[center][hr][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019c0216-960a-7618-8d18-923d004a361f.webp[/img][/center][hr] The side gate to the back yard of Magento's house was propped open, waiting for a particular someone to make an appearance. It was a sunny day, warm, and humid despite the fact it was technically winter. Andy stood under the shade of a tree, soaking in the warmth that felt more like California than Louisiana. Except for the humidity. She was used to dry climates. Not the ever pervasive moisture of the south. She waited, her date would arrive soon. Andy had prepared a small picnic, and because the date was with Gideon, her sword, a gift from Lady Nimue, was on the blanket too. It wasn’t too hard for Gideon to make the trip back to New Orleans, with the number of teleporters in their social circles. America had been kind enough to take the two seconds to drop her off at Andy’s place. Her sword was slung over her back, her hair tousled in a carefully constructed mess, and her ever present black shades concealed her eyes. She wore a loose fitting black tank top and gray sweats, her biceps on display for all the world to see. “Sup?” Gideon rounded the corner of the fence, coming in through the gate, a grocery bag filled with Gatorade and protein bars in one hand, and a bouquet of roses in the other. Andy’s face lit up with delight as Gideon came into the back yard. [color=b71d5d]”Hey,”[/color] She gestured to the blanket laid out near her feet. [color=b71d5d]”You can put food there. I made us some sandwiches too.”[/color] The flowers she took and smelled deeply. Holding them she realized this was the first time anyone had ever given her roses. [color=b71d5d]”Thank you,”[/color] she said, her smile soft and happy. [color=b71d5d]”I can put these in a vase real quick.”[/color] “You made sandwiches? Hell yeah!!” Gideon beamed. She didn’t know how to cook. At all. Even something as simple as putting meat and toppings between two pieces of bread confounded her. The only thing she knew how to make was a protein shake, and she had mercifully decided not to bring one for Andy today, figuring she might prefer the taste of the bars. “Gotcha, take your time. Imma get warmed up,” she said, as she set the food down, took her sword off of her back and set it aside, and immediately went into doing push-ups. Andy appreciatively watched Gideon for a moment before going inside to find a vase she could put the flowers in. She brought it back out with her, placing it near the picnic that was set up. She joined in warming up, and some light stretches, stretching was better for after, but it was good to get blood flowing. Andy, normally taciturn, fell into a comfortable silence. Maybe that's why she enjoyed the presence of others who would fill the silence with little effort from her. She had never given it much thought. Gideon cycled from push-ups into sit-ups and then lastly into squats, moving into her usual stretching routine when she was done. Her blood was flowing comfortably, her body warm and a little buzzed, as she unsheathed her sword, giving it a few slashes. “You ready to show me what you’re made of, Lensherr?” she taunted. Andy grinned, picked up her sword. [color=b71d5d]”I considered making a joke about being made of steel, but I realized how weird that would be.”[/color] Andy laughed and took a fighting stance. She almost automatically went into her boxing stance, but shifted from it into a sword fighting stance. [color=b71d5d]”Ready.”[/color] “Ready!!” Gideon grinned. She had no intention of taking it easy on Andy. That wasn’t the way anyone learned. Her own teachers had hit her with a stick to adjust her grip, demanded push ups for every loss. Pain was the only way she knew how to learn. So she wasn’t going to hold back. Not one bit. Their blades clashed against each other, Gideon’s sword large and strong, but its bulk made her movements slower - whereas Andy’s slighter blade allowed for a more nimble strategy, as Andy dodged attacks, blocking them only to change her position, causing Gideon’s sword to carry its momentum forward, sending her off balance. This dance went on and on until they found themselves locked in a grudge - surely a victory for Gideon, as she pressed more and more down onto Andy, with Andy’s hands above her head, her muscles straining. But with a simple twist and light footwork, Andy sidestepped out of the grudge, her sword swirling around Gideon’s until her blade was held to the other girl’s throat. “Fucking hell, Lensherr. That was hot as shit.” Andy was breathing heavily. She was used to a lot of foot work and exercise. Though she felt she had let some of it drop off over the last semester. She had been so focused on the Contest, that she had not worked out in the way she had before... everything. She smiled, gave a slight nod, and lowered her sword. Andy took a couple of steps back. [color=b71d5d]”I am pleased that you weren’t trying to hold back. That was intense. I don’t think if I didn’t have my boxing background I could have kept up with you.”[/color] Andy then stepped back to the blanket and grabbed one of the gatorade that Gideon had brought with her. She took a few deep drinks of it. [color=b71d5d]”Also, I think I lost some of my fear of getting hurt. After I fell while doing the foil thing with America I did some testing. I’m damn hard to hurt now. I don’t know what changed.”[/color] “Oh yeah?” Gideon tilted her head, as she grabbed one of the gatorades as well. She knocked it back, downing it all in one gulp. She recapped it and tossed it back into the bag, before reaching down for a fresh one. “Isn’t that, like, kinda the whole deal of being a mutant? You can do shit and you don’t know why?” She swallowed half of this one, before closing it. “Did you wanna go again or nah? You know me, I bounce back fast.” Andy nodded, [color=b71d5d]”That is true. I just didn’t know it changed like that. At least last time my powers changed it was because I was cursed.”[/color] She shrugged, and drank half of what was left in her Gatorade. [color=b71d5d]”Again,”[/color] she nodded again, closed her Gatorade, and dropped it on the blanket. She adjusted her sword and took a fighting stance again. Gideon raised an eyebrow. “You’re not cursed again, right? Or I guess you don’t really know if you’re cursed.” She didn’t know her sword was cursed, for instance, as Gideon picked up her two-hander and sank into her fighting stance. Andy shrugged. She didn't know. She did doubt it. But that was a problem for another day. Andy went on the attack, her quick motions matching against Gideon's far more powerful ones. In a wrestling match Gideon would win every time. The sword fight only was a question of if Andy wore out faster. This match went on. It was difficult. They'd trade blows, back off and trade again. Andy was already a little worn out from the previous match, but so was Gideon. They pushed each other to their limits, neither willing to give up easily. [color=b71d5d]”Draw?[/color] Andy asked, her whole body shaking as she held her sword aloft. There was a fifty-fifty on who would win. Andy could move faster, but was she fast enough right now to beat Gideon’s raw strength? Gideon was panting, her sword locked against Andy’s in a grudge, but not one with an easy exit. “Draws end in kisses, you know,” she taunted, not giving up - still pressing her weight down, and not yielding a single inch. Ordinarily, she would have demanded a fight to the floor - but this, this could be a different sort of ending. Andy’s arms shook a little, she grinned, [color=b71d5d]”Guess you’ll have to give me a kiss then.”[/color] “Oh yeah?” Gideon grinned, her tongue poking out slightly between her teeth. “I guess it’s what you deserve, then.” She took a step closer, still not breaking the grudge, as she kissed Andy, her tongue slipping into her mouth. Andy [i]tried[/i] to keep her arms holding the sword up steady, but as she melted into the kiss she couldn’t. Her arms had already been tired, and with the kiss she lost control. She didn’t care, she dropped her sword and pulled Gideon in for a deeper kiss. “I think that means you forfeit,” Gideon growled into the kiss. She kept one hand on her sword, refusing to drop her most prized possession to the ground, as the other migrated to Andy’s waist, before migrating further down to grab her ass. [color=b71d5d]”This round,”[/color] Andy growled back. [color=b71d5d]”I'll get you next time.”[/color] After a few moments of kissing, and grab ass, Andy pulled away. [color=b71d5d]”Hungry?”[/color] “I could eat,” Gideon nodded, her eyes darting downwards. [color=b71d5d]”Not that kind of lunch, at least not outside.”[/color] Andy laughed. [color=b71d5d]”We would go to my room for that.”[/color] “Waste of a good picnic blanket, but alright,” she sighed, before putting her sword carefully away, and flopping down onto the blanket, pulling Andy down there with her. “So what are we having then?” [color=b71d5d]”Eep!”[/color] Andy exclaimed, landing half on Gideon. [color=b71d5d]”I made sandwiches. A couple of types. Wasn't sure what you liked.”[/color] Andy didn't make any moves to open the basket. Gideon wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly. “I kinda eat anything,” she shrugged slightly. “Except for soup. Always worried there’s gonna be a finger or something floating around in there.” [color=b71d5d]”Soup? Finger? Why? How?”[/color] Andy asked, concerned. Was this something that had happened to Gideon? Or one of those unfounded fears? “It happens more often than you’d think.” Gideon didn’t elaborate, as she let go of Andy and started looking through the sandwich options. Andy sat up, sitting criss-cross applesauce, and picked up one of the sandwiches. They were wrapped in butcher paper and labeled in her messy handwriting. [color=b71d5d]”Veggies, meat, and condiments of various types.”[/color] she held up the one she had pulled out for herself. [color=b71d5d]”Salami, sprouts, tomato, mayo and mustard on whole wheat bread. I call them soggy sandwiches even though they aren't.”[/color] The soup conversation was just horrifying enough that Andy didn't want to dig. She let that drop and kept it in mind to never make soup for Gideon. Gideon squinted, before putting a hand over her eyes to shield them from the light, and lifting up her glasses so she could read a little better. She immediately regretted her choice, however, yelping a bit in pain before letting the shades go back into position. “Damn. Sun’s spicy today.” It was not, in fact, very bright out. “Umm…. I’ll take this one!” she grabbed one at random, having no hope of knowing what was in it. She ripped the paper open and took a big bite. “Holy shit this is good!!!” Andy took a bite of hers and considered how to ask what she wanted to. [color=b71d5d]”How... uh god, Gideon, how did you fail last semester? We all had guaranteed A's. With that, I know you're a super senior and if I didn't already feel sometimes like I was way older than my classmates that'd be weird, but considering time travel I'd be 34 and I don't want to consider that even less.”[/color] She paused, Andy struggled with reading. Had her whole life. She had recently agreed to let Percy tutor her. [color=b71d5d]”Is there a way I can help?”[/color] Gideon stopped mid bite for a moment, confused. “Didn’t we already talk about this?” she frowned. Andy considered letting it go. Gideon had given her an out. She adjusted her seating position. [color=b71d5d]”You always dodge the question. You haven't answered. I've asked and you've avoided. Why are you still in school? How haven't you graduated?”[/color] Andy felt bad for pressing. She knew sometimes secrets were easier to keep than share. But secrets also festered and became dangerous between... lovers. She sighed, and set the sandwich down. And then, Gideon pulled out her phone, swiping through until she clicked on an app, and slid the phone across the blanket to Andy. It was an app that converted speech into text and text into speech. “There, you happy now?” she snapped, her voice harsher than she meant it. “I don’t know how to read!” Andy winced slightly at Gideon’s tone. Guilt chewed at her as she looked at the app. She felt her face warm up. [color=b71d5d]”I’m sorry for pushing, but... I kind of understand where you’re coming from. I’m dyslexic, well not officially. But I’ve looked at the symptoms and it matches up pretty well for what I deal with.”[/color] She paused and chewed on her lip, thinking. [color=b71d5d]”Can I help?”[/color] Gideon looked away. She knew that Andy was being nice, and she just wanted to be supportive. She knew that the right thing to do was to say yes, that this was something they could bond and connect over. But she had spent so long being so guarded, so long repressing every emotion, it was hard to break that habit. She just wanted to kiss hot girls and fight people with her sick ass sword. Why couldn’t life be that simple? Why did she have to have failing grades and a dead brother? “Can’t we just have fun on our date?” Gideon murmured, pulling her knees to her chest. “I’m fine. They said if I fail this semester, I’m kicked out. So either way, I guess I graduate.” [color=b71d5d]”I’ll let it drop for now,”[/color] Andy agreed. [color=b71d5d]”However, I’d like to help you study, maybe we can get you C’s.”[/color] Andy struggled with studying, but maybe she could make it fun somehow for Gideon. Relate it back to stuff that she enjoyed. Andy got up and sat down so she was shoulder to shoulder with Gideon. [color=b71d5d]”If there was one thing I’ve learned about being in a relationship it’s that you have to communicate and support each other. As fun as making out, and,”[/color] she cleared her throat. [color=b71d5d]”And other things are with you. I’d like for it to be more than just sex. Is that okay? Is that what you want?”[/color] If not Andy could deal with a short term relationship that was just sex and fun. She could choose to not get attached, or at least try not to. She needed something fun. Gideon wanted nothing more than to die in this moment. She wasn’t good at this - wasn’t good at talking about feelings or communicating. She didn’t know how to handle feelings, how to do anything except for bury them. If she talked about them with Andy, then she had to be honest about them - had to be honest about how she felt. And there were so many things she wasn’t ready to face, so many things she couldn’t handle. She wanted to just make a stupid joke and go back to fighting - or find some way to dip before things could get too serious, get too real. “Andy, I…” she huffed slightly, trying to force the words out. “I’m here for you, I’m super down to support you, I’m in your corner, okay? I just…” She fell silent again, and hidden by the shades, her eyes had started to well up with tears. “There’s so much fucked up shit in my life, and if I stop running from it, it’ll all catch up to me.” Her voice cracked. “It’ll catch me.” Andy held out her hand for Gideon. [color=b71d5d]”You don’t have to tell me right now. I appreciate that you will be there for me. And you need to know I will be there for you. I’ll be here. When you’re ready to talk about it. When you need help. You have my sword.”[/color] She didn’t move for a moment, before she took one of her hands off of her knees, and put it in Andy’s. “What if I’m never ready to talk about it?” she asked. “I can’t promise you I ever will be.” [color=b71d5d]”Then I’ll be here anyway. When your past comes back to haunt you. God knows if my mom ever gets out of her little prison I’m going to be dealing major shit. If you’re willing to stand by me for her, I can handle whatever you throw at me.”[/color] She squeezed Gideon’s hand. [color=b71d5d]”I will say, from very recent experience that loads like that are a lot easier to carry with friends. So if you ever do want to talk, please do. The world is a whole lot less scary than it was a couple of months ago for me, and that’s with just a few people willing to help carry the load. I was so overwhelmed, and scared. God I was so scared of everything. In a way I still am scared. All the time. But now that I know people have my back no matter what happens, I’m less afraid of how much it will hurt. Because I [i]know[/i] there will come a day that I have to do that impossible fight.”[/color] Gideon sniffled a bit, before she nodded. She returned the squeeze. “It’d be kinda sick to kill your mom,” she agreed. Andy laughed. [color=b71d5d]”I don’t think she can be killed, at least not in any meaningful way. Every fight will be just another delay. Every time I win against her it will be more time the world is safe. I had kind of hoped to rehabilitate her, but it felt like the opposite was happening. Like she was sinking her teeth more and more into me.”[/color] Andy shook her head, shaking away the feelings and thoughts about her mother. [color=b71d5d]”So, promise? Promise that when your past comes knocking you’ll let me help?”[/color] Andy reached over with her free hand, holding up her pinky. Gideon hesitated for a moment, before nodding. She reached out and hooked her pinky around Andy’s. There was still so much she wasn’t ready to talk about, so many things that she hadn’t told her… She’d never even mentioned the killer nuns to anyone before… but maybe she could start with something small. She sniffled. “Let’s break my brother out of the insane asylum, then. Over spring break.” [color=b71d5d]”Okay,”[/color] Andy said, simply. She hated CAGE, she would help Gideon get her brother. They definitely had sex after the sandwiches were eaten.