forum Like We Used to Do (OxO with the awesome @Davadio)

Started January 30, 2023 by Deleted user

tune

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Romulus glanced down to as the snakes crawled over his skin. Rather than freaking out, he began picking them off. Their fangs wouldn't be able to pierce his skin, and he also knew full well who he was up against now.
"Sylvia… don't do this. We know how this ends." He kept his voice low, knowing she would be able to hear him.
The two had history. They'd been acquaintances, not really friends, until the Incident. Since then, she'd come after him a few times, looking for revenge.
He'd fought her off, but he didn't have the heart to end it, to end her, because he'd failed to find the real perpetrator of-… the Incident.

Sylvia appeared behind him in her human form, matching his tone. "Why did they send you? Out of all of the guards, why you?" She only stood there, waiting carefully for his answer.
She had improved her skills since they last fought, but the villainess had tried to focus on a new mission. Something that would take her mind of off what had happened, who she had lost.
"Well, how should we settle it this time?" She sighed, then gripped her sheathed sword, "Blades?" Sylvia then reached out her hand, a vivid green shadow emanated out of her hand, her irises followed suit, "Or powers?" Her voice lost its villainous charm, and was replaced with a softer tone, laced with a zealous hatred nonetheless.

Romulus turned. "Because it's my job. And I'm sorry if that bothers you…"
He shook his head just a little, almost sadly.
"Let's do blades, since you seem intent on losing." He uncrossed his arms and dropped his hands to side. The gauntlet on his right hand morphed, the metal turning to what looked like dripping metal, until it was a long, heavy black blade. He closed his fist, and hilt settled into his grip.
"Your move."

Sylvia drew in a shuddering breath and stood up straight, "Very well then." She pulled out her silver sword from its obsidian handle.

This type of combat was not her strongest suit, and she knew he knew that. She had always wanted to possess at least a fraction of his skills, and although she had never admitted it, Sylvia had admired him… greatly while they were acquaintances.

The girl maintained eye contact with the man in front of her for a few seconds, then for lack of a better move, Sylvia blindly thrust her blade at his chest.

Romulus saw the thrust coming, and parried it sideways with ease. He barely moved, essentially flicking his wrist to knock her blade aside. He waited, not attacking, not wanting to hurt her.

Sylvia had always been a sweet girl, till…. the Incident had changed things for her. He hadn't known much about her, but what he knew now made him regret not knowing her well enough before to have been a positive influence.
Maybe she could have been turned from this, perhaps used her grief to motivate her to better things.

She noticed how he parried her blade but didn't attack her, "What happened? Aren't you gonna fight me?! Leave me for dead like you did to her?"

Sylvia's voice wavered, truth be told, she didn't want to fight him either. Not at this moment. Not right now. She tried her best to resist any tears from streaming down her face, memories of the day she held her mentors bruised, bloody, but lifeless body flashed through her mind, and it was visible in her vivid eyes as they slowly dulled.

Nevertheless, she swung at his throat, knowing he could block or dodge it easily if he wanted to.

Romulus gave her a sad look. He didn't respond verbally, or even move to block the blade as it swung for his throat.
He was thinking about all the things he could have done differently in investigating that death, to prove to Sylvia it wasn't him, to make it so she wouldn't consider him the enemy. His options, in hindsight, were super clear, and why he couldn't see them at the time was beyond him.

The blade connected with his throat and bounced off, like she'd just tried to slice solid rock. It did nothing, and he swallowed as he watched her internally crumple.

"Sylvia." His voice was gentle, almost soft. "Go home. I can't let you have the Staff, and you know I don't want to fight you."

If she insisted on causing a problem, he'd remove her, but there was no part of him that wanted to.

A knot formed in her throat, "You're not my father, or mentor at that," she choked.

She lifted her sword, her hands were trembling. Not knowing what else to do, she lightly threw the sword in his direction.

However, two large vines grew out of the bushes behind Romulus. Sylvia beckoned them over with her powers, the vines following her hands like cobras.

"And what am I supposed to do if I go home, hm? Just sit down and rot? I've trained with Kendric since I was twelve, TWELVE! In vain, apparently. And you had to- you had to…" She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to step away from him.

Romulus caught the sword by the blade and flicked it back, causing it to land sticking out of the dirt at Sylvia's feet. He didn't notice the vines, too focused on her words.
"I've told you before, I didn't kill Kendric. I wish I could have found her killer for you so you'd believe me, but… either way. I dont want to hurt you. Go home and grieve in some way that doesn't require you to hurt yourself trying to hurt me. I don't know." He wanted to be gentle with her, but the constant villainous acts were a bit much to blame on grief. There would come a day where she would do something bad enough he'd have to apply consequences, and he didn't want it to be today.
"Take your sword, and leave the Staff."

"I've grieved for a year and a half already, I don't need to grieve anymore." She grew the vines closer to herself, until they were visible to him. They softly wrapped around him, as if they were trying to embrace him.

Her villainous self slowly but surely crept back up on her. A voice that was hers, that didn't seem hers, but that was hers spilled out from her lips. "Perhaps you are right, I should leave the Staff. I should focus on you, you beautiful, beautiful man." The vines caressed his face, almost seductively.

"I like you, a lot actually. And don't worry, I won't hurt you a bit." Sylvia's voice was laced with hisses, the green flame was re-kindled in her eyes, along with her half crazed smile.

Romulus sighed, and just let the vines crawl over him. He hated having to smash people who had so much potential.
"Last warning, Sylvia. While I appreciate your interest, you need to go. Leave here, or I'm taking you in."
The prison system in Varakun was nicely adapted to hold magic users, and Romulus was responsible for quite a few cells being full.
He watched as Sylvia went deeper into the villainy that the city knew her for, watched as she transformed from the broken girl he'd watched fall apart at the loss of a dear friend, to a powerful individual, bent on twisting the world to her will.

It made him sad.

“Very well then,” Sylvia picked up her sword and slid it in its sheath, “Romulus.”
She looked back at him before vanishing into thin air, reappearing where she had started, this time sitting on her bed.

Sylvester slid off of Sylvie’s neck and fell onto the bed, glancing around the room. Sylvia quickly stood up and popped the cork off of a small glass flask labeled HEMLOCK and drank from it. The snake tilted its head, “Sssylvie?”

She paid no attention to the snake, but stormed out of the room, muttering her used-to-be aquaintance’s name repeatedly. Sylvia slammed open the door to her potion experimenting room, “Screw the Staff, I need him. I need to be him. I need to become him.” She cast a clear flame at the wall, allowing her to watch her target without them knowing, she grinned at the sight of her new victim and started working.

She vanished, and Romulus sighed, before blitzing into the sky, bits of now-torn vine falling off of him.
He didn't want to pursue her, didn't want to try to hunt her down, so… he just hovered above the staff, making sure she didn't bluff him and come back for it.
He knew Sylvie could be dangerous, just… not to him. Most people were incredibly threatened by her, but Vulcan's blessing had made him largely mafic resistant, particularly in the armor, and she wasn't a physical threat to him otherwise.
The afternoon passed, and the Staff remained unbothered, so he eventually left to go deal with some crimes he could hear in progress. The constant ability to hear all kidns of noises, for miles around him, was super irritating most of the time, but in this case, it allowed him to fight for the common man a little easier.