Closed Paint the Town (Weylin)

[Ray]

34th of Winter Just after dark The chill wind bit at him as he walked, and Ray automatically shrugged deeper into his coat. Though the sun had already set there were still dashes of purple in the west, but even they would vanish within minutes. The bonesnapper wind, however, had no intention of fading with the day. It whipped as wildly as ever, slicing the air and bending around the alleys with an ominous howling. Tonight was not a pleasant one to be outside. Nevertheless, he wasn’t quite sure where else to go. He had no intention of lazing about his home, if the rickety room could even be called that, but it seemed far too early to head to the Kelp Bar. While he was never one to avoid a good pint of alcohol, there were plenty of things that could only be done sober. He came to a stop, and when the he could no longer feel his face he ducked behind the corner of an alley to escape the wind. A fight would be good, but as soon as he’d thought the though he reminded himself of what had happened last time. That Murdock that he’d been swindled into helping had been a tricky fellow, and Ray had been quite sure that there was something wrong with him. He’d no intention of finding himself in such a situation again, Waveguards or no Waveguards. He sighed and leaned again the cold brick of the alley wall. There were few things that came to mind and he ground his teeth in irritation. He didn’t want this to be a dead night.

[Weylin Quickshot]

It was dark, gloomy, the streets becoming a maze of buildings and alleys. Weylin carefully stepped about in the gloom, trying her best to find her way in the dying light. She had been in Zeltiva for sometime now, but the place still eluded her, leading her already into problematic situations more than once already. She shook herself a the wind cut through the air, muttering the odd word in Pavi as she pulled her cloak around herself.

Zeltiva was different to the Sea of Grass, very different. There were sailors everywhere, along with scholars and the like. Not that she always understood every word they where saying. Then there were times she tried to find work, something she could do, but that too became difficult. For days she found herself becoming restless and agitated, tired of staring up at the sky, or staring to the sea and mountains. She needed something to keep the mind occupied.

For a moment she paused, trying to gather a sense of bearings on her location, turning sharply on her heel looking for a sign in the gloom. She could hear the faint patter of noise, footsteps, the rushing wind. She pulled the hood closely around her face, thinking, deciding before-

She was grabbed sharply, a firm hand pulling her back into the dark. She gave a startled yelp, her arms for a moment flailing as the hold tightened.

[Ray]

Something was touching Ray’s legs, and he looked down curiously. What that a cat? Indeed. The creature moved slowly in an attempt to leech warmth from his feet, too cold to even shy away when he squatted. The thing was small, larger than a kitten but too small to be a full adult. It was a mottled tortoiseshell, and though a bit difficult to see clearly in the darkness he could see that it was thin. Too thin. Didn’t move to touch the cat, but neither did he pull away. He was willing to lend his heat. Until he heard the yelp. Ray turned suddenly, tensed and eyes narrowed against the cold. Two figures were looming from the gloom, somewhere in the middle of the street. Ray stood carefully and left the cat to its alley. A woman, at least he thought it was a woman, had been grabbed by a man. He was gaunt but wiry, a man of desperation. And in winter, desperate was not a good thing to be. Ray silently thanked whatever had seen fit to give him this tonight. He didn’t shout to announce himself, and neither did he sneak. He simply walked up, wound up one arm and threw a punch at the man’s head.

[Weylin Quickshot]

For a moment it was a mad struggle, the grip tightening more and more, suffocating and grasping at the senses. Weylin squirmed wildly, grasping at his arm with her fingers trying to pry him off. There was crunch, the distinct sound of cartilage breaking, and then her attacker released her.

She staggered forward into the other, a silhouette in the gloom. She saw her attacker land, a mix of anger and desperation filling his face before it twisted into rage, much like an hungry, angry beast when his kill is taken. She rubbed at her throat as she regained a sense of footing before stepping out of the way of the other.

"Thank you," she breathed. There would be time for more words later, but for the meanwhile she caught her breath. She grateful that this stranger had appeared when he did, if he did not-

Weylin swallowed pushing down the thought of what could of happened, and focusing herself on the present. She took on a more defensive stance in an attempt to ready herself, watching the attacker as he rose. Weylin was aware this time, and she was not about to let herself be caught out again.

[Ray]

The man careened away from the person he had been assaulting, and his victim was sent directly into Ray. The brawler took a step back as the figure stumbled towards him, holding his hands in front of him in case catching was needed. It didn’t seem to be. The thanks that came from the figure were definitely those of a female. “Nothing to thank me for yet,” he replied. That punch wouldn’t affect the attacker for long. When the young woman turned to face the man that had assaulted her, Ray moved to stand beside her. “Let’s save the relief ‘til the end, agreed?” He didn’t wait for a reply, and instead began to shout at the now-standing man. “Hey, vagik, you topple like a flower! Why the petch are you out here, anyway? Wouldn’t your mother be getting lonely by now?” The inflection in his words implied that the word lonely meant something completely different, but he had no inclination to be polite to this man. It was time to do what he did best: piss someone off.

[Weylin Quickshot]

Weylin had barely time to answer back before the stranger speaking. Her head quickly went from one to the other, watching the stranger taunt the attacker. She could see the rage growing in the attackers face as the words from a sharp tongue spilled out, and watched him lurch forward.

"I don't think it's working!"

She quickly sidestepped, making space, her mind thinking of the best way to deal with him. The thoughts of flight or fight went through her mind. But she kept herself steeled, she knew she had been through worse. She watched the attacker take a swipe, his movements off, almost drunk and unbalanced, anger leading him into a false sense of security. He grabbed at them, and Weylin reacted, swiping away his hand to one side, playing defensive instead of offensive. She slapped away another. Enough was enough, and it was time to react.

[Ray]

The anger in the man’s face was apparent, and Ray threw a confident smirk at the women beside him. “Think it’s working just fine,” he said happily as their opponent attacked. The cold wind seemed distant now. Unimportant. The journey to Sahova had prevented him from doing anything but walking for almost an entire season, and he was more than ready to get rough again. A fire flooded his body and twisted his face into a feral grin as he rolled his shoulders in preparations. He only hoped that this man was a decent fighter; a weak one would be more than a little disappointing. His movements were sluggish, either from the cold or from the hit he had taken. Maybe both. He was livid, and that made his strikes clumsy. Ray stepped away from a windmilling punch and dove forward to land a heavy fist to the man’s stomach, following with a quick jab to the other side and then darting behind. Though he was quick, he couldn’t help but grunt when he was elbowed in the spine. That would bruise. “Hey!” he called through the wind and ignoring the new pain in his back. “That the best you got? My grandma can hit harder than you, and she’s in a grave!”

[Weylin Quickshot]

Weylin was too busy avoiding hits to really plant any. For her it was a dance, stepping in and out, ducking and diving, pushing away limbs as they came towards her. She could feel the adrenal pumping, the call of battle, the want of fighting fill her veins. She was becoming focused, remembering and recalling patterns of movement.

She felt a blow scrape the side of her head, and for a moment the world was alive with colour, flecks of blues and reds filling her vision. Weylin staggered back, feeling her head beginning to ring. She could hear the muffled taunting sounding out, of the growl of annoyance from the attacker. She shook herself, and glared. Her fist clenched, and she brought her arm across herself. She swung her first out at the attacker, throwing her full weight and momentum into it, her arm arching round and her fist landing on the attacker somewhere. For a moment she watched the attacker stagger, before a fist came forward again.

Weylin felt the air escape her lungs, her knees growing weak as she tried to find some form of footing. She found none, and soon found another hit coming towards her. It contacted with her skull, and she fell backwards landing on a heap on the ground. She stared up at the dark sky, the sounds of fighting filling the air, a want of her body to move, but the cold began sapping at her, the last blow being dizzying. She had to move, she had to fight. She shakily pushed herself up, the world a blur, her movements slow and sluggish, but she was mentally ready to start again.

[Ray]

By all the gods, this man just didn’t give up, did he? Ray was never one to turn down a fight, but this was just dragging on too long. Even he could hear the resounding smack when the man’s fist made contact with the woman. She spiraled to the ground, and Ray moved into action once again. He punched the man solidly in the back of the head, then used the temporary stun to his advantage. He put one arm across his own chest, then used it to ensnare the man in a reinforced headlock. He struggled, but Ray knew the consequences of what he was doing. It didn’t take long once he started to flex. One. Two. Three. Four. The man’s movements ceased as the blood cat blocked from his brain, and Ray didn’t even move to catch him when he fell to the ground unconscious. The brawler nudged him with a foot, then hurried over to the woman that had struggled to her feet. “Think we’d best make ourselves scarce,” he said, extending an arm for her to take should she wish. “May I ask for your company on this dark night?"

[Weylin Quickshot]

Weylin's head was still spinning as she glanced at the man. She looked at his hand for a moment in an attempt to understand what was just said, before nodding and grabbing onto his arm. To say she was impressed would of been an understatement, but something kept her wary, most likely due to the throbbing sensation in her skull. She hoped there would be no more 'fun and games' tonight.

"Good... Good idea," she gave a wince and rubbed at the side of her head. She could not tell in the dark if there was any serious damage, but she was not prepared to sit about and find out.

Weylin gave a quick glance at the unconscious man, before giving a shudder. She stared up at the stranger, giving a firm nod "Yes... we should go. We should go now."