TRP is a post-Great War AU RWBY RP set in Mistral City and Haven Academy with no canons, no rank claims, no maidens, and no god interference. We offer a progression system and site-wide events that change the setting based on player actions.
Post by Jackie Bariole on Aug 21, 2019 18:41:18 GMT -5
Somewhere, someone was shouting, bellowing really, their words resounding in Jackie's head like the inside of a drum, but it was all meaningless to her. Sound and fury, signifying nothing much. She watched in bleary, uncomprehending silence, mouth gaping like a landed fish, as the huge grimm rose onto its hind legs over her, forelegs out stretched, each one of them tipped in claws as long and sharp as knives. It roared, and the sound ached through her. It washed over her, filled her, pressed its way in behind her eyes, across every synapse, flooding her with heat. Some part of her quailed, retreated, pulled back with a primal fear as old as man itself. She felt herself surrendering, giving in, and movements not her own quivered through her body.
The huge paws came down and Jackie tried to close her eyes, tried to bring up her arms, but she was already trying to roll backwards and out of the way. The two conflicting impulses anchored her to the spot, her body unable to decide which it should listen to. Then she saw that the ursa's paws had stopped, colliding with something in the air that shimmered like glass, now cracked beneath the weight of the blow. In so much as one could tell what a grimm was thinking, the ursa looked quite confused. In so much as one could tell what a grimm was thinking, it soon looked quite surprised as well as an explosion took it in its exposed underbelly.
Nasrin appeared from out of the leaves and lobbed down Jackie's satchel, her weapon already in its shield form, where smoke was still wisping from its cannon. "Stay there, yeah?" Said the pink haired trainee, as she took behind the cracked remnant of her spectral barrier, "I'll be pissed if I have to chase you again." Jackie, at last comprehending the situation, struggled for control over her rebelling body. She made herself move, kicking back across the forest floor just as the ursa landed a second, devastating blow upon Nasrin's summoned shield, shattering it into shards of oily pink crystal. Rage flashed through her, hot, overwhelming, as she willed herself back to the fore of her mind. Somehow, despite the warring impulses that sought to direct her body, Jackie struggled back to her feet. Her head was clearing now. Only the anger remained. Anger, that was not her own.
A second explosion peeled through the forest and Jackie, hand plunged into her satchel, turned to see Nasrin facing down the ursa, as it charged blindly through a freshmade cloud of dust. In a single motion, she pulled Diprosopus from the satchel, scattering nutrient bars across the ground in the process, took aim, and pulled the trigger. The hammer fell, and nothing more. Empty. Jackie's eyes went wide, and the ursa crashed into Nasrin's shield.
Post by Nasrin Golbahar on Aug 21, 2019 20:02:22 GMT -5
Jackie was moving, Nasrin could hear the crunching of leaves behind her. Hopefully she was just trying to find a better firing angle and not leaving again. The Ursa slammed into her shield with as much force as it had hit her semblance before and Nasrin found herself sliding back despite Rascal's anchor being embedded in the ground from firing. The stand left furrows in the forest floor as the Grimm forced her backwards. This was bad. Nasrin was not at all equipped for Melee fighting, not if she was the one expected to do the damage anyways, and she had her doubts that Jackie would be much help during this fight. Nasrin struggled to find solid footing as the Ursa pushed her backwards, and eventually found it in the form of a root that she could wedge her feet under for now. Then she began to push back with as much force as she could possibly manage, resulting in a stalemate as they found their strengths evenly matched.
The Ursa grew tired of this quite quickly however and began to back up, causing Nasrin to nearly fall over as she continued to push. Catching herself, Nasrin started to cycle the ammo in Rascal over to the Gravity dust once again. As usual, this was signalled by the sound of whining gears and struggling machinery before a resounding click echoed from the barrel of the shield, signifying the ammo being loaded and ready to fire. The Ursa had backed itself up quite a ways and by the time the dust had been loaded it was already charging back towards Nasrin with a bone-shaking bellow as it lowered its bony skull to ram into the shield that had been foiling its plans of murder for so long. There was no way Nasrin could kill it if this kept up, so she decided to do something that was potentially very very stupid.
As the Ursa got closer Nasrin dropped prone with Rascal on top of her but still held up at a slight angle. This exposed her legs, which wasn't ideal, but it had to be done. She let the Ursa close the distance, perhaps a bit too far as the Grimm stomped down hard on her exposed legs, shattering the last bit of her aura and very nearly cracking the bones in both her shins. This was the que she needed, and she fired Rascal directly upwards into the Grimm, allowing the Gravity dust to fling it off of her and backwards ten meters into the forest. She had no idea where exactly she'd managed to hit it, nor did she know where it ended up, but Nasrin began to stand up once more regardless. She was getting tired. Having a strength contest with the Grimm and then getting her Aura broken was far from ideal, and there was little hope of her doing very well once the Ursa righted itself and came in for the kill.
So her hopes were with Jackie. "Please still be here..."
Post by Jackie Bariole on Aug 21, 2019 22:39:09 GMT -5
As the ursa drove Nasrin back, digging deep furrows into the earth about her planted shield, Jackie gaped at her pistol. Too late she remembered cleaning it and unloading it. "For safety's sake..." With hands rapidly going numb with panic, she pawed into open her borrowed coat, and pawed into the pockets of the tattered sweater beneath, searching for ammunition. There was an earth shaking roar, the Ursa was backing up, its red eyes seething with fury as black, ichorous drool slavered from its huge mouth. Jackie snapped open her freshly cleaned weapon just as Nasrin threw herself onto her back, half hidden beneath her shield. Intent on crushing her, the ursa came down with all its weight and fury atop of the helpless huntress.
Someone screamed. Jackie thought it might have been her. Then, in a blast of purple light, the ursa was flung off of Nasrin after having only barely made contact with her exposed lower body. It flew back and up, ten meters or more, vanishing through the leafy bowers overhead with a roar more pitiable than frightening. That brief contact had been enough however. As Nasrin scrambled up, Jackie could see the motes of light, the last remnant of her aura, trickling off into nothing along her exposed skin. That was bad. No aura meant no semblance, no aura, no chance of beating a rampaging ursa on her own.
Jackie snapped Diprosopus shut on two fresh cartridges, but what they really needed to do was run. Run away, and hope they could outrun the ursa which, despite that trick with the gravity dust, would soon be making another appearance. Jackie looked at Nasrin, and could see in her face that she'd just done the same calculation. It was up to her then, up to Jackie to kill a very angry ursa. She felt at her own aura, and knew she couldn't take much more than another hit from the horrible brute. "Oh, blast it..." Jackie whimpered. She looked down at her pistol, whose rounds could barely scratch an ursa's thick armor. The only hope was to hit it in the chest, as she'd done previously, and hope that Nasrin's prior shots had softened its underbelly sufficiently for Diprosopus to penetrate. That was an awful lot of hoping and what ifs for something she'd only get one shot at.
The trees shook on the otherside of Nasrin, and a deafening roar peeled through the forest. "Oh, blast it..." Jackie said again. There wasn't enough space, not enough distance. The trees were too close together; She'd have to wait until the Ursa was on top of them to get the shot she needed. There was no way she could do it. None what-so-ever. Her mind raced. The ground was too uneven, no time to load an ice round, or a gravity round for that matter. Two standards shots, that was all she had time for.
A loud crash came from the forest up ahead, and a whole tree was knocked violently aside. It was too much pressure. Too much rode on her making that one shot. Too much to risk it. She yanked back the hammer on her pistol, exposing the needle like point. "Behind me!" Jackie sputtered, at last making her decision, waving for Nasrin to get behind her. A terrible, impulsive, reckless decision, but she couldn't be trusted, not with so much riding on the line. As she lunged past Nasrin, Jackie pressed her thumb between hammer and breach, and pulled the trigger. The sudden stab of pain near made her faint. She fumbled, trying to pull the hammer back again, let out a yelp, and dropped Diprosopus at her feet, just in time for the ursa to break through the trees less than two meters from where she stood. Crying out, Jackie stuck her bloody thumb in her mouth, and squeezed her eyes shut.
The ursa did not slow. It did not even raise onto its hind legs. It simply barreled towards the girl blocking its path in a storm of broken branches and shredded leaves. It smashed into her with all the force and fury of a freight train. At the last moment, it flung itself up, that it might bring both its forepaws down on in a crushing blow. For an instant, it seemed it would overrun her, her body buckling before its charge. Then her feet dug down, her legs straightened and, in a display not unlike how Rascal had gouged the earth, the atlesian cut two identical furrows with the heels of her highly practical hiking shoes. When they finally came to a halt, it was half a step ahead of where Nasrin had been, when Jackie had leaped in front of her. The huntress grunted with effort, as well she might, for she had caught both of the ursa minor's paws in her hands and was, even then, holding them out at arms length above her head. "Shoot it." She hissed through gritted teeth, arms bulging beneath the pink coat she wore, which was suddenly far too tight upon the straining muscles of her shoulder and back. "Shoot it now!"
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Last Edit: Aug 21, 2019 22:43:56 GMT -5 by Jackie Bariole
Post by Nasrin Golbahar on Aug 21, 2019 23:10:31 GMT -5
Nasrin had been ready to face down that Ursa one more time, even if it would mean severe injury for her. This was her job, she took the hits so others didn't have to. Her weapon was focused around that, her semblance was focused around that, and she as a person had followed suit and based her own ideals around that. So when Jackie dove in front of her, weapon raised, Nasrin almost stepped forward in turn to get Jackie back behind her. She was the tougher one here, not the other trainee that could barely handle talking to people. But in those few moments of consideration all the aches in her body became quite noticeable. She was hurting, and she had no Aura left. At least Jackie could take one or two hits before her Aura broke, maybe it was best for her to take the lead for now. Maybe.
Besides, the Ursa likely could only take one more shot to the stomach. And Jackie had two in her weapon, which she seemed ready enough to fire. At least until she stuck her thumb where it didn't belong and dropped Diprosopus onto the forest floor below. Nasrin got ready to step back in front, but before she even had a chance to get a few steps in the Ursa burst from the treeline and charged into Jackie. Nasrin prepared herself to watch Jackie get bowled over, there was no way she could stand in the path of the Ursa without her weapon, bare handed she may as well not even be a huntress.
And then she caught the Ursa's paws. Bare handed.
Nasrin was shocked, stupefied by this scrawny girl /catching/ and Ursa mid swing. She was snapped out of this by Jackie shouting "Shoot it! Shoot it now!" But there was no way Rascal wouldn't hit the other trainee, she could end up killing Jackie and that was an unacceptable risk. Then she remembered Diprosopus. It was laying on the ground between the two as they wrestled. Nasrin had no idea how to shoot or aim a weapon like that, but she figured if there was a trigger she may be able to manage it. So she made a series of very reckless decisions. She dropped Rascal to the floor and ran towards the fight. If Jackie lost control right now they might both get killed, but it was worth a shot. Rushing forward, Nasrin dropped into a slide and went right under Jackie's braced legs, to where her discarded weapon lay in the leaves. In one smooth motion Nasrin took up the gun and flipped herself over, aiming straight up into the exposed stomach of the Ursa. Even though she had never fired this gun before, even though she didn't know how to manage the recoil or aim in any reasonable capacity, the Ursa was so close and the target so large that she couldn't miss.
The gun cracked twice as Nazrin fired, two shots directly into the weakened belly of the Ursa above her. And just like that it evaporated with one final, pained sounding growl, leaving Jackie to stumble forward and flop directly on top of Nasrin who for her part dropped the now empty weapon and wrapped both her arm and the stump around Jackie as a fit of giggled overtook her. "We did it! Fuck yeah!"
Post by Jackie Bariole on Aug 21, 2019 23:52:21 GMT -5
The ursa, as if to answer her, rumbled and pressed down all the harder. Her grip, through strong, was strained beneath the increasing weight. She knew she was stronger than the beast, but it had the weight on its side, and weight was nearly as important as brute strength when it came to standing ones ground. She was just starting to think how she might kill the monster, in the even that the other girl had made good her escape the moment her fool of a little sister stepped between her and a charging grimm. Then in a flash of pink and two rapid reports, it was done. In a stunning tableau, the other girl had thrown herself between the atlesian's legs and fired, single handed, into the heart of the beast.
It happened suddenly. In a heartbeat, all the weight and all the strength went out of the ursa, and all her strength and effort was met with no resistance at all. She took half a step, then dropped heavily to hands and knees over top the girl with the gun. Jackie's gun. Why was she using that? Didn't she have some other weapon. Fuzzy on the details, as she always was whenever she regained control, it came as quite a surprise when the pink haired girl hugged her. Though not an especially unpleasant one. She was warm and soft and lithe in all the right ways. Something was off about the hug though; It felt somewhat lopsided. Lifting her head up, the atlesian saw why. The pink haired girl was half an arm short. Had she already known that? She tried to remember but, like remembering a dream, the details tended to slip and slide away the more she tried to get hold of them.
It didn't matter. What was important was that she was in control again. The circumstances were irrelevant. Then again, she thought, feeling the warm body pressed up against her own, some of these circumstances were quite to her liking. "We did it! Fuck yeah!" Giggled the pink haired girl, her face crinkled prettily into a very likable smile. Was her name Natalie? Natasha? Something with an N, surely. How much had Jackie told her? Did she know? She was awfully close, and very warm. A smirk spread across the atlesian's lips. "That's right." She agreed, in a voice not unlike Jackie's, but richer, huskier, made for laughing and singing, "We did it. Let's celebrate."
She kissed the pinked girl, full on the lips, and slipped a hand, long fingered and sure, beneath her nape to cup the back of her head. Pulling back as suddenly as she'd gone in, the atlesian beamed a broad, friendly, and extremely pleased smile. The transformation was nearing it's completion by that point, and she no longer looked quite as much like Jackie as she had. Her jaw was thinner, her chin more pronounced, with higher cheekbones and larger eyes, which shimmered golden as they stared down at the woman below her. Even her hair, which had been hopelessly tangled a mere moment before, now fell in artful tresses about a face colored a slightly darker, slightly healthier tan. Her smile was broad and impressive, and dimpled her cheeks ever so slightly. Her lips tingled where she'd kissed the pink haired girl, a detail which tugged at the very back of her mind. Then she remembered, and her smile redoubled. "Nasrin." She said, "A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."
Wordlessly, and with no more effort than if she'd been lifting a child, the Atlesian raised Nasrin up and placed her back on her feet. Then, after brushing a lock of pink hair back over the other woman's ear, she took a quick look around herself. She was in a forest, but could not remember which one. How long had it been, she wondered. "I need you to catch me up." She said carelessly, one arm remaining wrapped around Nasrin, holding her warm, lithe body close, "Where am I and what am I doing here?" The atlesian turned her molten gold gaze back on the smaller woman, whom she now over topped by almost half a meter, and resumed her most charming smile, "Sorry, you must be confused. I assume my handicap didn't tell you much about me."
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Last Edit: Aug 21, 2019 23:57:09 GMT -5 by Jackie Bariole
Post by Nasrin Golbahar on Aug 22, 2019 0:21:51 GMT -5
Nasrin hadn't noticed the changes at first, she was mostly just happy to be alive. Ecstatic even. She'd never gotten to a point where her Aura had been broken before, so this was a whole new level of adrenaline. Then Jackie spoke, her voice was... It was still Jackie's voice, but it sounded like she had become drastically more confident, older. "That's right. We did it. Let's celebrate" Before Nasrin could even ask what was going on, why the other trainees voice was so different, suddenly she was being kissed, and it was a pretty intense kiss as far as kisses go, she could feel a hand wrap around the back of her head and hold her there for a just a few moments before she was tugged away once again.
Nasrin finally got a good view of Jackie now, at least her face. It was definitely still Jackie. The features were all in roughly the same spot, the hair was similar but somehow clean and straight despite being tangled moments before. She had higher cheekbones, a thinner jaw and larger eyes. It was as if she'd suddenly become a near ideal vision of an attractive woman. "Nasrin. A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." And once again, before Nasrin had much chance to respond or even think about what was going on she was tugged up onto her feet like she was a doll. Jackie had become drastically stronger, and taller too. She was nearly half a meter taller than Nasrin now, the difference hadn't been nearly so pronounced before. And she was smiling. A huge, confident smile that had replaced the sobbing girl that Nasrin had chased into the woods. The Jackie-not-Jackie fixed Nasrin's hair, moving the disturbed locks off to their proper side and then tugged her back into a one armed embrace. Nasrin had the feeling that even had she wanted to escape this grip, if Jackie-not-Jackie decided to keep her here, here was where she would stay.
"I need you to catch me up. Where am I and what am I doing here?" Jackie-not-Jackie paused then for a moment, as if realizing for the first time that Nasrin was likely very confused as to what was going on. Then that smile came back, that wonderful new smile. "Sorry, you must be confused. I assume my handicap didn't tell you much about me."
That did little to ease Nasrin's confusion. She stood silent for a while, just trying to come to terms with what exactly had happened. Maybe this was the semblance? She had said it was a physical boost, and this certainly seemed to be a physically superior version of Jackie in almost every way. Then a few things tumbled through her mind all at once. Jackie, the real one, hadn't wanted to kiss her. She had said she wasn't into people that way at all, usually. Which meant that this version of her, the semblance version, was the one that did all the things Jackie regretted. And if Nasrin let the Jackie-Not-Jackie have her way, she would likely become another thing that the real Jackie regretted once she returned.
But Nasrin had no idea how long that would be. Or if the real Jackie could even see what was going on. Was she still in there? Watching everything happen?
"I ah.. Shit. Jackie? This must be your semblance, yeah? The one that makes you reckless?" Nasrin didn't know what to do with her hand. Wrapping it around the other girl felt appropriate. She wanted to, and that probably showed in her face while she thought about it. But she didn't want to do something Jackie would hate her for afterwards. "Gonna assume your semblance makes you forget shit, I guess. We're doin' a test at Haven Academy. We're s'posed to get five secrets from other people and hand them in afterwards. Might be somethin' else but I didn't finish readin the book, was hoping you'd keep us on track honestly. We're in the forest near the academy... I had just chased you out here, we had an argument and you ran off. Ah... And now we're here! And you kissed me. Which was nice! But I don't think you wanted to do that? So I'm confused. Very fucking confused. What do you mean your handicap?"
She looked around as the other girl spoke, doing her best to focus on basically anything but the girl she found herself very much infatuated with despite knowing such a thing was, for all intents and purposes, quite wrong to feel over someone who was not in control of themselves at the moment.
Post by Jackie Bariole on Aug 22, 2019 0:55:00 GMT -5
"I ah.. Shit. Jackie? This must be your semblance, yeah? The one that makes you reckless?" The atlesian grimaced. Somehow, she even managed to make that expression handsome and charming, less regretful and more politely disdainful. Though, as Nasrin's explanation of the situation continued, it grew decidedly less pleasant, less handsome, and less charming. When Nasrin was done, the atlesian was looking and feeling quite angry in fact. Angry enough, that she regretted there wasn't another ursa to wrestle with and blow off a bit of steam. Then again, there was more than one way to blow off steam. Her eyes slid back down to Nasrin and her smile returned. "To answer your question, Jackie, as you know her, is my handicap. The drawback of my semblance." Perhaps it was the confidence, of which she had no shortage, but the atlesian was fairly certain Nasrin would be willing, if only she could weed out any poisonous ideas Jackie had planted in her head. It sounded like there was no shortage of those either. "Whenever I overdo it, I turn into her. Usually its only temporary, but you make it sound like I've been her for a while." She shrugged. A shrug which, incidentally, pulled the two of them closer together. "I have little doubt that she ran away from you, and didn't want to kiss you. She's like that. Completely pathetic, without talent or backbone." Her fingers trailed lightly over the thin stubble above Nasrin's left ear. "How could you doubt it? Who wouldn't want to kiss you?" Then, laughing, she turned her broad smile back to her surroundings. "You're right about one thing though, we don't remember much of what happens when the other ones in control. Most of it's fuzzy, dream like. Like a restless sleep." She looked back at Nasrin once again, tucked her hand behind the smaller woman's neck, and touched her along the jaw with her thumb. "Lucky for you, I know what to do when an ursa is charging me, whether I remember why it's doing it or not."
Then she laughed, and her hands fell away from Nasrin. Strutting past, she admired the forest and trees for a moment, then took closer stock of herself. "What am I wearing?" She was most puzzled by the pink coat that, in her larger form, was basically skintight across her back and shoulders. Noticing the color and the roses on its design, she glanced back at Nasrin and smile. "Yours, I take it?" she said, tugging at the pink fabric. It was a good thing she'd noticed, otherwise she might have torn the thing to shreds trying to get it off. Instead, the atlesian carefully, though admittedly with some difficulty, extracted her arms and slid the garment off. She paused for a moment, surprised to find both the sleeves of the sweater beneath were missing. She was even more surprised when, upon looking down the front of said sweater, she found it was all that she was wearing, save of course for a painfully plain white bra. "You'd think my mother dresses her." She sighed. The skirt gave her the most pause, especially as there was nothing beneath them save a pair of panties she was quite frankly ashamed to be seen in. "Of course, I doubt she packed any of my clothes. Only these old woman's rags." She shone Nasrin a grin, "It's a pity I can get into any of your clothes the way she could." She winked, then spun about, swinging her arms up behind her head and stretching her back. "I seem to remember something about a camp. Which way was that?"
Post by Nasrin Golbahar on Aug 22, 2019 1:14:49 GMT -5
The explanation Nasrin gave seemed to upset the not-Jackie some, or at least it seemed that way for a moment until that golden gaze turned back down towards her and the smile returned. "To answer your question, Jackie, as you know her, is my handicap. The drawback of my semblance." Nasrin had a hard time believing that that was true. This woman was far too strong to be the natural state of a novice huntress, she was sure of it. Almost sure, anyways. The confidence with which the other trainee spoke made it seem so much more likely that she was telling the truth. Everywhere Jackie had stumbled this version of her seemed to excel. Thrive even. "Whenever I overdo it, I turn into her. Usually it's only temporary, but you make it sound like I've been her for a while." Nasrin was pulled closer then, and her worry of what exactly this person intended to do with her increased. "I have little doubt she ran away from you, and didn't want to kiss you. She's like that. Completely pathetic, without talent or backbone." Not-Jackie's hands began to roam over Nasrin's face, to the stubble on the side of her head where the fingers began to trail. "How could you doubt it? Who wouldn't want to kiss you?"
Jackie wouldn't. She didn't. She didn't even want to be friends a few minutes ago.
Not-Jackie backed away from the embrace finally, looking around the forest as if she really was seeing their location for the first time. That part of her story seemed to be true, if nothing else. Then she began to take off the coat and hand it back to Nasrin, reducing her back down to the extremely revealing ripped clothes that the other Jackie had been so embarrassed about. Nasrin was unsure what to do. Or if she could even do anything that wouldn't be upsetting to one or both of the people she seemed to be speaking with. "It's a pity I can't get into any of your clothes the way she could... I seem to remember something about a camp, which way was that?"
Nasrin, despite all her talk, was not an expert at relationships, and was certainly not used to being flirted with so overtly on a regular basis. Her face flushed red almost as much as Jackie's had earlier, and she did her best to hide it by going to collect Rascal and the two bags that were laying on the ground still. She gathered up Jackie's gun as well, setting that into the bag and offering it over to Not-Jackie.
"Other you isn't totally spineless. Otherwise she'd have ran instead of jumping in front of me." It was a genuine comment on Jackie's bravery, though even Nasrin struggled to come up with much beyond that which showed Jackie as a brave person. She looked up at Not-Jackie, a smile returning. She may as well get the most of this, they could still talk and be friends without doing anything Jackie would regret, right? "Camp is a ways that way, I think! You ran off before I could get my paints so for all I know we might be totally fucking lost for the rest of the test. If we go that way it oughta be kinda close though, we'll know if we're lost pretty damn quick." Pressing the button on Rascal, Nasrin let it compress back down to skateboard form and then set it down against the trunk of a tree briefly to stretch out the kinks and soreness from being beaten up by an Ursa. "Can lead the way if you like, I'll be right behind. Just go straight."
Nasrin picked up Rascal again and got ready to walk, moving to stand just beside not-Jackie. "How do I know any of what you're saying is true? Or if you actually mean any of it? Could all be bullshit, yeah?"
Post by Jackie Bariole on Aug 22, 2019 1:55:27 GMT -5
"Other you isn't totally spineless." Nasrin argued, quite surprising the atlesian, "Otherwise she'd have ran instead of jumping in front of me." She chuckled a little; That tickled her something fierce. Taking the bag which the pink haired girl offered her, one she recognized as Jackie's, she paid her companion back with her most indulgent smile, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but the only reason she did that was because she knew I'd take care of the problem for her." She shrugged, shouldering the bag, and sighed, "That's how it always is. She rides around in my body, until she digs herself a hole too deep to get out of." That said, she'd certainly come back to much worse situations than a charging ursa and a damsel in distress. She might even owe Jackie a bit of gratitude; There were few finer ways to introduce one's self. "Camp is a ways that way, I think!" Nasrin proffered, indicating the path up ahead, "You ran off before I could get my paints so for all I know we might be totally fucking lost for the rest of the test. If we go that way it oughta be kinda close though, we'll know if we're lost pretty damn quick." She paid the direction only the barest glance, finding much more pleasure in admiring the way Nasrin's clothes fit her slender body. She really did have a rather delightful figure. Perhaps a bit on the skinny side, but still very easy on the eyes. The atlesian liked athletic girls, and Nasrin was definitely that. "Well, if we do get lost, at least I can think of worse people to be lost with." Let Nasrin read into that comment however she wished.
She got a further eyeful as the slender girl worked out some stiffness from the recent fight. Was it just her imagination, or was Nasrin favoring her legs? Had they gotten hurt during the fight? Pursing her lips, she slid her gaze smoothly aside as the smaller woman returned to her side. Perhaps she'd not been as smooth as she'd thought though, because Nasrin wasn't about to take point. "Can lead the way if you like, I'll be right behind. Just go straight." Grinning, the Atlesian did as she was asked, only slightly disappointed by the various vistas walking in front would keep her from admiring.
"How do I know any of what you're saying is true?" Nasrin asked, as they started to walk, "Or if you actually mean any of it? Could all be bullshit, yeah?" That made her chuckle. "How can know if anything anyone ever says is bullshit?" She retorted easily, "That's the point of lying. What do you expect me to say? This plus that, ergo I'm the real me? Every semblance is different, and every one comes with its own benefits and costs. That's the only thing even close to consistent about them." Glancing back, she shone the pinked haired girl a broad smile, "So what you really should be asking is which would you prefer, the real me, or that shriveled wallflower, afraid of her own shadow? I know which one I'd prefer." Whether Nasrin believed her or not, she honestly couldn't have cared less, but it was a pleasure to talk to someone again, so she didn't mind the line of questioning.
After a little walking, as they were making their way up a particularly steep and overgrown incline, she asked offhandedly "How's the leg? Not bothering you, I hope." She paid Nasrin a cursory glance, enough to gauge her reaction to the question, and perhaps express some polite concern, but not enough to suggest she was getting another eyeful of her companion. "I can take it a bit easier, if you'd prefer."
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Last Edit: Aug 22, 2019 1:56:02 GMT -5 by Jackie Bariole
Post by Nasrin Golbahar on Aug 22, 2019 7:38:03 GMT -5
It was hard for Nasrin not to notice how much not-Jackie was staring at her. Basically every opportunity she gave, the other girl would take to run her eyes up and down Nasrin's form, like she was appraising or judging her. It was somewhat relieving when the taller woman agreed to take point, it meant she'd have a bit of time without the gaze on her back. "How can you know if anything anyone ever says is bullshit? That's the point of lying. What do you expect me to say? This plus that, ergo I'm the real me? Every semblance is different, and every one comes with its own benefits and costs. That's the only thing even close to consistent about them." The other Trainee turned to give a brief but wide smile. "So what you really should be asking is which would you prefer, the real me, or that shriveled wallflower, afraid of her own shadow? I know which one I'd prefer."
That was a very dangerous question for Nasrin to ponder. Partially because she already knew what her answer would be, if she was honest with herself. This version of Jackie seemed to be almost tailor made to appeal to Nasrin. She was tall, she was strong, and she seemed to be the rebellious type if the tattoos were any indication. But if Nasrin started to allow herself to like this version more, to think of Jackie as the downside of a semblance, then she could very easily do things she would regret. That both of them would regret. So she did her best to block that line of thinking from her head. It'd be best for both of them if she pretended none of that was a concern, and just treated not-Jackie as a friend.
Not-Jackie turned a back a few times as they walked, each time seeming to focus on Nasrin's legs. She must have noticed the slight limp Nasrin was walking with because she brought it up the next time she turned around. "How's the leg? Not bothering you, I hope. I can take it a bit easier, if you'd prefer." Accepting that was tempting, Nasrin could feel the fatigue start to creep into her from all the activity and her aura being shattered. But they needed to get back to camp. The sooner they did that, the sooner Nasrin could focus on building the wall and talking more casually instead of looking at a near-perfect example of her type of woman. For now though, as they walked Nasrin was returning many of the glances not-Jackie had given her back when they were standing still. She did her bet to avoid being noticed in that, it'd only make things more complicated after all, but she was far from as subtle as she hoped she would be.
"Nah, I'm fine. Just got stomped on by the Ursa before you, or Jackie I s'pose, intervened. Had to risk it to launch the thing away and buy us time. I'm pretty shit at doing much other than blocking shots at a range that close. Rascal isn't designed for fighting up close and personal, yeah?" She turned her gaze from the other huntress to look around them at the forest. More specifically, she was looking for any landmarks that she recognized. It was next to impossible to tell one tree apart from any of the others, not without her tags on the trunk, and so it was just as impossible to tell if they were going the right way. Nasrin decided to chance it for now, they may as well keep walking for a while, just in case.
"So I'm guessin' you're the one responsible for the tattoos, yeah? Told Jackie this plenty of times, but I think they're fuckin' gorgeous. They all look fantastic, makes me wish I had some work like that on me, but shits expensive."
Post by Jackie Bariole on Aug 22, 2019 10:50:08 GMT -5
"Nah, I'm fine." Nasrin answered, though there was strain in her voice. She was getting tired; The Atlesian wondered what that felt like, "Just got stomped on by the Ursa before you, or Jackie I s'pose, intervened. Had to risk it to launch the thing away and buy us time. I'm pretty shit at doing much other than blocking shots at a range that close. Rascal isn't designed for fighting up close and personal, yeah?" "Rascal, is it?" The atlesian repeated with a laugh. She glanced back again, this time to look right at Nasrin's weapon, before continuing to climb. "Rascal! What a charming name." It had her quite tickled, in fact. She'd heard a lot of cute names that huntresses gave their weapons, but that had to be the cutest. Her laughter was short lived however, and her face soon fell into a grimm expression of exaggerated concern. She looked back at Nasrin again, so she could see that expression, then sighed quietly and shook her head, the very picture of regret. "It's a pity she didn't admit defeat a bit sooner," She said, leaving no doubt as to whom she was referring to, "I might have saved you a bit of pain and discomfort. I really am sorry about that..." That seed planted, she continued the climb, and waited for Nasrin to break the silence again.
"So I'm guessin' you're the one responsible for the tattoos, yeah?" Asked the pink haired girl, not too long after, bringing a smile back to the tall brunette's face, "Told Jackie this plenty of times, but I think they're fuckin' gorgeous. They all look fantastic, makes me wish I had some work like that on me, but shits expensive." "I'm glad you like them," She said back, with a charming ease and a flash of white teeth. "How much have you seen? I can't imagine she showed you most of them." Without another word, the Atlesian tugged the ruined sweater up and over her head, to expose a back of deeply toned muscle and the intricate design upon it. With the sweater in one hand, she used the other to sweep her hair out of the way and over one shoulder, to provide an absolutely unobstructed view of the piece.
"Weren't as expensive as you might have thought though, not for me. I have friends in Atlas, and it just so happens that one of them owns a parlor on Academy Row. Damned fine artist, as I am sure you can tell; He did most of my ink." Her skin was almost black in places for the sheer density of imagery packed into it. On Jackie, the design had seemed crowded and hectic, like too much detail packed into far too little space. Now it was spread out, with the harder lines of the ink following the natural curve of the atlesian's body. The artist had been very aware of the topography of her back, and had worked even her muscles into the design, giving the display a textured appearance which could not have been matched by Jackie's body. Somehow, the lines didn't look as hard on her either. Perhaps it was just how they followed her softer curves, but the tattoos were somehow bolder and less out of place. Something a closer look also revealed was how some details of the design extended all the way the shoulder blade, down past her waist, to vanish beneath her skirt.
"There you are, have a nice close look if it pleases you," She knew damn well that it would please Nasrin, and not simply the artwork. Her muscles tensed and rippled as she walked. She didn't have enough to account for her monstrous strength, but what she did have was on full display without an ounce of fat to spoil it. Glancing back over her shoulder, she grinned brightly at her companion, "If you're good, maybe I'll show you the rest of them back at the camp. There's a few I know Jackie won't have let you see." Then she started laughing, light and easy, and returned her eyes to the path ahead.
Walking around topless was not the sort of thing that bothered her, not even had there been anyone other than Nasrin to see. She would have just as easily taken the bra off too, but that would have been far too forward and she knew it. Her companion wasn't yet convinced that she was the real deal, and not just some figment of Jackie's fractured psyche. Doubtless, she had some reservations, concerned about doing something that the other girl might regret. That was fine; She'd been in similar situations before. All that was required was showing off how much better she was in every conceivable way, and soon the pink haired girl wouldn't care about regrets. She would cease to think regrets were even an option.
They came to a bit of an incline not long after that, whose rocky tumble extended up out of the forest. There was something vaguely familiar about it, despite her being sure she'd never seen the spot in her life. "Must be headed the right way," She said absently, then, "Too bad, I was enjoying the exercise." Looking around, her eyes alighted on Nasrin once again as she shook her hair back into place, "Oh well. I will just have to make up some other excuse to get lost in the woods with you." Her eyes dropped to the other girl's leg once more, then flicked to the slope they would have to climb to reach the camp. The long walk hadn't bothered her any but, deprived of her aura and walking on an injured leg, she was willing to bet it was exhausting Nasrin. "Shall I carry you the rest of the way?" She asked, making it sound as though she were joking.
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Last Edit: Aug 22, 2019 10:51:01 GMT -5 by Jackie Bariole
Post by Nasrin Golbahar on Aug 22, 2019 16:59:28 GMT -5
That difference in that tattoos between Jackie and not-Jackie was night and day. On Jackie they looked all scrunched up, you couldn't make out much detail and it seemed like there had been far too much ink crammed into one spot. But on not-Jackie it was like looking at someone wearing a well made suit. It formed perfectly to her body, everything looked like it was spaces appropriately and ran in conjunction with the lines of muscle and bone to create something even more pleasing to the eye than they had been before. Any attempt to hide her glances at the much larger huntress was forgotten as she full out stared at the designs on the other woman's back, she was enthralled and didn't really care enough to hide it. There were still more tattoos that Nasrin hadn't seen yet, but those seemed to be hidden beneath the skirt and asking to see those would be... Inappropriate. Not-Jackie spoke up as if listening to exactly what Nasrin was thinking. "There you are, have a nice close look if it pleases you. If you're good, maybe I'll show you the rest of them back at the camp. There's a few I know Jackie won't have let you see." And then she started to laugh and Nasrin found herself blushing again, not just at the idea of being shown the rest of the tattoos, but at the fact that she was unsure whether not-Jackie had been joking or not with that offer. Though she leaned towards this being the truth.
Not-Jackie continued walking topless for some time, making Nasrin's solemn duty of ignoring the other girls attractiveness much, much more difficult. Eventually they came upon the spot where Jackie and Nasrin had fought the first Ursa, it seemed that one had long since given its last breath and dissolved into black dust, but the carnage of its path through this area and the battle that followed remained. They had found the hill, which meant Nasrin had her markers just at the top that they could follow back to camp. Very lucky, she thought.
"Must be headed the right way. Too bad, I was enjoying the exercise." Not-Jackie turned around and focused those golden orbs down on Nasrin again, the height difference made even more dramatic by the differing elevation. "Oh well. I will just have to make up some other excuse to get lost in the woods with you." Then she looked down at Nasrin's legs. They were still sore and had become increasingly difficult to walk on easily and it seemed not-Jackie noticed that. "Shall I carry you the rest of the way?" It seemed like a joke, but really that wasn't much different from most of what this new woman said. She always seemed to be speaking with some form of double meaning or secondary goal. But always with confidence, confidence that Nasrin very much liked.
"I wouldn't complain if you're offering! Ursa did a number on me, and I don't have shit for aura left to heal it. Besides, I'd bet you're strong enough to lift me with one arm, Rascal too. You're fucking huge." Something began to flicker in the back of her mind as she spoke about the wound, a comment from not-Jackie bounced around in her head the more she thought about it 'It's a pity she didn't admit defeat sooner' she had said 'I might have saved you a bit of pain and discomfort. I really am sorry about that.'. It was difficult to tell what that had meant. She knew not-Jackie was referring to the real Jackie, but it also seemed like she was trying to make Nasrin prefer this version over the original. Or at least what she thought was the original. And if she was honest with herself, she did, and not by a small margin at all. This version of Jackie was basically Nasrin's fantasy come to life. But she was still confident that the original Jackie was the real deal, and that this was just something else taking control. It would be wrong to do anything with her.
"Up top here I left some tags on the trees, pink roses, yeah? Follow those and we'll get to camp soon enough." Her eyes ran from not-Jackie's legs to her head. "I'm gonna need to make the shelter bigger aren't I? I don't think you're gonna fit in there, not with both of us trying to squeeze in."
Post by Jackie Bariole on Aug 22, 2019 17:42:35 GMT -5
"I wouldn't complain if you're offering! Ursa did a number on me, and I don't have shit for aura left to heal it. Besides, I'd bet you're strong enough to lift me with one arm, Rascal too. You're fucking huge." That had been just the answer she was hoping for, and a challenge she quite liked the sound of. Crouching down before Nasrin, she slipped a single arm behind the smaller woman's legs and scooped her up, easy as that. She didn't lift just with her arm, but the effect was much the same, the pink haired mostly seated on her forearm and needing to lean close for balance and support. If she'd been inclined to use two arms, or even her hands, then Nasrin likely wouldn't have had to do even that much, but what was the point of picking someone up if you didn't make sure they had to hold on. "I'll take that as a compliment." She said, throwing her torn sweater over one shoulder and plucking Rascal from Nasrin's hand, "Hang on. I would hate to drop you."
Nasrin's subsequent comment on the shelter set her to laughing again. She laughed quite easily, and always had. "I don't mind a bit of a tight fit," She said, shining a twinkling grin at the smaller woman in her arm, "If worse comes to worst, you can always use me like a pillow." She let her think about that for a few minutes, and followed the pink roses back to camp.
Her arm was just starting to get tired when she reached the circle of stony earth which marked the perimeter of their erstwhile campsite, but she didn't let Nasrin down just yet. Instead, after surveying the space to fill in the gaps left in her foggy memory, the atlesian carried her companion over to the shelter she'd mentioned. Nasrin hadn't been wrong. The ceiling of the shelter, already low for Jackie, required her better half to stoop to fit under it. There would be no standing up while she was inside of it, but that was fine. It was the lying down she was most interested in. Looking at the cleared floor, she saw a familiar sleeping bag already unrolled. It was upon that where she finally deposited Nasrin. "It is a bit cramped," She admitted with a grin, crouched beside the sleeping bag, and the slender girl seated atop it. Her golden eyes glittered even in the shade, reflecting even the tiniest bit of light. She placed Rascal to one side, then shrugged off Jackie's satchel and her sweater, and tossed both down into the dirt. She shifted on her haunches, and pretended not to notice as the tore skirt slipped off off, to reveal the powerful legs beneath. One was as heavily inked as her back, which Nasrin had already seen, but the other was as of yet unmarked, and instead a consistently coppery hue. "A bit spartan too." She said finally, once she was sure Nasrin had been given sufficient opportunity to stare, "Is it just us, or should I be expecting some more company? I doubt you could fit many more people in here." She shone Nasrin a grin once again, "We really will be sleeping atop one another, if that's the case."
She seemed to pause, staring at the pink haired girl. Her eyes were especially pretty, quite with respect to the rest of her face, and they were extremely easy to stare into. Then, with a start, she laughed and put her palm to her forehead, in good natured exasperation. "Oh my, but I haven't even introduced myself yet, have I?" she chuckled to herself, shoulders back and chest thrust forth, shaking her head all the while. Lowering her hand, bringing it quite close to Nasrin, the tall brunette beamed her most charming and friendly smile. "My name's Adelheid, though my friends call me Heidi," She waited till Nasrin had taken her hand before adding, "I should like you to call me Heidi." And she leaned down and gave the hand a soft kiss, fit to please even the stiffest mantelian diplomat.
Then, as quick as that, she let go of Nasrin's hand and plucked up the satchel from the floor. If she knew Jackie, and there were few people she knew better, she would have packed... "Here it is." Heidi plucked out a neatly packed canister of ice dust. "Should help with the swelling." She explained, offering Nasrin the canister with one hand, and lightly touching her leg with the other. "Once it's gone down a bit, I can knead out any knots."
Post by Nasrin Golbahar on Aug 22, 2019 18:35:08 GMT -5
Nasrin was forced to wrap her one arm quite tightly around the taller woman as they walked back to camp, and that seemed to be by design on her part Nasrin was being held in such a way that if she didn't cling tightly she would probably fall off. Nasrin spent much of the trip looking backwards over not-Jackie's shoulder, watching the trees and her graffiti tags moving past. A few minutes of walking later and the two had arrived back at camp. Thankfully it seemed no one had come through to destroy the walls Nasrin had built, so their shelter still stood and was noticeable enough for not-Jackie to take Nasrin straight there and set her down on a sleeping bag. "It is a bit cramped," Not-Jackie squatted down then, and the skirt she had been wearing ripped straight off as she flexed. There was no way she hadn't noticed, and yet she pretended not to. It was becoming more and more clear that not-Jackie was doing her damndest to get Nasrin as hot and bothered as she possibly could. Every opportunity she had had thus far to show off or flirt she had taken, and it was becoming concerning. Nasrin would cave eventually, she hadn't had this much attention in a long time - not since she lost her arm, really - and it was almost intoxicating.
"A bit spartan too. Is it just us or should I be expecting some more company? I doubt many more people could fit in here. We really will be sleeping atop one another if that's the case." Nasrin responded to this almost right away, shaking her head and gesturing outside the shelter towards the tree line. "Just us. We haven't even seen another person yet, and if any were close they woulda heard the shots in our two Ursa fights, so I think we're in the clear." Nasrin turned back to the other woman just in time to catch her staring. It seemed Nasrin wasn't the only one struggling with attraction here. That would need to be addressed as she had with the real Jackie, and soon. The stare broke off once it was clear Nasrin had noticed, and not-Jackie spoke up once more, finally introducing herself as Adelheid. Or Heidi, to her friends. When Nasrin was offered the hand she took it expecting for them to shake, but was instead surprised with a kiss to the back of her hand like some kind of fairy tale where the prince introduces himself to the princess with a hand kiss. Nasrin didn't think that was a thing people actually did, and her confusion overpowered most of her desire to speak up or do much of anything, really.
Heidi pulled a canister of ice dust from her bag and offered it over to Nasrin. "Should help with the swelling," Nasrin took it just as Heidi placed a hand on her leg. It was a weirdly intimate gesture in Nasrins mind, considering the flirting that preceded it and the enclosed space they found themselves in. Nasrin quickly moved to place the canister on her leg, mostly just to scare off the potentially probing hand that rested there. "Once it's gone down a bit, I can knead out any knots." That was... Enticing, as much of Heidi seemed to be. But things had to be discussed first.
"Right, look. We need to figure this-" She let the canister rest on her leg and used the freed hand to gesture between the two of them. "-out. I'm pretty damn sure you know I think you're good looking. Seems like you feel the same about me, unless I'm misreading real bad. You've been teasing me since you showed up, and don't even try to pretend you didn't notice the skirt ripping." Crossing her legs, Nasrin settled in to look more directly at the other woman, and motioned for her to sit down as well. She spoke quickly, like she needed this all to be cleared up or she'd do something she regretted. "Two things to cover, yeah? And they're gonna ruin whatever mood we had goin', but shits important. Firstly, I heard about what I'm guessin' was one of your conquests. The bartender. Five minutes it took you, Jackie said. If you're wanting to do anything with me, more kissing, hugs, whatever the fuck you want, I'm not gonna be something you can just tap and leave out to dry. I don't know if you're the type of person to get close to people, but I aint about one night stands."
She let out a long sigh, that had been the harder bit to say and it was nice to have it off her chest. The second bit was difficult as well, but mostly in the concerns it encompassed. She continued, speaking at a normal pace now and holding her eye contact with Heidi for as long as she'd allow. "Second. You were influencing Jackie when she was in control. That was the kiss that almost happened. The one she didn't want. If we do /anything/ I need a promise from you, some kinda guarantee, that she is okay with it. Last thing I wanna do is have my first friendship since gettin' to this fucking school dissolve because you and I got together."
With all that said, Nasrin relaxed some and leaned back against the wall. She needed answers. There were answers she wanted, sure. She wanted Heidi to be willing to give them a shot. And she wanted Jackie to be okay with it. Was that stupid? Maybe. They'd met like an hour earlier, but Nasrin had never been the best at patience and all that garbage.
Her hand went back to the canister on her leg and held it there as she turned her full focus on Heidi, watching her every move and waiting for the response.
Post by Jackie Bariole on Aug 22, 2019 19:26:40 GMT -5
Rather than jumping at the offer, as Heidi hoped she would, or looking embarrassed, as Heidi expected her to, Nasrin put on a determined expression. One which did not bode well. "Right, look." She said, and Heidi knew at once that she was going to need more convincing to get over whatever poison Jackie had dripped in her ears, "We need to figure this out." Plainly by 'this', she meant her and Heidi. Heidi thought the situation was rather straight forward if she was being honest. They both wanted each other, that much was clear, and the fact that Nasrin had yet to leap at the opportunity, or even begin reciprocating in their flirting, was becoming something of a bother. Nasrin, as if knowing what Heidi had been thinking, all but admitted to it, "I'm pretty damn sure you know I think you're good looking. Seems like you feel the same about me, unless I'm misreading real bad. You've been teasing me since you showed up, and don't even try to pretend you didn't notice the skirt ripping." Heidi did try to pretend, glancing down at herself with a paroxysm of 'how-did-that-happen' written across her face. Her good humor was short lived however; Nasrin remained undeterred. She merely stared up at Heidi, legs crossed, with that pouty, determined look on her face. Sighing, shrugging, Heidi sank back onto the dirt strewn floor, to carelessly recline against the opposite wall.
"Two things to cover, yeah? And they're gonna ruin whatever mood we had goin', but shits important." Whatever mood they'd had was already ruined, but Heidi wasn't about to point it out. She amused herself by watching the lines of muscle beneath Nasrin's cheeks, noting how they moved when the other girl spoke and when her expressions changed. "Firstly, I heard about what I'm guessin' was one of your conquests." Heidi said nothing, she knew better than to confess to a crime before hearing the charges, and instead merely arched an eyebrow inquiringly. "The bartender." Nasrin specified, though that really didn't narrow it down as much as she'd thought it would. Heidi's face remained neutral, expectant, waiting for more. "Five minutes it took you, Jackie said. If you're wanting to do anything with me, more kissing, hugs, whatever the fuck you want, I'm not gonna be something you can just tap and leave out to dry. I don't know if you're the type of person to get close to people, but I aint about one night stands." Heidi gave every indication of hearing and considering her words, though she'd heard similar spiels enough time that she probably could have finished it for Nasrin a bit over halfway through. Everyone wanted to be special, in Heidi's experience, and she was determined to treat Nasrin as such.
"Second. You were influencing Jackie when she was in control. That was the kiss that almost happened. The one she didn't want. If we do anything I need a promise from you, some kinda guarantee, that she is okay with it. Last thing I wanna do is have my first friendship since gettin' to this fucking school dissolve because you and I got together." Heidi's jaw grew tight. Of the two things Nasrin was concerned about, this second point would prove the most onerous. It always came back to Jackie and what she wanted, didn't it?
Heidi was quiet for several moments, to give some indication that she was digesting and properly considering Nasrin's words. Several moments which she spent moving her jaw, pursing her lips, and generally looking pensive. She never looked away from the pink haired girl though, never broke eye contact. She had nothing to hide, after all. "So, first," Heidi leaned forward and raised one leg, leaning casually against her knee, "If you can't see how you're different than some random bartender, I don't know what to tell you. But, since it seems like you want honesty, I'm going to be honest, and I'm going to be blunt. What you and I are, following any kissing, hugs, or whatever the fuck I want, depends more on you than me." She grinned, "What? Do you expect I'll get what I want and never speak to you again? That's really more Jackie's style, and she must have told you some awful things about me for you to believe otherwise." Shrugging, Heidi adjusted her position again, crossing her legs so as to match Nasrin's pose. "I mean, if that's what you wanted, we could do that, but I haven't got so many friends at Haven that I couldn't use more. You'd be surprised how hard it can be to maintain a relationship when your body's prone to being hijacked by a coward who can't even look most people in the eye." Her grin spread a bit wider and her eyes glittered as she tipped her face up towards the sunlight, streaming in through the cracks in the wall. "And you," She asked, "A one night stand? Don't make me laugh? You're far too cute, far too interesting, to toss out like some used tissue." Heidi's voice lowered, "No, if anything happens between us, I'd sooner it weren't a one time deal."
"As for that other thing," She sighed, "It seems to me that it would greatly simplify your relationship with her if she knew you liked us both, wouldn't you agree? She might not be excited by the thought of us together, but that's only because she finds everything to do with physical affection..." Heidi paused, searching for the right word, "Distasteful. She'd find the thought of you with anyone, not just me, to be an unpleasant one." Heidi spread her hands apart, as though exposing an unpleasant, but also quite undeniable fact. "And so long as she's not the one required to kiss and hug and do whatever the fuck she wants to you, I don't see how she could have much cause for complaint. Continue to treat her with the tolerance and patience you've already shown for her, and I doubt she'd care much what you get up to with me." Whether or not it was true, Heidi offered no hint that it wasn't. "You know I'm not her," She pointed out, "You know she's not me. That cat's out of the bag now, and so long as you never get us confused, so long as you never think she's the sort to flirt for cheap drinks, I can guarantee she'll be fine."
Heidi pursed her lips and then, after a moment, added, "I'll even keep my feelings to myself, when you're speaking to her. I shouldn't have to, it's my body after all, but that should make your dealings with her a little less troublesome."