liveandforgive | prismatica inbox

[ Contrary to popular belief, however... That silence? Not a good thing. Because when the dust settles and the open doorway is clear, the first thing that Panty would see should her sights be set down the hall, was the sight of mysterious blue flames. Standing about 5'7" tall, but not setting anything else ablaze.

Followed by the sound of boot steps filling the space in the wartorn apartment.

And lastly, a pair of deep cerulean eyes standing out amidst the darkness and waving aura, slowly stalking back down the hall with a familiar 'slab of crap' in hand.

Guess who changed their mind about not using their sword? ]

[ Ahhh, but that's the kicker, isn't it? Staying in close range has proven to be very difficult indeed once Panty decides she needs some breathing room.

Which - to give credit where credit is due - can be partially blamed on her hilariously skewed idea of playing fair (she doesn't) and the fact Cloud is very generously going easy on her (he shouldn't). Were they on equal footing from the get-go chances are very good that she would be having a far harder time tossing him into shooting range.

Panty eyes the busted door and the shadowed interior of Cloud's room with a great deal of grim satisfaction while wobbling a little on the spot; he's not the only one to feel motion sick from spinning around like a ~~Beyblade~~ ~~Sanic~~ top on steroids. But what matters is she's made her point and he's clearly not going to get back up from that.

................

The silence does get a distant twinge of concern though, if only for the briefest of moments before it's stuffed deep down where she doesn't have to deal with it. He's fine. Totally. 100! Fine! A couple bumps and bruises and some time to think on NOT STEALING HER SHIT would do him some good. Why should Panty give a flying fuck? He brought it on himself.

The first footstep echoes from his room as she's half turned to walk back to her end of the apartment (presumably to lick her own wounds and complain about the scratches he's left behind on her horns), getting her to pause and glance back, fully expecting to see a badly battered Cloud looking worse for the wear. Imagine her surprise when that isn't the case, but instead... ]

What in the-- [ Are those... flames? DUDE she gets that you're pissed, but don't burn down the building! She kind of lives here!
Panty being Panty however, the imminent threat only gets a chuckle out of her as she lifts Backlace to draw a bead squarely between those ominously glowing mako eyes. She's not taking him seriously. At all. ] Now we're talking! I can keep going forever buddy, ask around!

[ Whoops, innuendo. To quote Stocking: "It's true, she's a giant slut".

More to the point, she's got absolutely no reason to hesitate as she pulls Backlace's trigger a second (and third, and fourth) time. If Cloud's tough enough to handle getting a beating like before, he can handle a few more nasty bruises. ]

[ Whatever Panty is saying to him, a lot of it is in one ear and out the other. While Cloud hasn't lost his complete sense of self, what he was about to follow through with next wasn't exactly nice. Lethal for anyone else? Absolutely. Definitely. But if his scuffles with the angel have taught him anything, it's that frankly? It seems like she can take what he can dish out. And he's about had it up to here (wherever here is) with her attitude. Even during Sanguis. This whole conflict was coming to a head, neither one of them had plans of moving out, and it seems like this was the only way to get through to her that didn't involve jumping into bed with her.

So instead, he'll send her to bed another way. ...by going to sleep. For the night. Or two. ... Point is he's prepared to knock her the fuck out. ]

...

[ TING! CLANG! ]

[ That would be? The sound of those bullets, twice, thrice, fourthice...fice...you get the picture. Even within the narrowness of the hallway, he's not just lifting the flat of his blade up like some shield. He's actively swinging each bullet away, deflecting them without a second's hesitation. Reflexes beyond human. Focus beyond compare. This was the power of SOLDIER, illusory or not. And now that fiery blue aura surrounding him is being centred, focused into the Fusion Sword as a mysterious wind begins to pick up in the apartment. A whistling howl, gusts that shake the walls with every swing of his sword as he closes what little distance is left between himself and Panty. ]

That's it.

[ After deflecting the last bullet, he suddenly flashes in front of her with a burst of speed. Blink and you'll miss it. Blink again and...well. Even if you didn't blink, it'd be damn near impossible to catch what Cloud was about to do. All the energy he's been building releases at a single point, and that's with the blunt side of the Fusion Sword smashing into the side of the angel. That alone was brutal enough, but the eruption of wind as a miniature tornado envelopes the blonde as he follows through the swing with a spin...was the icing on the cake.

Panty wasn't just about to be sent flying. She was about to be sent crashing as Finishing Touch lands its mark. ]

Edited 2019-12-19 03:57 (UTC)

[ Panty's relaxed attitude as the first barrage of bullets clears Backlace's muzzle doesn't last for long. Instead of getting those satisfying little bursts of light as they hit their mark (along with the angry yells of her unfortunate target), there's... sparks?

And he's not stopping.
Did she miss?! That almost never happens!

But no, as she continues to fire, and Cloud continues to advance, the discordant clash of metal on metal finally clues her in to what the hell she's seeing. By all accounts none of this should be happening. He's just some beefed up human, isn't he?
And yet. ]

ARE YOU - [ CLINK ] - FUCKING - [ CLANG ] - KIDDING ME?!

[ Oh this is bad. This is very, very bad indeed. While she could theoretically throw fists if she really needs to, Panty's always preferred to keep her opponents at range and dance in and out of melee only when she absolutely needs to. Considering his reach with that stupid goddamn sword...

As she's running last ditch ideas through her head, in the blink of an eye Cloud's suddenly not "way over there" anymore, but "yes hello have you heard of our lord and saviour the Limit Break?" levels of close.
Spoilers: Panty is not ready for the amount of style he's about to bring to bear.

The angel has enough time to inhale sharply in surprise, her eyes widening just a fraction in dawning recognition before she's unceremoniously sent tumbling backwards to slam full force against the wall with an audible 'CRACK' and a shower of crumbling plaster as the material fractures under the impact.
Once the dust clears, she's crumpled in a heap on the floor. More worryingly, the halo and wings flicker once, twice, steadying briefly... and finally go dark. Seems like he succeeded in knocking her out cold. ]

Haa...haa...

[ Deep breath. And. ]

Phew... [ The tension leaves his shoulders as the rush he felt from the crimson moon's guidance wanes. It was like all that pent up fury and desire to fight and dominate was put into that one singular swing. And when the dust settles, he expects her to either be sent through the wall, or left to pout after biting off more than she could chew. Cloud still hadn't any intention to deal a lethal blow. But needless to say, there was a tinge of satisfaction in knowing that he got the one-up on her. Finally. He-! ]

...?

[ ... .... ..... ]

Panty? [ As he closes what little distance there was, standing over her, there's something about the way the lights in her halo and wings flicker dark that has him suddenly raising alarm bells in his head. If the blow from before didn't do it, the sight of a motionless body by his hands would sure as hell do it. And almost immediately, he's filled with regret. Dread. Worry. It all just hits him like a tonne of bricks as he grits his teeth and drops his sword. ] Damn it.

[ He went a little too ham back there. And his hands are visibly shaking at the realization. This is what could happen when two Sanguis fought. His brand of aggression was usually less...severe. Yet here they were, in a destroyed apartment, pending noise complaints, and an unconscious woman on the floor by the force of his blade. This was what he'd come to fear when he first arrived here. He thought he had it all figured out. He thought he had his instincts tempered and fighting spirit focused damn it. But now he was a violent mess. No...he had to help her. There was no begrudging the fact. She was hurt. She was hurt because of him. What the hell did he do?! ]

--

[ Less than ten seconds later, he's already back at her side, kneeling as the blond is far more gentle this time when he starts to pull her into his lap. ]

Panty. [ He leans in, his Sanguis senses honing in as one of his wolf ears twitch atop his head. ...it's faint. Oh-so-faint. But she's still breathing. As he looks down to her in his arms, he can't help but sigh and shake his head. Within seconds, a flashing yellowish-green aura rises up Cloud's body, in one hand holding the shining Restore Materia as he focuses on healing her. He's not taking any chances with this one. And it'd take a hit on his Chroma, but...well. It's like she eluded to before. All of this was his fault.

Curaga. ]

Edited 2019-12-19 05:27 (UTC)

[ Ow ow ow ow. God DAMN that smarts!

For a time, Panty's genuinely too woozy to get up, and that's likely where the lightbulb moment happens. Seeing as that honest to God felt like catching a C4-propelled iron plank to the chest, scrambling to her feet right away would likely just end with her getting the same treatment again and a whole new plethora of injuries to boot. Therefore staying put is her best option. Right? Common sense.

Which means... it's time to whip out the tried and true "stall for time" strategy.

Playing. Possum.

Shouldn't be too hard considering it's 80% genuine and only 20% acting, but hey, she'll take it. Even her bruises are gonna have bruises this is so unfair...

"Panty?"

Shit, he's closer than she thought. Staying down was definitely a good call.
It takes a conscious effort to remain carefully still with her head resting at an awkward angle like this considering the ram horns propping her up, but she manages. What Cloud should be suspicious of is how the halo and wings have disappeared, yet Backlace is still mysteriously in pistol form instead of reverting to underwear. A minute detail in hindsight but an important one nonetheless.

Just a little closer...

And then she's being pulled upwards, and she has to focus on keeping her breathing shallow while simultaneously not losing her grip on Backlace, but golly isn't it strange how that arm is the one that coincidentally comes to rest on the floor behind him?

She can't see what he's doing, but she has a general idea of how he's positioned. Enough that while Panty keeps playing up the injured victim card, she starts carefully putting the long game plan into action. Slowly, carefully, fraction by fraction, she rotates her wrist and lifts Backlace until the muzzle is very nearly brushing the knit fabric of his vest. A sucker punch to end all sucker punches.

Her thumb starts to draw back the hammer of the pistol as she opens her eyes just the tiniest sliver, and--

Wait.
Wait a second. What's with the light show? And better question, why is her headache suddenly gone?

Is he...
Is he healing her?

????????
Healing her just defeats the purpose of this whole damn fight, what the hell is he doing?! More to the point, he could have healed himself at any time after getting tossed around and only now decides to whip it out?

CLICK.
Oh.
That sure is a damning "I'm about to shoot your ass" noise, all right. Panty's eyes snap open and guiltily dart off to the side where she's got Backlace primed and ready to fire, then back up at Cloud being a ~~good person~~ total wierdo. Curaga aura and all. ]

...

[ Shit. Well, she can't just go and shoot him now. She's not that much of an asshole. ]

Edited (some sentence rewording shhh) 2019-12-19 06:42 (UTC)

[ Sure, he could have noticed the way that Backlace was still active. But maybe it had to do with the fact that she was still alive and conscious! It wasn't the first time she's beaned him between the eyes, especially when she wasn't even in her more angelic state. Granted he wasn't even thinking about any of that in the short time it took for him to get to work on restoring her health. Casting such a big spell after their little tussle (normally they'd gain some Chroma from that...but there was nothing enjoyable about that squabble,) put a damper on his Chroma supply.

But seeing her open her eyes, he sighs with relief. While he wasn't about to pull some sort of 180 on her with some "i'm so glad you're okay oh thank god that kicked you outta heaven"...the look in his eyes still speaks volumes. He's sorry he took things as far as he did. Sanguis be damned. ]

Oh good...you're finally coming arou--

[ ... he feels that. Oh he feels that as the spell casts it's soothing effect over her body. It would come in one swift, yet pleasing wave of warmth and a relaxing yet cooling feeling over her injuries. That should take care of most of the injuries if not all of them but- ]

Were you about you shoot me!?

........no?

[ She's such an awful liar.
If it makes him feel better, Panty does have a distinctly sheepish (~~HA HA~~) look in her eye even as she promptly lowers the hand holding Backlace back against the floor, as if he didn't just catch her literally in the act. To make it SUPER clear she actually doesn't plan to start the whole damn fight again, the gleaming alloy shifts back to harmless fabric.

After all that...

Well. Panty doesn't feel better, per se, but that insistent itch of unfulfilled aggression is conspicuously gone. As is the lion's share of pain, now that she's not busy faking being unconscious.

Huh.
Maybe she should thank him for patching her up? ]

That really fucking hurt! What the hell, dude?!

[ Or not. ]

[ Aaand there's the response. He wants to say that he's sorry for what he just did. But knowing that she's been healed up and was, as far as he was concerned, running at 100% ~~shitposting capacity~~ again. Which is why while he doesn't drop her from his arms, he doesn't hesitate to settle her down as he scoots back, staring down at her with an unimpressed look on his face. ]

Says the angel gunslinger pelting me with bullets.

[ Sighing with a shake of his head, the haze of rage he felt permeating through his entire being has pretty much become vapour at this point. Rising to his feet, he deliberates for a moment before turning back to Panty. He's not apologizing for what he did. ...not yet anyway.

But he is going to offer a hand to her. ]

You started it!

[ As per usual, she's taking none of the responsibility even though she's easily at least 50% at fault. Poor Cloud.

There's no lingering resentment there - only a certain degree of annoyance and a whole lot of fatigue, because HA HA WOW was that a workout or what?! Colour her surprised. The last thing she expected was for Mr. Doormat over here to have tricks of his own, let alone enough of a spine to push back once she started throwing her weight around.
~~LEVEL UP! Respecc +1~~

As for that silent offer he's extending with that hand, Panty automatically reaches for him, catches herself, and pushes herself upright under her own power. The last thing she needs right now is his pity.
God. Her hair's a mess right now, isn't it? ]

Keep your mitts off my stuff. You got lucky this time.

I get it, I get it.

[ When she gets back to her feet, he places his hand back in his pocket, only briefly flicking his gaze to the sword he so haphazardly dropped for the sake of healing her up. He wouldn't take back what he did. He's sturdy (gonna be feeling sore for a bit, but it's nothing he needed to use his Materia for anyway), but frankly despite the rough front he could put on...

He'd have helped her anyway. Every time. Not that he ever had any intention of making that point known. The silence is awkwardly extended between the two of them as they stand in the mess that they've made. Until finally... ]

...

Gonna hafta get some new drywall. [ Y'know. For the impact crater he's effectively made from smashing her into it. ]

.........holy shit. That looks expensive.

[ Now that she's not blinded by the Sanguis Roid Rage™ he's got a point. They can't just leave that eyesore there.

On the other hand property management probably wouldn't be too happy if they found out about all the damage to the unit. Having a maintenance guy come up would be pretty much admitting guilt, right? Panty don't roll like that. Nuh uh son. ]

Just slap a poster or something over it. Nobody will notice.

That better be some big ass poster if we're covering that up.

[ He rubs a hand against the back of his neck awkwardly, as he weighs his options. Gonna need a new bookshelf. Some cleaning equipment to get rid of the patented Chuck smear off the wall where the poor son of a bitch when splat. ]

We gotta fix this.

[ DISGUSTED NOISE.
What's all this "we" business? Panty ain't cleaning up any of this stuff, are you kidding???? ]

So hire a maid or something. I've got better things to do than patch up any of this shit.

[ No wonder her room's such a disaster zone with that attitude. ]

[ Sigh... ]

Shoulda seen that one coming.

[ But he's...frankly, too tired (and maybe a teensy bit Chroma sapped) to argue with her over it. So instead, he shakes his head. Frankly, he'd be embarrassed to let a maid in. ]

Fine. I'll deal with it.

Good luck with that. C'mon, Chuck.

[ ... ]

Chuck?

[ Eh??? Where'd that little shit go, anyway? He was right here a minute ago, wasn't he--
Oh. Shit.
Right.

She forgot about that. ]

...........................................god fucking dammit. Do we even have a mop in here?

Ugh...

[ He'll get one of those too. ]

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