Zane Lucifer Bishop
Slytherin
[green]6th Year Slytherin[/green] Elemental Master of Metal
You people all have to learn. This world is going to burn.
Posts: 483
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Post by Zane Lucifer Bishop on Feb 13, 2008 15:41:51 GMT -5
Why do I need to learn how to wield a sword anyway? I can control the metal!
Zee was feeling most uncomfortable about the coming meeting. He had not been alone with D'rorah since she had told him what had happened to Wysteria and he had told her what he'd done to Dylan. She claimed she'd forgiven him when the matter came out before the assembled lightfighters, but standing in a room full of people and standing face to face with him alone with a sword in her hand were two very different scenarios.
Much as he had the day the lightfighters had assembled, Zee sat outside the Room of Requirement waiting. Just as he had that day, he now felt it best to wait and allow D'rorah to summon the room into being. She would not likely be eager to step into a room of Zee's design, and in truth he was not eager to do so either. The last time he had formed the room from the ether he'd left it completely featureless as he merely needed an unrecognizable place in which to torture Dylan Cooper.
Keaira had assured him that D'rorah would not seek vengeance, that she understood how necessary Zee was. Logically, Zee couldn't disagree. The part of Zee that wanted to pounce upon the creature that he'd been told had killed Wysteria and tear its throat loose with his bare hands, and the fact that the desire had not abated even though he now believed her to be alive, left him thinking that all the logic in the world might not save him from D'rorah's wrath given the opportunity. She was now being given the opportunity.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Feb 13, 2008 16:05:58 GMT -5
D'rorah made her way down the hallway silently, wearing her usual very formal robes with tightly bundled hair. She didn't appear to be dressed for training, at least, not dressed in anything most people would consider proper training attire. As she approached Zee, her eyebow arched sharply. "Have you forgotten where the room is, Mister Bishop? Or was the door too difficult to open?" Not waiting for a response, she made the requisite three passes up and down the hallway and watched as the door finally appeared, wrenching it open somewhat impatiently. Passing through the doorway revealed the same room in which the meeting had occurred a few weeks ago. D'rorah paid no attention to the main meeting area, heading straight away for the room adorned by the symbol of Elemental Wind. It might have made more sense to train in the room of Elemental Metal, as the training session was for Zee's benefit... but she felt that would give him too much advantage. Though D'rorah had trained with some of the Order's finest fighters, she knew she would have difficulty matching Zee within a room designed to strengthen his Elemental Powers. And, though she had forgiven him, she did not trust him... at least not yet.
"Eyes high!" she called out, tossing him a small, lightweight sword without very much warning, hilt first to Zane. "Next time you come, wear your normal school robes." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I find it quite unlikely the Mage would allow you time to dress in something... more..." she eyed his outfit with only the most thinly veiled look of disdain, "appropriate." She deftly tossed aside her own over-robe, leaving her clad from head to foot in black woolen trousers and a black turtleneck. "We train for real life incursions here. You may as well learn now how to compensate for your preferred method of attire, rather than trying to do so in the heat of battle and getting yourself killed. That would be most unfortunate."
She brandished her sword, taking a defense position. "Attack me, I may as well find out straight away just how much work I have to do here."
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Zane Lucifer Bishop
Slytherin
[green]6th Year Slytherin[/green] Elemental Master of Metal
You people all have to learn. This world is going to burn.
Posts: 483
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Post by Zane Lucifer Bishop on Feb 14, 2008 3:37:43 GMT -5
Zee's mouth fell open to respond, but before any sound came out he realized how disinterested D'rorah was in anything he actually had to say. Not surprising really, but still it stung. Next to Wysteria D'rorah had been closer to Zee than any other. Now Wysteria was gone, D'rorah wanted as little to do with him as was possible, and he spent most of his time either alone or with Keaira, which was small comfort given that neither she nor he had much choice. They needed each other in order to survive. D'rorah needed him as well, but she clearly had no intention of pursuing anything beyond a cold, distant acquaintance.
Forgiveness is perhaps not the best word to describe what she has offered.
Standing and following silently behind her, Zee gazed around the meeting room he once more found himself standing within. His eyes turned inevitably to the door leading to the room of Elemental Metal, eager to show D'rorah what he had learned. She did not go near that door however, heading instead toward her own element's room. This hardly surprised Zee, but it too hurt. It had never occurred to him to do so before, but Zee found himself wishing he had never met Wysteria. If not for her influence it wouldn't matter to him what D'rorah thought of him. In fact she may not even know. He certainly wouldn't have confessed anything to her, to say nothing of the other lightfighters. Keaira would know. Little could be done about that. But perhaps an accident could have been arranged for his Shadow Warrior . . .
Shaking his head, Zee followed dutifully into the room of Elemental Wind. It was a moot point now. He had met Wysteria, he had confessed to D'rorah, and he did care what she thought of him. Her continued display of her disdain for him did manage to stir some anger in Zee. Lost in thought as he'd been he was caught quite off guard when she tossed the blade to him, barely managing to catch it and looking entirely ungraceful in the process. His eyes narrowed to match hers as he glanced down at the unrestrictive fleece pants and slim, stretchy tee he'd thought appropriate for what he'd be doing. She seemed to be looking for reasons to insult him. His anger came to a head as her tone made clear how unfortunate she'd consider it if he were killed.
Keep it up Miss Philosophy. See how long before I defect to the Mage's side and turn all my training and power upon you!
Zee bit his lower lip as he inhaled deeply. The biting retort that would typically have flowed easily over his lips was held back because of a second voice in his head. A still, small voice.
You deserve this Zane Lucifer Bishop. This and worse.
Resigned to his penance, Zee calmed and took a few steps forward. He held the blade awkwardly, never having used a sword of any style for any purpose before. He felt silly now for the rapier he'd had strapped to his waste at the Masquerade. After a couple test swings he came forward and swung the sword in his right hand horizontally toward her left hip, following that up with a somewhat clumsy jab toward her right thigh assuming there was still a sword in his hand after the initial swing.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Feb 14, 2008 15:37:56 GMT -5
[red]Keep it up Miss Philosophy. See how long before I defect to the Mage's side and turn all my training and power upon you![/red]
D'rorah caught Zane's thought and frowned. She blocked his attempted thrusts with ease. Watch your thoughts, Mister Bishop... and focus on the task at hand, she sent the thought to him telepathically as she disarmed him. She stood before him, a sword in each of her hands. "May I explain something to you, Mister Bishop?" she asked quietly, her voice wavering almost indiscernably between seething rage and a great sadness.
She took a deep breath and returned the swords to their sheaths. "I came to trust you, I shared my research with you... I had even begun to consider you a friend, as much as I have friends." She drew one sword again, considering it in the light of the room. "These were a gift from my father, you know. He was not a man who believed in frivolity or unmerited displays of affection, but these were the last gift he ever gave to me."
She handed him the other sword, gesturing for him to fall in beside her and follow her movements as she began running through very basic forms. Her back was slightly to him as she demonstrated, but that is not to say that she was unaware of her pupil in the least. As she worked through the forms, she continued to speak in a voice that never again wavered or changed pitch.
"Mister Cooper is the only person I have in this world who can be said to resemble family. I watched the Mage's underlings tear my parents apart before I was found and attacked. And then, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world, you savagely attacked him. That attack came only a few weeks after the death of his step-father and being nearly beaten to death by his step-brother. And now... well, all of those things happening at once is quite a lot for anyone to overcome." She took another deep breath and steadied her hand as she continued through to the next form.
"So, when you flippantly threaten to turn against our Lightfighters... well, that is something I refuse to take flippantly." She spun on her feet to face him suddenly, dropping her sword away from her side. "Make your decision now, Zane Lucifer Bishop. Which side will you serve?" She shifted a bit, smirked slightly. "And stop being so serious all the time, you really were much more interesting company when you were able to keep up with my biting banter."
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Zane Lucifer Bishop
Slytherin
[green]6th Year Slytherin[/green] Elemental Master of Metal
You people all have to learn. This world is going to burn.
Posts: 483
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Post by Zane Lucifer Bishop on Mar 6, 2008 14:12:16 GMT -5
Zee winced as his sword was stripped from his hand. That bothered him little since D'rorah was a seasoned sword fighter and he'd never held one before. What broke his typically emotionless mask was her telepathic message. Typically his thoughts, even the odd angry remark that he would think to himself, were carefully guarded and kept close enough to not be picked up. After his training session with Keaira though he'd been letting his guard down more, and particularly now as he tried to feel the metal of the blades.
Damnit. Why does she always catch my most inconvenient thoughts?
Zee's mind closed again as soon as he was aware of the breech. He stood passively as she sheathed the swords, meeting her gaze. He was surprised at her voice. There was something there that typically was not. Anger? Sorrow? Both? He couldn't tell. It was gone when she spoke again. As she began going over their relationship, his eyes fell to the floor. Zee hated the weakness he felt he was showing, but he couldn't look at her while she systematically explained to him how badly he had wounded her.
He took the offered sword and mimicked her movements, glad that she was no longer looking at him. He didn't particularly want anybody to look at him at that moment. He focused his mind on her motions, trying to ignore her painfully truthful words. With each second that passed, his own initially awkward movements grew closer to her graceful, practiced ones. It caught him off guard when she suddenly spun on him however and though his instinct was to jab his sword at the impending threat, he instead closed his eyes, thus missing the non aggressive positioning of her blade, and dropped the tip of his sword to the ground, ready for the death blow. He'd been half expecting it since he'd told her about his involvement in Dylan's torture. The other half had been hoping for it.
I'll see you soon Wysteria.
Merely a second had gone by before Zee realized that his death was not D'rorah's intention at that moment, and his eyes slowly opened again, his head leaning to one side. His expression was back to the blank mask he typically wore around others these days. He considered her words carefully before he spoke, both her demand of a final decision from him and the attempt to jostle him from his melancholy. His tone was flat and resigned, lacking both the typical dynamics he'd always used and the fire of hatred that had colored his tone at the lightfighters meeting.
"You don't like me D'rorah. You are hardly the only one and I can assign no fault to any of you for this. At times I am tempted to take the far easier path of joining Caira in her servitude of Dark Phoenix, but that will never happen. They killed Wysteria. They took her from me. I did not think anyone could become as important to me as she . . . I will not join them, and I will not flee and hide away idly. I will hurt them for what they have done. The best way I can do that is to remain with you and yours and learn, so that is what I will do. However much you may distrust me, however much I may have fleeting desires to inflict excruciating pain on you and the others, You need not lose any sleep over concerns that I will follow through. Until Dark Phoenix is thrown down, I am yours."
Lifting his sword to his eyes briefly, Zee fell back into a basic stance he'd picked up from Dee's kata, ready to proceed.
"And by that same note, you will understand if I am somewhat humorless."
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