[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/436941809848025090/559784304436314112/unicorn-giggles.regular.png[/img] [i][h2]AND[/h2][/i] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/436941809848025090/562652130708553749/char-bb.regular_1_1.png[/img][hr]

Sunny days are supposed to be pleasant affairs. When the sun peeks over the horizon, entire cities give out a collective sigh of relief. The sun is a symbol of warmth and comfort, a sign that today, you can go about your business feeling the pleasant hug of the heavens around you.

But not for today. Today, the sun was the enemy. It was Akko’s hammer, beating mercilessly upon her drum, played in this instance by our own dear Tynni. Of all the days where the sun had to show its unwelcome face, it had to be today. Two weeks of biting winds had preceded today and now, right when she needed them the most, they deserted her in favour of a beautiful, blistering heatwave.

Had she the weather she desired, Tynni would have had an advantage over her opponent. It may not have had a huge effect, but right now, even something as minute as a change in weather could make the difference between glorious victory and shameful defeat. Just one little gust, she pleaded to Akko. Just a little wind chill.

If Akko heard her prayers, she chose not to answer them. 

“You doing okay there, titless?” came a smarmy voice from the other side of the ring. “You wanna throw in the towel already?”

Siiga Kalayo. Notorious outlaw, defiler of heirs… and one stuck up bitch. God, how Tynni had longed to plant something on that arrogant face of hers, preferably something hard, sharp and at high speeds. Once upon a time, Kalayo had been responsible for all manner of havoc up and down the country. She had done it all. Banditry, kidnapping, murder, larceny, even ruined a couple of debutantes in her time. Of course, in her recent years, she had decided to use her experience to work with the law rather than against it, a change in sides that was about as believable as a New York sales pitch, but it had the guards wiping their brows in relief nonetheless. Siiga was gorgeous. That’s not a compliment, that’s a fact, and by god did she know it. Every part of her, from her voice to her mannerisms to her clothes, was designed to draw as much attention to her “considerable assets” as she could.

Which brings us squarely to why Tynni was praying for a cold snap so hard. See, most soldiers wear full body armour. The interested watchers at the side of the ring were mostly clad in chainmail. Tynni herself had a fetching blend of leather and gambeson protecting her. Siiga? She wore a bra, a leather greatcoat and what a modern man might calling hot pants or Daisy dukes, but those words hadn’t been invented yet, so Tynni just called them Siiga Shorts. The place of her that had the best protection was her legs, clad in knee-high black leather boots. Her official excuse was that she would distract her foes like this; some mystical art from way out East done by female assassins, she said. A load of bull. Tynni knew that she just liked to get the attention. It was especially embarrassing for a professional soldier if he couldn’t beat a random bandit woman, but especially so if she wasn’t even wearing armour when she did it.

All that exposed flesh made for a tempting target. It also provided absolutely no protection against the cold weather. While wind and rain would have to get through the thick cloth and leather on Tynni’s skin, Siiga would be shivering like a kicked dog. But fate had cruelly taken that advantage away from her. Now it was Tynni who was feeling the effects of the weather, while Siiga was undisturbed.

“And lose my chance to beat you down? I’m gonna pass on that offer, thanks”

Arrogant cow. As if she was gonna pass this opportunity up. For the past year and a half, Tynni had not known peace. Whenever Siiga got the chance, she would go out of her way to embarrass or humiliate the new girl. Out on a march? Siiga would stomp on the back of her heel and trip her up. Going for a bath? Siiga steals her clothes. They have any sort of competition where Siiga’s side happens to win, even by the slimmest of margins? Tynni would get paraded across the marching grounds like a prize trophy on Siiga’s shoulders, kicking and screaming. That was on top of the endless insults of “titless” and “dwarf”. With the others, she had a playful rivalry. But to Siiga? Siiga was one she absolutely detested.

The captain, Tiikeri, wouldn’t do anything about it. That was how Siiga showed her affection, he said. Tynni knew affection, and it didn’t involve having to climb the great tree in the yard because someone decided to decorate it with your undergarments.

Finally, their disagreements had become too much to bear. After being tripped up for the a thousandth time during the morning march, sending Tynni sprawling into wet mud, the smaller girl had finally challenged the bullying bitch to a one-on-one fight. That had been two days ago. Looking back, it had probably been a mistake. Siiga was Tiikeri’s prize girl. She had the highest success rate of anyone in the company, had beaten several veterans without taking a scratch, and was broadly considered the second-in-command after the captain himself. 

By contrast, Tynni had made a bit of a fool of herself when she had initially arrived. She thought Siiga’s harsh treatment was just some sort of hazing ritual, and she had gone through it without a murmur. When the weeks became months and she realised that this was no mere hazing, she had tried her best to patch things up with Siiga. But  when she apologised, she just laughed in her face and called her an idiot, and didn’t change her behaviour at all. She got her gifts, asked her out for drinks, even asked her straight to her face why she hated her so much. No answer, just more insults. By the time that Tynni realised that Siiga was just being an asshole for asshole’s sake, everyone had the opinion that Tynni was some kind of braindead, naive moron, and handled her with kiddy gloves as much as they could. Only Tiikeri saw any potential in the little mercenary. She tried so hard to prove them all wrong, but nothing she did was good enough. People only saw this naive kid, not the fighter that Tynni desperately wanted to be. Once more, everyone would stare at her and treat her like an outsider. But this time, it wasn’t out of respect, but disdain.

Well, no more of that. Now, she had the chance in front of her to prove them all wrong, starting with Siiga. After today, they were going to look at her with respect. She swore it.

“Alright, girls, enough tough-talking. Time to get to business” said Valiity. He had been chosen to arbitrate the fight. “It’s a simple submission fight. It will go on until one of you calls it quits, or if i think you look too banged up to keep going. Weapons only - I don’t know what kind of magic you know, Tiny, but if I see a spell from either of you, that’s a straight disqualification. Can both fighters please pick up their weapons?”

Tynni plucked her halberd off the ground. It was nothing special, but she had it ever since she joined the Followers, and she couldn’t imagine just throwing it aside for anything else. To her shock, Siiga picked up a very similar weapon. Was she mocking her?

“Both halberds. Fine. Just remember, you picked these weapons, girls, so I don’t want to hear anything about how it was unfair because such-and-such reason. You fuck up, it’s your own fault.You go on the bell, and not a second before. You stop on the bell, and not a second after. Get ready.”

As Valiity went to the bell, Siiga offered a sickening smile to her opponent. “My safeword is Hummingbird~”

“I’ll keep an ear open for it” Tynni retorted.

The bell rings, and Siiga doesn’t waste any time. In her mind, she was already celebrating her victory with a pint at the local, Tynni optionally around her shoulders like a slain bear. With an almighty bellow, she charges, fast and low like a raging bull ready to trample Tynni into submission. Tynni doesn’t react anywhere near fast enough, and lets out an “oof” as 220lbs and muscle and fury thunders her into the wooden edge of the ring. Pain blossoms along her lower back where the edge bit her skin. 

But that was just the beginning of Tynni's worries. She barely has time to gasp before Siiga's knee finds its way into her gut. If Tynni could have staggered back, she would have, but with the edge of the ring cutting off any escape, she can only stand there and take it as Siiga follows up with a second, then a third, knee to the solar plexus.

Weakened and weary, Tynni can only watch in horror as Siiga lifts her by neck and knee. She looks up to the heavens, pleading with Akko for a shred of mercy. And then it all goes white. Later, she would learn that Siiga dropped her into her outstretched knee, contorting her back and pelvis skyward. At the time, it didn't matter. All she could feel was pain.

Siiga makes a show of throwing the injured girl over her shoulder, leaving her gasping and writhing in the dust. All that build up, and that was the result? One basic move and Tiny Titless Tynni was out for the count? She couldn't say she was surprised, but damn, she expected a little more fight out of her. If nothing else, it was fun to bat her about like a cat with a mouse. Ah well. It would make for a laugh at the pub.

Siiga turned to jump over the fence, thinking nothing more of the fight. Except…

“S-so that's… it then? You're just… just gonna walk out a-and leave..?”

No way. Look at that. Titless was actually crawling to her feet.

“Didn't...anyone ever tell you… not to leave a girl unsatisfied?” Tynni's hands scrambled for her halberd. When she found it, she staggered back upright, battered and bruised, but still willing to fight.

Siiga was… well, not impressed. More irritated. Didn't she know when it was time to call it quits? “Clearly you need to spend more time getting acquainted to the underside of my boot.” Siiga spat, turning to face her stubborn foe. “Fine. If you want me to beat your ass more, I'm happy to oblige”

Once more, Siiga doesn't give Tynni any time to prepare, and prepares to rush her down again. But this time, Tynni sees it coming. As Siiga barrels towards her, she drops into a defensive position and thrusts her halberd towards her. If Siiga kept going, she would impale herself on Tynni's halberd.

No such luck. Siiga was reckless, but she wasn't thick, and she knew she wouldn't get anywhere while there was a steel spike in her path. Worse, Tynni had timed her move just right that she couldn't properly counter it. She could only stop dead in her tracks, and against a healthy foe, that would have been fatal. Luckily for her, Tynni was still recovering from her backbreaker and didn't have the energy or the wits to counter-charge while she was undefended, but if she wasn't…

It didn't bear thinking about. Right now, she needed something big, something that would knock the little brat flat on her ass and stop her getting back up. A quick series of jabs put Tynni on the back foot while she thought. She had the range advantage. She had a height advantage. She had a weight advantage. All the components were right in front of her, she just needed to use them. But how?

Too late, Tynni realised that Siiga had been pushing her back. She had yielded too much ground, and now she couldn't attack without exposing herself to a counter. Idiot! She should be closing her in, not backing away! 

One last, powerful thrust forces Tynni to leap back and that's when Siiga goes for her coup de grâce. She swings the halberd over her head like an axe. With thunderous force, the blade comes rushing towards Tynni's neck, ready to seperate the two once and for all. Would she offer up a prayer to her precious Akko, Siiga wondered, or would she not have the time before her inevitable beheading?

Things didn't go quite as planned.

Siiga had expected to hear the squishy splurt of blood and to feel her halberd carve through muscle, bone and sinew alike. Instead, she heard the rasp of metal and felt a powerful jarring sensation race up her arm. In her determination to finish the fight, she had overcommitted to her assault. It was a trivial matter for Tynni to redirect that momentum safely over her head, leaving her completely and utterly exposed to whatever retribution Tynni had planned. Siiga realised this a split second before the metal pommel of her opponents halberd slammed into the side of her face.

Siiga reeled back in pain. A welt was already forming on her cheek, but before she could worry about that, Tynni rammed the haft of her weapon into her nose with the force of a steam-roller. Bones crunched. Blood splattered the sand. In the midst of the collision, Siiga dropped her weapon, though she swiftly joined it on the floor. Through the ringing in her ears, she heard, hollow, the gasp of the crowd watching the one they were certain would win crumble to the ground.

But Tynni paid them no mind. The past year of insults, humiliations and bullying had formed a little black ball of malice deep inside her, and now that she had seen the chance to finally rid herself of her tormentor, that ball was erupting inside her. With a mighty, terrifying roar, she raised her halberd over her head and brought it down.

If Siiga had been a shorter woman, she would have died. In the days to come, when she played this moment back in her head, she would swear blind that if she had been one measly inch shorter, she would be a dead woman. But as it happened, she happened to be just the right height, and just the right distance away that if she were to stick her leg out, it would hook behind Tynni's and send her tumbling to the ground, ruining her chance at finishing the fight. Which is, of course, exactly what happened. Tynni fell to earth with a tremendous thud, and before she knew what end was up, Siiga was on her like a bad smell.

---
    Though it was midway through the day, Lynn was just now waking up from a nap. The half merfolk girl rose from a shallow pool of water, that was brought to her by some of the others in the encampment. She dried out easily in this desert,  and the scorching sun was doing its best to dissipate the water around her further. She sat up groggily, the water dripping off of her as she did so. Someone called out to her, "Oi, ya friend seems ta be 'avin a bit of a scuffle I 'ear. Might wanna go take a peek ,could be right entertainin'." 

Lynn stared at the man blankly, gathering her thoughts. She didn't remember falling asleep here, in fact, it seemed like she was in a makeshift bath house of sorts, and she was sitting in a slowly leaking wooden washtub. She was still fully clothed, but it seems that wherever she fell asleep last, someone must have moved them to a place that was safer for her. The man spoke up again, seeing her confusion. "Siiga found you out like a light again, brought ya 'ere ta rest. This desert ain't tha kindest towards your folk I'd rekon. Anyway, ya better get goin'. My money is on Siiga breakin' the half pint in ta two by now."

"Oh no...," Lynn said, a bit worried. Her staff came floating to her as she climbed out of the water and onto it. "Thank you, I will go see." She continued as she hurried off the water that was in the bath seemed to float out and follow her as well. She flew away from the little bath house and up so she could get a good view of the surroundings. Sure enough, there was a crowd formed not to far from the edge of their little portable mercenary town, and two figures were fighting in a wooden ring. Lynn floated down to where they were just in time to see Siiga making an advance on a smaller girl. She watched as Siiga made a devastating looking cut to the girl's neck, but it was deflected by the other girl, who returned with two strikes to Siiga's face. [color=7FFFD4]"Siiga!"[/color] she called out to her as she saw the other girl lift her halberd up for a finishing strike, but she didn't seem to hear her. It did seem, however, that Siiga was to make a comeback, knocking the girl over and pouncing on her as soon as possible.[color=7FFFD4] 

"You aren't going to call it? One of them could die?"[/color] she pleaded with the man in the cage as well, officiating the fight, but he seemed not to mind, engrossed in however the fight would end up. Lynn, looked back to Siiga, who was pummeling her oppenent into the ground now. Lynn flew up above the wall of the wooden fence they used for an arena, some of the spectators calling out to her warning her she could get hurt. Lynn was determined to stop the fight, so she used the water she was holding on to for herself and dumped it onto Siiga and Tynni. 

[color=7FFFD4]"Please stop! You are both badly hurt!"[/color] she said, standing next to them. Her hands held together in front of her, though one was completely covered by her sleeve. Her ears were down and her tail was nearly coiled around her. She didn't like being the the middle of the arena with all this attention, but she was too worried for her to care about that trivial discomfort.

(Last part written by @Jollan)