[h3][B][I]Alistair, Elliot, Maeve, and Vail[/I][/B][/h3]

The entire cafeteria fell silent as Maeve's bone-covered fist struck Vail's face with exceptional force. The taller woman felt pain in her mouth and in her neck as her head was thrown to the side from the impressive impact of the punch. Vail's stance, however, remained steady. Her boots never left the ground and her torso remained steady as if nothing had hit her at all. As Maeve pulled her fist back, Vail spat blood from the corner of her mouth and then slowly brought her head back around to face forwards. Her expression was blank, bored even, as a thin trail of blood poured from the side of her lips and as her eyes locked with Maeve's. Vail brought her arm up to her face, wiping away some of the blood with the sleeve of her jacket, her expression still stern and cold.

Maeve blinked in surprise as Vail just looked at her. Not at the complete lack of reaction, to be honest she more or less expected to be knocked on her ass the second she attempted to attack, but at the fact that she wasn't immediately attacking back. She smiled, taking a step closer. [color=ed1c24]"Unfazed huh? That's no fun. Lets see if this will work."[/color] Without warning she closed the distance between them and kissed Vail. [color=ed1c24][i]Completely worth all the pain this will cause me.[/i][/color] She decided. 

From the way Maeve had nonchalantly prattled on and on about the various ways an Asylum was expected to die (mostly in combat, she'd noted), Elliot had been expecting some sort of trouble. There was no way someone so infuriatingly [i]cocky[/i] would be able to resist the opportunity to smash a few skulls. 

So it really didn't come as much of a surprise when Maeve tried to deck . . . whomever the hell that was. 

[i][color=deepskyblue]Not like I've got any right to talk. [/color][/i] Her brows knitted, usual scowl spreading across her features. [i][color=deepskyblue]Least I'm not a jackass about it.[/color][/i] Which, okay, probably wasn't true, but at least she didn't run around pretending to be afraid to garner some poor chump's sympathy!

Swiveling her head to level Maeve a choice glare, she opened her mouth to make a few choice remarks, possibly criticizing every single facet of Maeve's personality (even if, Elliot begrudgingly admitted, that trick she'd done with the Irish was neat. And by neat, she meant irrefutably hot). That was approximately when she learned her lesson about self-absorption and the importance of observation. That was also approximately when her scowl melted, replaced by a dopey, wide-eyed stare. Heat swelled in her cheeks, gradually sweeping across her entire face, staining it a particularly vibrant shade of red. Her mouth hung open, expression the picture of enraptured disbelief. 

Kissing. They were . . . they were [i]kissing[/i]! In public! With actual people present! "W - What the fuck! You're - d'you - what the fuck? What the fuck. What the fuck!" She tried for disgust. She'd have even settled for reproach. Instead, her voice filtered out as some kind of pathetic whimper. [i][color=deepskyblue] You can't go from fighting to fucking in the span of a few seconds,[/color][/i] she'd wanted to say, but the words died as soon as they reached her lips. [i][color=deepskyblue]A-Are they mentally deficient? Shitty attention spans? The hell's wrong with them![/color][/i]

Damn it, why couldn't she look away?

For the briefest moment as her lips parted from Maeve's, Vail's lips curled into a devilish, almost sadistic smile, and she playfully bit lightly on her own lower lip. As Maeve pulled back from the kiss, which surprisingly the other woman had reciprocated, Vail brought her head forwards suddenly in a headbutt. She struck Maeve with so much force that she had to have been using alchemy, breaking Maeve's nose before she could even blink.

Vail's hands moved to her belt, where she grabbed two metal squares that hung there and pulled them off. They reacted to her touch, shifting and changing, as the metal split into fingers and the inner mechanics revealed themselves. Henry and Eddie primed themselves, tiny lights flickering into action and the machinery whirring into life.

Maeve stumbled backwards, her hands going to her nose instinctively as she felt her nose give way beneath Vail's forehead with a agonizing [i]crunch[/i]. As her hands moved away, it being simple to use the movement to heal herself, she was grinning. It wasn't a very pretty sight. Blood had poured from her nose, covering her mouth and teeth and dripping onto her shirt. There was an audible grinding and clicking sound as her nose fixed itself. 

[color=ed1c24]"Gods where have you been all my life?"[/color] She practically purred, raising her bone gauntleted hands in preparation. 

A voice called out from behind them as a familiar pink suited figure flashed into view. Alistair stood between them and pushed both Maeve and Vail away from each other with his long arms. "[COLOR=f6989d]Now, now, ladies,[/COLOR]" he said, his voice still as chirpy as always. "[COLOR=f6989d]I am sure we can all settle this like reasonable adults, and save the fighting for the sparring that is going to take place later this evening. We are all friends here, remember. I apologise for my friend's behaviour,[/COLOR]" he continued, turning to face Maeve for a moment. "[COLOR=f6989d]But I am sure Miss Hyson would gladly help you train wh-[/COLOR]"

Alistair caught the tiniest glimpse of metal in the corner of his eye and his neck snapped around to face Vail. "[COLOR=f6989d]Sweetie, put those down,[/COLOR]" he said, glancing at the mechanical gauntlets in the woman's hand.

Vail slipped one hand into Henry, flexing her fingers and feeling the metal fingertips clang against the palm of the weapon. Her vision never left Maeve's figure as she responded, her voice remarkably calm. "[COLOR=ed145b]I just want to talk to her.[/COLOR]"

"[COLOR=f6989d]Sweetie, we both know you're not going to ta-[/COLOR]"

"[COLOR=ed145b]I just want one minute to have a little talk,[/COLOR]" Vail interjected, fastening Eddie to her other hand and rapping her metal knuckles together.

"[COLOR=f6989d]But-[/COLOR]"

Maeve interrupted him. [color=ed1c24]"Move out of the way, pretty boy. We just want to have a talk. A good, long talk."[/color] Unlike Vail, Maeve's voice wasn't calm. She was excited, like a dog straining on it's leash or a race horse chomping on the bit. Her eyes were bright and she kept her fists raise, waiting for Alistair to move. [color=ed1c24]"Tá sé seo ag dul a bheith spraoi."[/color]

"[COLOR=f6989d]Enough![/COLOR]"

Alistair muttered a few strange, short words under his breath, and immediately spun on his heel. He brought his umbrella, Piper, up and thrust the handle into Vail's stomach. She recoiled, and as Alistair spun he brought the curved handle down and hooked it around Maeve's ankle. He yanked the umbrella back, taking her foot out from under her, and then brought it around to strike Vail on the side of the head with enough force to take her off of her feet as well. Both women collapsed onto the ground in a heavy thud. Vail particularly resembled a tangled mass of limbs as she struggled to regain her footing. 

Maeve only had a split second to stare in surprise, and then she was on her ass, staring up at Alistair with an odd mix of surprise and anger. Sensibility raged with the frustration at not having her needs satisfied, only teased. In the end she stayed on the ground, her bone gauntlets falling off and her knuckles returning to her sking, watching Alistair warily. [color=ed1c24]"You're no fun."[/color]

"[COLOR=f6989d]I'm not meant to be,[/COLOR]" he replied, holding out both hands to grab Vail's wrist, dragging her up to her feet and very briefly dusting off her back and shoulders. He then took her away to the other side of the room almost dragging her, and lectured her as he did so. "[COLOR=f6989d]We're supposed to be making a good impression, Vail. Save it for later.[/COLOR]"

A startled laugh bubbled up in Elliot's throat, escaping in a sharp, clipped burst. [color=deepskyblue]"Oh, [i]shit[/i]!"[/color] she crowed, and the corners of her mouth twitched. Waging a brief war on her faculties to smother that smirk, she shook her head, grim amusement glittering in her eyes. (Maybe she was exaggerating, playing up her reaction to push the prior . . . events . . . out of her mind. On the other hand, maybe the rational half of her mind, small as it was, needed to shut the [i]fuck[/i] up.)

Gingerly walking over to the recently-downed Maeve, she said, [color=deepskyblue]"Wow, way to fuck up. Seriously, that was the shittiest attempt at flirting I've ever seen."[/color] She slowed to a stop right in front of Maeve, briefly pausing to revel in how beautifully the tables had turned. [i][color=deepskyblue]Who's taller now, huh?[/color][/i] It almost brought a tear to her eye. The key word being [i]almost[/i], because she wasn't a massive pansy. [color=deepskyblue]"You don't get that, though."[/color]

And she slammed a fist into the back of Maeve's head. [color=deepskyblue]"You don't get that, because you're incredibly stupid!"[/color] she snarled as she retracted her arm, voice a low, terse growl. [color=deepskyblue]"Seriously, what the hell! I was [i]right there[/i]! I could've been killed, you selfish fuck!"[/color]

Shaking her head, she scoffed, disdain almost tangible. Then, sparing a cautious glance around to ensure there were no witnesses, she thrust out her hand. [color=deepskyblue]"C'mon, get up, you big baby,"[/color] she muttered, cadence colored with a hint of gruff exasperation. She had a reputation to maintain, after all!

Maever smirked up at Elliot as she spoke. [color=ed1c24]"Sweetie, that wasn't me trying to flirt. I got [i]exactly[/i] what I wanted from that. Well.."[/color] She shot a glare at Alistair's retreating back. [color=ed1c24]"The beginning of what I wanted at least. If that bastard hadn't interfered..."[/color] Her eyes went back to Elliot's in curiosity as she continued, just in time to see the other girl's arm move and feel her fist crash against the back of her skull. [color=ed1c24]"Ow! What the [i]fuck[/i]."[/color] Maeve snapped, only to be overran by Elliot's continued speech. She was obviously considering hitting the girl back, but a glance at Alistair assured her it would be a bad idea.

So instead she took Elliot's hand and pulled herself up. However, she was far closer than necessary and she smirked suggestively at the shorter girl. [color=ed1c24]"I get it. You're jealous."[/color] She spoke softly, leaning down until her lips were a hairsbreadth away from Elliot's own. [color=ed1c24]"I could kiss you too, if it'd make you feel better."[/color]

Elliot's face went hilariously red, and her brain kind of . . . she wasn't really sure? "I - I, uh," she mumbled, face going slack. She could almost see her own mind retreating, leaving basic cognitive functions to some kind of autopilot as it tried, desperately, to recoil from the horror. She started to say something else, offer some pointless empty platitude, before her expression sharpened. It blinked through terror, muddled its way through confusion, and finally chose hunted as its hill to die on. This emotion was different. It wasn’t like anger, which you could identify by the burn and the red and the sudden, scarily mutinous urge to strangle. This wasn’t like guilt or shame, all soft and chilly and hesitant and all-enveloping.

It was - she couldn’t classify it. It was very odd. Warm, kind of, vibrating with repressed . . . [i]something[/i]. Very, very, very unusual, and that was precisely why it made experiencing it so uncomfortable. All she knew was it felt exactly how those hideous Crocs shoes paired with athletic toe-socks and leg warmers looked. [color=deepskyblue]"That's - " [i]a really good idea - wait, what, no, what are you saying, shut up, shut up, shut up![/i] " - that's - fuck you!"[/color], she hissed, though her voice was shaking with - oh, god, ew, that wasn't [i]want[/i], was it? Her brain did that thing where it translated relief into irritation. It was a parody of her former bravado, but at least it wasn't . . . whatever the hell her treacherous mind had supplied, the bastard. 

Maeve chuckled gently as she saw Elliot's face go as red as the other student's hair and heard the stuttering. A wicked joy filled her, reflected in her eyes, as she waited for the poor girl to get something intelligible out. When she finally did speak Maeve only smiled wider. [i]Flustered and falling back on Anger, or trying to at least. How cute.[/i] 

[color=ed1c24]"Oh, I don't think so. That'd be moving a little too fast for the both of us, wouldn't you think? I mean, we haven't even kissed yet. But if you insist I can speed things up a bit."[/color]

One hand gently went behind Elliot's head to prevent her from fleeing as Maeve moved the remaining hairsbreadth between them and gave her a soft kiss. Breaking it she leaned in to whisper in elliot's ear, [color=ed1c24]"Ná bíodh imní ort. Feicfidh tú a fháil níos fearr leis an gcleachtas. It's been fun, Sweetie. See you around."[/color] With that, she began heading out the hall.

The kiss was soft, gentler than Elliot had expected, with none of the violent, lipsplitting passion Maeve had shown Vail, for which Elliot was secretly grateful. Having to explain a bloody lip would have been troublesome, to say the least - err, not that she planned on sharring, of course! This - whatever the hell this had been - was the kind of secret she'd quite happily take to her grave. (Considering the nature of the person who'd bestowed it, that was probably going to end up being sooner than anticipated.)

[color=deepskyblue]"Holy shit," [/color]she breathed, voice faint and awed and even a little bashful. Her lips still tingled, even moments after the fact, the lingering sensation still ghosting across them. A finger cautiously drifted up, prodding experimentally, and she was pretty sure she was gaping like a fish. Both eyebrows raised, mouth slightly ajar, shock widening her eyes - god, she probably looked like a moron. 

A really, really confused moron. Flustered, too, because that thing she did with her mouth? With the Irish? Yeah. That was . . . wow. Did she always kiss total strangers, or were Elliot and the chick with the gauntlets part of the privileged few?