The Ninth Trial

[advisories]

Who: everyone
When: Day 18, starting just after dawn
Where: The Hermit's Tent, and all around

[This morning as the sun begins to pour through the train's windows, there's the tremor that signals a Trial.]

Come hither, Heroes. Prove thy worth. Or something like that!

[It's the same older man's voice from the sixth trial, and outside is the same fortune teller's stall. Today the front flap is lifted to show a normal interior -- there's a wooden table, carved with geometric patterns and painted in bright colours, lit by teal-coloured carved candles.

At the table sits a man of indeterminate age, somewhere between 30 and 60. He's wearing what appear to be monk's robes, teal with patterned trimming. In front of him is a crystal ball and a stack of bingo cards, along with a stand-up sign bearing the rules of this Trial.

Across the top in large font, it says:

Icebreaker Bingo

Good luck and have fun!]

Comments

[bad_crowmance]

[ On the one hand, 80H is a superstrong not-quite-human babe who will almost definitely beat him, and that's not much of a competition. On the other hand-- ]

Let's do it! Count of three.

[ --he's still a competitive asshole regardless. ]

[voreaciously]

One...two...

[She takes her position.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ He shifts into position as well as she's counting. ]

Three!

[ And he takes off! He's athletic and he's got long legs and pretty good endurance, but he's also got human limitations on his body. ]

[voreaciously]

[the way she runs as fast she does in those heels probably should be breaking some laws of physics BUT IT'S HAPPENING and she is off like a shot.

She does not look behind her, she only stares forward.


...

there's probably a moment where we can see up her skirt though as a consolation before she's just gone]

[bad_crowmance]

[ It's a pretty great consolation and he treasures that brief, glorious moment before he eats her dust entirely.

...Well, he knew that was coming! He still runs the rest of the way there, and he isn't even really out of breath by the time he gets there. He's just.... human. ]

[voreaciously]

[She arrives and the first thing she does is bend down to strip out of her boots and then the stockings so she can wade into the water. When Crow arrives she looks over her shoulder.]

Ah, that is some good endurance.

[bad_crowmance]

Endurance I've got. Looks like I'm nowhere near your speed, though.

[ He'll be keeping his boots on, but he watches her wading in the water. ]

[voreaciously]

One day, perhaps.

[it's not even her fastest fufu but she's not really thinking about that.

she really wants to swim, to sink, to let the waves carry her where they might. She stretches her arms above her head.

She's been awake for a while, but being here, in this element is where she feels her most aware.]

This place is different than when we first arrived.

[bad_crowmance]

It's been like this since I got here. What was it like before?

[voreaciously]

It is dangerous to go too far out to sea, but, before, everything was always dark and the malice was everywhere, even touching the shore.

[she wiggles her toes pointedly.]

If you grew too close to it, it would attempt to pull you under, drown you, haunt you.

[She turns around to face him, her voice light ]

Needless to say, I prefer this by leaps and bounds.

[bad_crowmance]

Sounds ominous! Can't say I blame you for liking this better.

[voreaciously]

It was not ideal.

[understatement.

she's getting sidetracked and she knows it, but it is not polite to keep him waiting. With reluctance, she wades out of the water, sand crunching beneath her feet, before she makes her way over, several inches shorter.]

I apologise for keeping you.

[bad_crowmance]

Damn, heels really are like magic.

[ It's not that he hasn't seen her without them before, obviously, it's just really noticeable right now. ]

Don't worry about it. Anyway!

[ He pulls out his guns from the nothingness at his hips again and holds one of them out to her. ]

It's time to learn to shoot.

[voreaciously]

[hers have to be with how they support her weight while she runs like the wind]

Sometimes I forget how tall you are.

[not that she is tiny by any means, actually but she has to look up a bit now, but she takes his weapon to get a feel for it.

she also accepts his gun too

But she is already trying to set her feet to compensate for the change in her centre of mass, her lips set thoughtfully. this is nothing like using a bow.]

[bad_crowmance]

Alright, first of all let's cover some brief gun safety since you're holding that thing-- common-sense shit, but you know. Better safe than sorry! First of all, don't point it at anyone you're not willing to shoot. You could seriously hurt someone by accident. Second of all, keep your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard unless you intend to shoot. Third, always be aware of what's in your line of fire. Got it?

[voreaciously]

Understood, sir.

[Probably does not even realise she called him that, honestly.

There is some overlap with other weapons, so that is easily digested.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ ....That's kind of hot. He files that mentally away for later. ]

Alright! You're a beginner with this, so you're gonna want to use a two-handed grip. Like this, see?

[ He demonstrates with the gun he has in his own hand. ]

[voreaciously]

[She looks at him, taking in everything before she mirrors him.]

Understood.

[bad_crowmance]

Not bad.

[ Actually. He pauses, and then-- ]

I should ask, are you left-handed or right-handed?

[voreaciously]

Completely ambidextrous.

[She was born with it, and though people tend to favour certain hands even with ambidexterity, she always trains herself out of that if she finds herself leaning too hard one way or the other.

But it is even easier now, any ties she has left from Before only habit.]

[bad_crowmance]

Hey, me too!

[ He slightly favour his left hand, but nevertheless he's definitely got full use of both of his. ....Though he doesn't remember if he was born with it or not. ]

Okay, I don't have to worry about correcting your grip then.

[voreaciously]

That is interesting.

[She'd ask him more about it, but she's used to not asking him certain things, because, you know.

The obvious.]

Very well.

[She considers something.]

Shall I construct targets?

[bad_crowmance]

[ He'd love to be able to answer those questions. Unfortunately! He can't!

He hates it, thanks. ]

Yeah, can you do that with your magic?

[ He's guessing "yes" but you know. ]

[voreaciously]

Yes. I will do that now.

[She offers him back his gun. She only needs one hand to work, but he wants her to hold it with two hands for now. His gun, his rules, she will not argue.

Presuming he takes it, she turns to face the sea and reaches out for it, waving her hands to one side in a short gesture and much deeper to the other as though she means to build up momentum. The nearest waves mirror her movement, rolling with them. They rise high and rush in smooth cylinders. Almost absentmindedly she uses one hand to make a shooing motion and any fish caught are nudged back along to the sea properly.

Though. You know. She is kind of hung--

Focus.

This is not taking long by any means, but she could do this much faster, but she enjoys this, the push and pull of the waves. She feels them roll and churn in her soul, it's always deeply relaxing but exciting at the same time.

Her vague gestures grow shorter, more precise and the block of water takes shape in kind. Standing targets emerge from the block, but everything looks the same, they've all come from the same source, of course. But she turns her fingers this way and that and...colours appear, completely transparent. Red, yellow, blue on the targets.

And then she claps and there is a rush of cold air spreading outward as everything solidifies in a flash freeze.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ He'd applaud the show of magic but, you know, he's got guns in each hand (he did take the one she handed him back) so maybe not. ]

That's pretty impressive! Those'll be perfect.