Elemental, but she takes a moment to see Firebringer's strategy at play.
|
|
Firebringer
.
Elemental Ifrit, Presence 3 (Intimidating)
Posts: 634
|
Post by Firebringer on Feb 15, 2021 21:04:16 GMT -8
Okay. Let's try this first. Get weapon - frighten, maybe stun for a few seconds and gain some ground. Don't get all frazzled... There were still some nerves going through her. Would she have these kinds of nerves in a full out fight? No... No, focus.
She watches Kai nock her bow, ready to move, ready to fire. Firebringer summons flames to her hands forming fiery gauntlets. When she does so, it merges with the rest of her mien, flames rising and agitated, ready to jump across and burn the closest living thing.
|
|