vatheon | [OPEN] You hit me once, I hit you back.

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[OPEN] You hit me once, I hit you back.

who: Dirk Strider, Death the Kid and YOU!
when: May 16th, afternoon
where: All over Vatheon
style: action
status: OPEN! Feel free to start threads with your character being interrupted by a sudden arrival of two skirmishing rivals, comment, try to break them up, whatever!

[Let's be fair: Kid started it.

He just had to. The moment he felt his strength returned, he hopped onto his flying skateboard, Beelzebub, and set out for a much-desired break from the toil of repairing the Villa. They all worked hard to bring their home back into a semblance of its former comfort and beauty, and there was nothing quite so refreshing as a flight to enjoy the now restored beauty of Vatheon's sphere.

Until spying Dirk and his atrociously wind-swept hair sent his mood tumbling down around his ears. So he decided to return the favor.

And buzz him. The rest is history.

Unless one is quite preoccupied, it's nearly impossible to miss them, vapor trails corkscrewing through the air in a flagrant display of daring and skill, two rivals on their individual flying boards having what equates to an aerial dog-fight.

Considering the occasional glancing blow sends one careening dangerously towards the ground (or into a building) with the other hot on his proverbial heels, a collision is inevitable.

And when they do, the din is terrible, a Fledgling God and a God Tier tumbling through debris or into walls or worse -- throwing their opponent into them. What has caused Death the Kid to so aggressively pursue Dirk Strider is likely only apparent in those instances when they've stopped their flight for a brief skirmish wherever they landed.

This is one such moment.]

You dare accuse me of tyranny?!

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[Karkat has spent a fair portion of his own time checking up on things after the bubble's temporary incapacitation. His hive may have escaped destruction, but being in the lower district meant water was more likely to flow that way. In other words, there's been damage to take care of still. After what rushing heedlessly has done for him in the past (hey human universe, how's that cancer treating you?), he's made an effort to stall his impatience and try to do things right. After how much he missed staying down here, the effort is worth it.]

[That's why he's out today, in fact. The main issues have been taken care of by now, but there's no harm stocking up on more supplies. He's running low on some stuff for cleaning. It's just as he's about to open the door, however, that some board-mounted person finds a landing spot in the wall above.]

Jegus kickflipping Christ, what the hell?

[He tries to scramble back even as he looks up to try and gauge what happened. Hopefully, whoever hit the wall has more grace than to fall on him.]

[It's more than just one board-mounted person, at this point in time. This particular aerial altercation has kept in close quarters, and even driven into the wall as he is, Dirk isn't about to let Kid get away undamaged.

In layman's terms: he's taking Kid down with him. Unfortunately, down in this situation means onto Karkat. If it was just one of them falling, it would likely be easy enough to dodge, but with both of them going down... well. Incoming!!!]

Shit-

[The problem with having as intense a rivalry as Kid feels about Dirk is the tunnel vision; even though they quite literally are bearing down on an innocent bystander, all the reaper has eyes for -- viciously furious ones, at that -- is the Prince whose shirt he has caught up in his fists.

It's bound to be a painful landing.

For all involved, but that's not going to stop Kid from rolling over in a grapple that's more a tumble than a tackle, attempting to drop the point of his elbow down on his opponent's head.

A clumsy attempt, because wow, his own skull is still ringing from the impact.]

Take - it - back!

[Wow hi Karkat you kind of have a really up close and personal experience going on here.]

Hurghk--

[The force of one teenager crashlanding on him would be plenty enough to knock the breath out of him. The second coming along with ensures it won't return anytime soon. What is happening consequently takes a backseat to the issues of motherFUCK my spinal column and how do I breathe. While Kid tries to grapple with his foe, Karkat engages panicked flailing that might land someone with a smack to the face. Good thing his claws are pretty blunt.]

Hfff, ah, off, get - [Cough, shove.] - off me! I swear to - [Wheeze.] - the horrorterror's own heinous, khh, tentacles that if one of you ruptured my - [Gasp.] - my bile sack, that I will personally return the - [Knee flail, look out.] - favor courtesy of a boot embedded in your soft, vulnerable organ meats!

[Squished in the middle, between both Karkat's flailing limbs and Kid's grip on his shirt, Dirk is left to try and guard himself on all sides. It fails rather brilliantly, and leaves him open to Kid's (fortunately weak) elbow blow, knocking his head back and his shades almost askew.

It takes him a moment to gather himself again, but the moment he has, he shoves hard at Kid's chest.]

You heard him- move it, jackass.

[It's a combination of a flailing kick from Karkat and the shove from Dirk that sends the grim reaper tumbling over onto his side, clutching at his cheek with the sort of stunned expression that might have been hilarious if all present weren't in varying degrees of pain and discomfort.]

...Karkat?!

[Oh gosh. Oh no. This is terrible. It's one thing to go wrestling with your rival all over creation, quite another -- and here, Kid is uncomfortably reminded of Rin's chiding -- when his rivalry effects his friends.

He rolls to his feet, reaching down to grab Dirk and literally yank him off the other troll, and potentially drop him.]

I'm so sorry! If Strider wasn't such a sore loser, this never would have happened.

[Kid please]

[Karkat is just about to the point of recognizing voices and features when the two get off him: Kid knocked first, Dirk tugged after. He himself stays where he landed, for the moment, using it to try to regain his breath and get a better look at them.]

You? What are you two doing? And why did you crash into the fucking building above my head?

[He flings a hand at the store in gesture, then pushes it palm-flat to the ground to prop himself up. Soon he's back on his feet.]

[As soon as Kid's yanked him upright, Dirk gains his footing and not-so-subtly jabs and elbow into Kid's ribs for the offense. He doesn't need hauling, he can get up just fine on his own.

Once he's on his feet, though, he just tucks his hands into his pockets. He knows the rocketboarding and the fall must have messed up his hair and his clothes, but he doesn't bother to straighten them out now, when it would draw attention to the fact that he's doing so. He refuses to rise to Kid's needling, so he ignores him completely in favor of facing Karkat.]

Fighting. Because this dumb fuck loves overreacting to criticism.

[This means Karkat gets an excellent view of the withering glare Kid is aiming for the back of Dirk's head, fingers flexing in a show of just how difficult it is for him to delay putting them around that smug bastard's neck and giving him one hell of a shake.

This leads to observing how unsightly and messy he's become, and subsequently, a hyper-awareness of his own rumpled condition, and he starts to adjust his own suit and dust himself off.

Kid's head snaps back up at 'dumb fuck', clearly offended.]

You say that as if you didn't have it coming!

[Karkat is brushing his own clothes now, not in the manner of Kid's need for order, but because he got fucking fallen on. It is dusty there on the ground with two people on you. He is listening, though, and his gaze flicks between them as they speak. He might have started staring if not for Kid's attention diverting to his clothes.]

Lay off the haterade, Kid. Obviously you're both pissed if crashing into innocuous architecture is how you deal with it, but what's this criticism if it's that bad?

You say that as if you're actually delivering.

[Well, Kid has, but they're evenly matched, so this is nothing like the thorough trouncings Kid has managed before, when Dirk wasn't God Tier. He can't resist one last jab before turning back to Karkat, though.]

On occasions, I've called him a potential tyrant and a megalomaniac. Not to mention an enormous fucking hypocrite. He seems to have taken offense.

[There are glares that mean a fist may be incoming. Then there are glares so withering and mutely furious they might turn glass into powder and strip paint off walls.

Take a guess at which one has Kid's eyes boring into the back of Dirk's skull, fingers flexing at his sides.]

And you're a poorly-socialized recluse with a dysfunctional grasp of--

[wait wait lay off the haterade?]

Please excuse me, Karkat, I never intended for you to see this. Perhaps if you don't mind closing your eyes...

[Kid, that doesn't make pounding the guy into submission any better.]

[This is worse than he thought. Kid wants him to just close his eyes so he can pound on Dirk more? Karkat huffs, frowns, and crosses his arms over his chest.]

Kid, you're a fucking moron. Back up, both of you, hands to yourselves, and talk. What started this? Dirk, what many legged parasite crawled up your ass and built itself a festering nest in your innards to make you call Kid all that crap? And Kid, if he's poorly socialized, maybe it's because he fucking grew up as one of two remaining members of his species, you insensitive bulgebiting jackass. I mean, god forbid living circumstances influence who a person turns out to be!

[Dirk has no qualms with using his sword during these brief skirmishing encounters- Kid has more than proved his resilience and ability to bounce back from injuries that would be most deadly to humans.

Maybe it's too much of an advantage, considering Kid's current lack of weapons, but Dirk isn't about to let that stop him. He rebounds from Kid's most recent attempt to throw him into a wall with a perfectly executed Youth Roll.

For a moment, he stays still, katana held in one hand and posture casual, as though they're having a polite conversation over tea, not in the middle of a battle. He has been doing his best to stop being such an insufferable prick, recently- but Kid, it seems, will always be the exception to that.]

Methinks the lady doth protest too fucking much!

[And with that, Dirk is moving again, disappearing in a blur as he flashsteps his way behind Kid, sword raised to strike.]

But I'm not--

[Realizing he's shouting at empty air just a second before he determines where Dirk might be attacking next, Kid is interrupted by his own efforts to somersault forward, the heel of one foot swinging up to give Dirk incentive to stay his sword strike, lest the attack cost him a broken nose.

Dirk is skilled enough to dodge and strike at once; Kid is resilient enough to take it, and quick to evade, himself. They are well-matched, but only because Kid is well-rested.

Like it or not, in sheer power, the Prince of Heart has him at a startling disadvantage.] --a lady!

[The literally minded grim reaper, everyone.]

Holy shit, can you be any more dense?

[Kid's actions aren't without reward- Dirk does pull the hit, because as tough as being God Tier might make him, it doesn't make him more resistant to injuries, and a broken nose would be a pain to deal with, to say the least.

But as soon as he's pulled away to dodge, he's moving in again, driving his sword down in a hope of hitting Kid before the reaper can make it to his feet again.]

[He has to hand it to him again. Dirk's aim and judgment are precise, deadly, and often extremely accurate; Kid has to abort his roll to gain his feet, instead landing flat on his back and twisting to one side. Even so, he hears the blade sink into the ground, feels something cold and sharp scrape against the back of his neck, the hot prickle of blood beading up from what proves to be a very, very close shave.

Strands of dark hair flutter to the floor, and Kid's breath puffs out from him in a gasp of realization.]

You're the one who's dense--

[Launching his legs up over his head, intending on hooking one around Dirk's head to yank him forward and fling him to the ground, Kid takes a risk of getting cut by not putting distance between them, but that requires time he doesn't have.]

[Kid's gamble with injury pays off- in order to possibly do any damage, Dirk had to drive it down hard into the ground, and that means it sticks for just long enough for Kid to hook Dirk with his leg and send him sprawling.

Kid is inhumanly flexible, and that's something it would benefit Dirk to keep more on his mind during these fights.

He only barely manages to keep from hitting his head hard, upon meeting the ground, but it's more than enough time to recover, especially when his sword is still stabbed into the ground, closer to Kid than to Dirk.]

[The hand that alights on its handle is not Dirk's. Kid uses it to stand, more for show than anything else, when he pulls it from the ground and levels the blade at its owner.

A moment later, he flicks it at the ground with his lip curling in distaste.]

Disgusting!

It would be better if you wielded two. Like so, Strider!

[His hands dive into his coat, one after another, pulling forth a pair of perfectly identical handguns from the holsters hanging under each arm.]

[Dirk glares from behind his shades when Kid throws the sword aside so casually. It's not likely to damage the blade, but that doesn't mean he has to like this casual mistreatment of his weapon. And Kid is sure to strike at him immediately if he tries to retrieve it immediately.]

It's a fucking two-handed weapon, like hell I'm going to use more than one!

[Of course, even if the idea wasn't a silly one, Dirk wouldn't have considered it so easily now that Kid has suggested it.]

[Dirk doesn't immediately move even when Kid pulls out the guns. Apparently Kid finally decided to get a weapon to keep things even in the fights between them. The question is, will Kid be able to keep Dirk at a distance with them?]

About time you got serious.

[Well-predicted; Kid wouldn't hesitate to take immediate advantage of any potential vulnerability. He's at a disadvantage against a god-tier, why not exploit every possible weakness?]

Hmph. [His chin lifts, and as Kid crosses his arms, lifting the guns over his head, he spreads his stance with the soles of his shoes scuffing along the ground.] Irrelevant facts such as those don't stop even the lowest-performing Meisters of the Academy!

[Granted, Meisters with compatible Weapons can swing them around like they weighed no more than a feather, but that's beside the point. Superiority, you can has.

As for the reaper, he drops forward his aim and begins squeezing the triggers with the pinky of each hand, peppering the ground with a precise line of alternating (if metaphysical) shots headed straight for Dirk Strider.]

And you shoot your guns like a tool. We might as well make a pact to not try and correct each other on our weapons, because it's not going to change anything.

[Seriously, Kid is earning himself all the special snowflake points for holding his guns like that. But there's no more time to comment on it, because he's already shooting.

Dirk has two goals here. The first is not to get shot. The second is to get his sword back. Both are pretty damn obvious, but there's nothing else to be done. A puppet won't last him long as a weapon in this kind of fight.

Either way, he'll be relying heavily on his speed to dodge that train of shots. At first, he just moves to the side as Kid keeps shooting toward him, but as the train of fire continues, he starts circling around Kid, trying to edge his way in closer to the Reaper. He's not going in for a blow, not really, but the more he can keep Kid's attention on him and not on what he's aiming for in the long run, the better.]

[Isn't it ridiculous?

Seriously, anyone else doing that might have seriously (or hilariously) injured themselves. Or at the very least come to know the world's worst pinkie cramps.]

Do you want to take the chance that this is a mere affectation? It's your funeral!

[He doesn't really feel like explaining Grim Reaper Martial Arts to Dirk anyway.

Maybe later. When he really feels like showing off -- not that chasing Dirk's heels with bullets made of pieces of his own soul wavelength isn't, but hey, who exactly is counting?

Now dance, pardner.]

[Dodging can only last him so long. They both know it. But Dirk doesn't expect to slip up so soon. Maybe it was inevitable, considering the number of times he and Kid have fought. But either way, during a feint in Kid's direction, Dirk doesn't step out of the way fast enough to avoid Kid's shot.]

Gah!

[Abruptly he goes from moving to falling, and just barely manages to turn the fall into a roll. When he comes up again, his sword is within reach, but he goes down on one knee as soon as he stands, still not recovered from Kid's hit.]

Edited 2013-06-29 14:45 (UTC)

[Any vulnerability, any hesitation could swiftly result in the death of a Meister, and while the duty of a Weapon partner is to defend their Meister to the bitter end is largely dependent on the Weapon's sense of duty and the strength of that bond with their wielder, such a thing ends up poorly for both.

It isn't that their opponents are merciless by design -- all the time -- but that their battles are played out for keeps when in the line of duty.

It means Kid's aim is training for a ruthless follow-up shot while Dirk is still recovering, and it requires a conscious act of restraint on his part to refrain.

He's angry, but he's not that angry.]

Are you really so hobbled without your weapon?

I use swordkind, what the hell do you think?

[Roxy and Jake are the ones who fight with their fists, not Dirk. The closest he ever comes to it is using his puppets, and even then, that's puppetkind, not fistkind.

He grabs up the sword and stubbornly rises to his feet again, holding the blade at the ready and refusing to lean on it. He hurts, but there's no physical damage, so he's determined to ignore it. ~~No wonder he's all splinters inside.~~]

There's a reason you're using a gun now that you have it.

I, at least, can still defend myself when unarmed!

[Okay, that's kind of a low blow, especially since Dirk has shown himself a capable opponent on numerous occasions, but that's a bit of pettiness from a fledgling god whose precious reaper feelings have been stung by talk of tyranny.

The respite, brief as it is, is all the Prince will get; the reaper presses the attack, intending on closing in with a few rapid strides with one gun poised to deflect the expected counter-attack, and the other performing the role of counterweight, held out at his hip, low.]

Adapt or be crushed, Strider!

Say that when I don't have a sword, dumbass.

[Not really, in Dirk's opinion. He has plenty of things to use in his strife deck, and enough swords that he's not worried. Besides, his katana is unbreakable.

Of course, even if he did want to start learning a new fighting style, he wouldn't start out practicing against Kid. That would be asking to have his ass handed to him.

But break time's over. Now, with sword in hand, he's ready again to dodge, as minimally as possible to keep from fucking himself over after the blow to his foot. More importantly, there's something he wants to test- whether or not those shots of Kid's can be deflected by his sword. So when he gets the chance, he puts his blade in the way of one.]

[ Yeah, okay, maybe being accused of tyranny is deserving of a fight. Duke wouldn't really know; he doesn't engage in anything resembling politics anymore on purpose.

But it isn't deserving of a fight in the middle of a populated area. Its probably Duke's abilities with magic that enable him to move aside quite this fast without losing the books he was holding - hitting walls has the unfortunate tendency to knock part of the walls loose, boys, which is not a friendly thing to drop on people's heads.

Duke is warding that off with a larger chunk he snagged, leaving it to float in the air above his hand. ]

Something you should be aware of. [ Speaking loudly to hopefully catch their attention.

If not, he has a rock. ]

[Paying attention to one's surroundings is an important part of any fight, but how these two pay attention when they're fighting isn't always the same. For example, they've noticed bystanders to their fights before, but only as a place not to land- an obstacle just as much as a building around them.

Which is to say, Duke's presence has probably been noted, but not noticed, at least not until he speaks. Even then, he only spares a moment's glance.]

You want to give that back to us?

[Launch rubble at them? Why not? It'd make an interesting opening in the fight, after all.]

[The young reaper is braced to strike out against Dirk, but the sudden introduction of a third voice has him coming to a dead halt, eyes a little wide in the realization that there is, indeed, another person here.

With a not insignificant piece of rubble floating -- yes, floating -- above his head.]

Is that magic?

[Yes, because investigating the still-rare phenomenon of male magic users who aren't Free is still a thing, and is appropriate at any time, including Rivalry Time.]

If you do not move yourselves to an uninhabited area, perhaps.

[ He could always try to chase them into some unpopulated area, but they're teenagers, and teens are tenacious and irritating to fight. ]

... Yes.

[Magic as a concept isn't as interesting to Dirk as it is to Kid. At the moment, he's more focused on Duke's rock as a variable to take into account during the fight.]

If you're trying to prevent damage, it's rather counterproductive to threaten us with a giant hard to control rock, don't you think?

[Blandly aloof, or perhaps just blunt and unconcerned, the reaper notes:]

I can't help but agree with Strider, and wonder if this perhaps is to be taken as an implication that it isn't quite as hard for you to control as we assume.

[Oh no.

Kid is intrigued. He might have successfully distracted the young god from his other, other favorite Vatheon past-time.]

It can be many things. I had intended it as both an umbrella and perhaps a warning.

[ So he is half confirming that he doesn't particularly believe that maneuvering it is terribly hard, but he might also be holding that above his head as a sign of both 'I have power as well' and 'there might be people around who can't protect themselves from your damages.' ]

[ Oh, look, Kid was clearly feeling lively and having a good match with a boy that was giving him a run for his money. That was nice to see on a walk out and about. It was good for him.

Still, she was a mature adult and had to say something when they crash their way through the air nearby, so she calls out a warning: ]

Hey now, you two be careful of bystanders!

[ Because that was the only concern here, right? Right. ]

[Kid crouches with a hand clasping the edge of Beelzebub as he skids to a halt in mid-air, twisting around to look at the source of that voice. Recognizing immediately both Deathscythe and teacher, Marie, he calls back:]

Yes, Miss Marie, I'll do my best.

[He narrows his eyes in a sideways glance at his opponent, shoulders hunching, baring his teeth in a faint grimace of dislike.]

I can't promise Strider won't blunder into someone like a reckless idiot.

[Gosh, boys.]

[Apparently, this is an unofficial time out, because Dirk pulls up and halts the fighting just when Kid does. He doesn't know this woman, but Kid apparently does, and she was speaking to the both of them. Besides, getting an advantage on Kid when he was distracted like this would be easy and hollow.]

I'm hardly blundering into anything when you're the one determined to make an attempt to smash me into every protruding object in this goddamn bubble.

Do your best, boys. Both of you.

[ She smiles warmly at Kid, though the expression is extended to the other young man as well. She didn't want to be a killjoy here, after all, not when they were having a good time. ]
If you can't manage, you should just go right up to the island and restart your match up there. It might not be as fun, but better safe than sorry.

Of course, Miss Marie. If it comes to that, I'll escort him there personally.

[It might involve fighting their way up the elevator shaft. This, of course, after he shoots Dirk a withering glare.]

As for you.

[That's your cue to get ready for this to start up again, Dirk. Because getting the jump on him while he's distracted would be unsporting.]

Edited (haha words) 2013-05-21 03:20 (UTC)

I'm touched by your belief in our ability to not get killed.

[He looks over toward Kid, but apparently not to start fighting.]

Good job on remembering the introductions. And you call me poorly socialized.

Oh, well, you don't need to feel you have to interrupt your match.

[ But it's obvious that she's pleased. ]

I'm Marie, a teacher at the DWMA.

That's the Academy my Honorable Father oversees, and I wouldn't have hesitated to introduce you if I had thought it worth my time.

[This, aside, sotto voce. Don't mind them, Marie, just Kid chugging some Haterade.]

Dirk Strider. [He'll not add the Prince of Heart thing, because the last thing he needs is making a horrible impression on her. Even if she is Kid's teacher? Friend? Someone from his world.]

If you're that impatient to move things up, Kid, you could use your words and say as much.

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[OPEN] You hit me once, I hit you back.

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Closed, before any audience interference, I suppose?

Closed!!

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HELLO I LOST THIS IN SPAM SOMEHOW?

OKAY I WAS KINDA UNSURE IF I SHOULD GO but didn't ask yet- /face in hands

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If you want to drop this because it took me forever to realize reply, i am okay with that-

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