Harden Mask

[Quick]

"Right." He doesn't find room for more than that. Packing up and leaving before people get attached used to be his thing. He never once stopped to ask how that would make people feel. And here? There are people like Sera he cares enough about not to be that person anymore.

His expression is thoughtful, even as he tries to focus on staying fluid and moving around. Had Quick just been naive about Alex? The guy seemed harmless. Dedicated, too. And now the Levinquick has no one to make fun of for being so goddamn plain.

Quick blinks. A fist connects with his cheek. This is what he gets for going on a tangent.

"Ha! Whoa!" A a half-grin spreads over his features. She'd overextended. He swings back...

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-11-11 17:38:23		Quick rolls 6 to Str+Brawl (10 Again)		5, 10, 3, 3, 3, 7, 3		1 success

Not quick enough. "Right. I'll come clean." He dances around a bit, trying to open up the space between them again. "So Donovan? It's like all that farm-boy crap is wholesome. Clean, if that makes any sense. Me? Spent a lot of time being angry at people. Making life hard on them. Both of us have been homeless... but I was a crook. And he's way better at accepting things. Makes me look really negative in comparison. You know?"

[Seraphina]

There was a triumpht grin on her face.

But her confidence and eagerness to hit him cost her another blow. Her turns with blow, and she shakes her head. It wasn’t a huge hit, but it was still a hit.

“No, it makes sense. It’s different, not something you come across a whole lot these days. And different is attractive.” It usually drew someones attention. "I think you guys would be cute together."

There was a frown, “Not going to lie, but I don’t see how it makes you look negative. I mean, yeah, you took a different route than he did to survive. But that doesn’t make you a worse person for it, or negative. I think we’ve all done things in our lives we aren’t proud of. And most of those things are done to survive and get by.” She had her own skeletons, and no one was perfect.

“Cause look at you now. You realize the life you were leading was wrong and you seem to be trying to turn it around. So no,” head shake, “not negative.” Nope.

She then goes in for another hit. But once again, threw too wide. Which settled it for her, she was going to get back to training once things settled next month.

  failure

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-11-13 16:38:40		Seraphina rolls 5 to Throwing a Punch(Brw+Strg) (10 Again)		5, 3, 4, 6, 7		failure

[Quick]

His mind doesn't move fast enough to think of another question right away. Yeah, he'd clipped her on her overshot, but what to follow up with? His focus is split between staying ahead of the game and thinking of something meaningful to ask.

"Cute, huh?" Just a hint of 'you're patronizing me' in his tone, but he smiles anyway. At least until she doles out some comforting words. The kind of thing he doesn't really know how to accept.

"I guess so. I mean... you're right about wanting to change and all. But... still feels like, I dunno, I've got things to make up for?"

Her next swing is easy to avoid, and he steps back just away from her reach. Rather than swing back, he waits. Times out his next step. She still owed him a question: no sense in gross overkill.

"What's your biggest fear?" he asks, still watching for her next swing. It seems appropriate, given the season. But it's more than that: it's easy to make nice and gossip and whatever... to really know someone you have to know the good and the bad.

Quick uses his next action to dodge. Effective defense is 4.

[Seraphina]

Catching the hint in his tone, she realized how it probably sounded. Well, it was said and there was no use dwelling on it.

A shoulder briefly shrugs, “If you feel you have things to make up for, then that’s on you. If it would make you feel better about things, then I think you should peruse it. No one can condemn you for wanting to make yourself better. But if you’re wanting to make amends to try and impress someone?” she snorts, “Then that’s the wrong reason. But I think you know that.” She smiles then. He wasn’t stupid.

She watches him step away and easily away from her punch. And it did nothing but piss her off. She thought her fighting skills were better then what they obviously were. And in some ways, it was embarrassing to her, she talked big and clearly couldn’t back it up. That had to change.

His question though caught her off guard, and her face showed it.

“Biggest fear?” it was a deep personal question, and one she wasn’t sure how to answer.

What was her biggest fear? She had fears, everyone did. But there was danger in revealing those fears to others. Others that you were still trying to form a friendship with.

Finally the Nix speaks, “Trust. I’m afraid to trust people, both our kind and others.” Trust was a doubled edged sword that could both help and hurt you. Someone could shatter your world by betraying trust.

Her failures would not deter her though, and she attempts to throw another punch.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-11-15 15:55:11		Seraphina rolls 1 to Throwing a Punch(Brw+Strg)-4 (10 Again)		8		1 success

[Quick]

He smiles. Shakes his head. "It's not like that. Just... a personal thing. Did some dumb things when I was young. Guess, though, I still kinda am. Young." But hey: he's got plenty of time to figure things out. The benefits of being young. And desirable.

Her face is priceless when she catches his question. It brings a smirk to his face. Though the smirk is replaced, albeit briefly, by a look of confusion. "Trust? You?Isn't that like..."

He doesn't have a chance to finish his thought. Her next swing comes in, but Quick quickly sidesteps it.

"I mean... I just thought you were all open and stuff. Confident." Not that the two are the same. Confidence and trust. Just, maybe... Sera's putting on a strong face? Trust makes you vulnerable, after all. Confidence? It could probably cover up for all of that.

He needs to know more. So he takes his next swing.

  3 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-11-17 19:23:15		Quick rolls 6 to Str+Brawl (10 Again)		7, 8, 8, 2, 10, 5, 5		3 successes

Ouch. Maybe he's overdoing it? His mother had always insisted he never hit a girl. Kinda naive, all things considered. But she meant well. Still, he's got the chance to dig deeper. "So what happened? Why'd you lose your trust?"

[Seraphina]

There was a bitter chuckle with a shake of her head, “Trust is a double-edged sword that we all learn about the hard way. Trust is often given to the wrong people and used to hurt us at our deepest and more vulnerable places.” Her eyes, usually bright and vibrant, turn cold, “And I learned at a young age and through out my time that you don’t trust others.” She was sure that she appeared to trust those around her, but deep within, she didn’t.

Of course he sidestepped. This was really pissing her off.

“I’m confident, I won’t deny that. But I’m confident that giving trust will bite me in the ass and cause more heartache than benefit. The other confidence?” a shrug, “Well that comes from looking like I do and knowing I can own a room with a bat of my eyes.” It was true, she knew it.

His next hit hurt. And while she tried to move her body with it, the pain was evident on her face.
She takes a step back, going into full defense.

His questions were getting quite personal.

“It’s a mixture of my childhood, pageant time and, well, the other time, well, this isn’t the place if you get what I mean.” You don’t talk about your Endurance in public. Well, it wasn’t crowded, but was still out in the open.

She wanted to know why he was getting so personal. Did he have an agenda? Was he after some little juicy piece of info on her?

Sera is taking the turn to go on defense

[Quick]

"I get it. I think. Putting up walls to protect yourself? I'm no stranger to that." Sure, he does it in self-denial... but there are perks to being unknown. An outsider. He sure as hell didn't go city-to-city opening his heart and trusting everyone he met.

"Lucky you. Some of us have to show some skin for that kind of attention." he says, somewhat bitterly. But he grins anyway. He'd find another opening soon. That's where his confidence lies. Her posture changes, and Quick wonders, for a minute, if she has something up her sleeve. His eyes widen a bit at the mention of the 'other' time, but then shifts his feet and puts some weight behind his swing.

  6 successes? these dice are possessed!

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-11-21 15:03:21		Quick rolls 6 to Str+Brawl (10 Again)		10, 8, 9, 10, 10, 8, 2, 7, 1		6 successes

Ouch. He pulls away after his swing. Uncertainty clouds his charming features. Treating Sera as an equal in the ring might be a 'progressive' idea, but he's not trying to beat her into a pulp.

"We can... stop. If you want." He doesn't even come up with another question in his head. This is getting too rough.

[Seraphina]

“Kind of.” And that was all she replied. She didn’t know his story, so she wouldn’t say he didn’t get it. That wasn’t right or fair. But her reasons were her own, as were his.

There was a snort as she laughed, “Lucky to a certain point, it can also be a curse.” When you wanted to be left alone and couldn’t be. “But I’d never shy from showing some skin.” Smirk. That just upped the attention for her. But she also knew she didn’t have to show skin to stand out. Hell, she could probably wear a potato sack and still own a room.

That next swing? She didn’t expect the heft he obviously put into it.

It was a solid hit, one that hurt, and one that knocked her on her ass.

There were stars as she blinked her eyes a few times, shaking her head to try and clear it.
She hadn’t been hit that hard in a long time, and wasn’t expecting it.

A gloved hand went up to her head as she slowly sat up, blinking.

“God damn!” she mutters with a bit of edge, “Easy there, think that one’s going to leave a mark.” The anger written clearly on her face. A mark meant makeup and extra time it would take to leave the house. “And yeah, we’re stopping cause I don’t think you understand how much of a pain the ass bruises are to cover.” She was obviously speaking from experience.

“I don’t mind answering questions, but I’m not about to get my ass beat for it.” not anymore anyways. She remained sitting, head still ringing and not sure she would be stable on her feet yet.

And she knew this was just sparring and a lucky hit so she tosses him a lop sided smile, “But that was damn good hit though.” Credit where it was due and no hard feelings.

[Quick]

Sera's laugh brings one out of Quick as well. "I'm sure no one complains about that."

Looking embarrassed, he rubs the back of his neck. "Sorry, yeah... I get caught up." He seems relieved when she agrees to call the thing off. It isn't going to be any fun for him if she's just going to get pissed off. Or hurt.

He offers her a hand. "Yeah? Well, I'll save the next one for anyone that messes with us." A coy smile.

"So about that question..." he starts, looking mischievous. "How about a rain check? Ask you about some things in private. Really get to know each other,, you know?"

[Seraphina]

Waving a hand dismissively, “No need to apologize, you’re the better fighter.” A shrug with a grin, “For now anyways.”

The Nix accepts his hand, standing once again. “I really need to get back to training. Once everything settles down and all that.” Her eyes then get a hint of mischief in them, “So be ready.” She then smirks and giggles.

“Well, if you’re saving the next one, they’ll be in for one hell of a wake up. Cause nothing against you, but you don’t look like you’d hit that hard. Which is a huge bonus for you, surprise and all that.” True story.

A perfectly shaped eyebrow was raised, “Rain check huh?” well it didn’t bother her. “Well, we could do that, and I have two ideas. I could order in some takeout cause I haven’t master cooking yet. I’ve been trying, but trust me, it’s not good.” A laugh, “And we could hangout at my apartment, or,” the smirk returns, “we could wait until next month, when my surprise will be unveiled. Then we could take an evening and talk then.” Both options would give them privacy. She then looks thoughtful, “Actually, it would be next week, so up to you. Both work for me.”

Eyes shift to look at the wall for a moment before turning back to Quick, “But you do realize that somethings are hard to talk about. I might not be able to give you answers you want right away, there are parts of my past I’ve never been comfortable discussing. Some of us have a darker past than others realize.” Turning serious, “That’s not to say that I won’t try, but just don’t expect a whole lot at first.”

While she didn’t really want to answer questions that required privacy, she knew it was the next step towards forming a friendship. Knowing about each other’s pasts, even the bad things that one tried to forget. She wasn’t proud of her past, and she didn’t like talking about it. But maybe it was important to finally open up to someone.