audience: nico di angelo

[becomemod]

Comments

[becomemod]

No. This is the sort of thing that most people will never have to deal with, and shouldn't.

But we don't seem to be able to stop it when we don't even know where the order came from in the first place.

[resumed]

[ ... ]

Who told you the orders to execute Mika came from above the mayor? Was it the mayor himself?

[becomemod]

The mayor and all the other officials we spoke to.

[resumed]

[ ... ]

I know your hands are tied, Phoenix, but it just feels hard to accept that at face value. Especially when our other orders came from the officials to begin with.

[becomemod]

[ they sigh. ]

I understand that. Something is off, and they've been giving us the runaround.

I can trust you to keep looking for anything odd, right? It is difficult for us to do too much digging when we're high-profile, but I'd still like to know what's being hidden from us.

[resumed]

I'd keep looking even if you didn't want me to. [ almost-cheerful, for nico, because sometimes you cause problems and sometimes you just want to find answers to unknown questions. ]

I don't like the idea that there's something hidden from you guys, too. So as long as we can work in the background, that'll be one of the things I focus on.

[becomemod]

Good.

[ they can respect that. ]

Thank you. I plan to keep you all in the know as well as I can, too. That's what working with a team means, after all.

[resumed]

[ there's a nod to that. that's a good agreement.

but then he pauses, looking back toward the private room. i assume you mean the actual private room and not the locked floor. ]

...I'm not keeping you from training, am I?

[becomemod]

Not really. It was more that I was going to blow off some steam, after the day we've all had. Going alone doesn't have quite the same effect, but it'll do in a pinch.

[resumed]

[ . . . ]

I have time for a few rounds. [ wait. ] If you want.

[becomemod]

If you're up for it, I won't say no.

[resumed]

[ phoenix probably gets as far as "up for it" before nico's already walking to open the door to the private room and trotting ahead to grab a practice sword.

fight him!!! ]

[becomemod]

[ it's been a long day, but somehow this brings a slight smile back to their face. they follow to pick up a second practice sword, giving it a test swing. ]

I always liked training with real blades, too, but these do well enough. Whenever you're ready, Nico.

[resumed]

I don't think I've ever used a practice sword to be honest. Even at camp we always used real weapons. [ there's a few test swings of his own, just for weight and balance. once he's got that down though, he does not bother asking if phoenix is ready before he just kind of dashes forward for a quick strike.

you do not have a whole training room if you don't know how to fight, he thinks. phoenix should be fine. ]

[becomemod]

We're supposed to where I'm from, but I find it's not as fun.

[ nico is right; they don't seem bothered at all. their smile becomes more genuine, in fact, as they dodge to the side and swing toward nico's back. ]

Eager one, aren't you? Not bad.

[resumed]

[ oh good. a worthy opponent. he's twisting around to bring his sword up to block before jumping back out of the way to readjust his stance. ]

People like us are kind of born for this. And I haven't trained for a few days. [ since coming here, he means, as he lunges with a side swipe. i suddenly remembered fight scenes are the bane of my existence sometimes. ]

[becomemod]

Something else we have in common.

[ this one hits their arm as they move to dodge, a little slower than they'd like. ]

And it's been a while since I've had a partner.

[ but they recover quickly and go for a straightforward jab. ]

[resumed]

[ the thing is that now that he's in motion he's relaxing bit by bit, unwinding from the tension of earlier. he's keeping his eyes on their form, and the jab catches him off-guard and he wobbles back and turns enough to take the brunt of the jab to his side instead. ]

A while as in six months? Or even longer? [ he shifts, moving back in with an upper slash. ]

[becomemod]

At least a month.

[ they'll meet this slash with a head on block. ]

...Some of the others were good fighters, but even the best may not survive every battle.

[resumed]

[ the block is effective, and there's something in what phoenix says that kind of makes nico internally wince because oh boy, does he know it. it's enough that he lets his guard slip, blade going slack briefly. ]

I asked Goat about them. Before I realized perhaps I shouldn't have. [ because goat seems pretty damn normie and nico knows he can be a bit too matter-of-fact about matters of life and death. ] They mentioned they were all pretty good in a fight, too, but it felt wrong to press for more about them when it obviously was hurting them.

[ he says that but he's also going for a straight jab of his own. ]

[becomemod]

[ they give a hum of acknowledgment as they move from a dodge into a turn to get behind nico. ]

The four who were with you today are the more sensitive ones. Most of them aren't used to these sorts of things, so they took it much harder.

[resumed]

[ he's moving to duck and tuck and roll out of the way like a cheater, back on his feet to face them. ]

Seems a little harsh to send them to oversee that joke of a trial then. [ like. why them. that is actually very mean. ]

[becomemod]

[ there he go. phoenix holds their stance, waiting for his next attack. ]

I think Cobalt Ox would have wanted to be there no matter what. [ their teammate being the victim. ] And they are close with the other three, so they went for support.

[resumed]

I get that. It...kind of always feels terrible losing someone without being able to help them somehow. I think I'd rather try until the end even with these results.

[ he doesn't comment on the support, but he makes note of it. that makes sense. normies hanging with normies. no idea if they're normies, this is what nico's deciding as he dives forward for another swipe but this time more at phoenix's legs to try and trip them up and sweep them out from under them. ]

[becomemod]

I would, too.

[ the slash clips their leg as phoenix jumps back, just out of reach, and just as quickly launches themselves forward again into a strong downward slash. ]