Jessie vs. Lucien

[Deleted]

The sky was bright, the air was clear, and the birds were singing; altogether, it was a beautiful day. And Jessie Mercury wasn't going to miss a bit of it. Long blond hair was sprawled out across the chair, long legs peeking out from the military uniform, complete with short skirt and shiny black shoes. A single foot tapped to an invisible beat, a hammer strapped to her waist wedged between the plastic strips of the lawn chair. A contented sigh escaped the ruby lips of the State Alchemist. Yet below the perfect skin, blond hair, and happy demeanor lay power unknown.

With a sudden movement, she sat straight up. Pulling a pocket watch - embroidered with sapphire and made of gold - out of her pocket, she checked the time. With a cut nod, she stood up. In a low voice, thick with a southerner's drawl, she said, "The Capital is always beautiful this time of year ..." With a low *click-clack*, she walked down the cobblestone path leading to the Training Room, where she had a challenge waiting. A bi-weekly training session, if you will; a mere friendly spar between two exceptional State Alchemists. A smile crossed her face. 'I heard he's cute, too ...'

And then, she arrived. A completely open, empty stone courtyard, tufts of grass poking up around the edge, but otherwise a completely bare, gray rock. A smile crossed her face as she reached for the steel hammer on her waist, wrapped in leather. The grey of steel could be seen as she grabbed the loop of leather. Her ruby lips creased into a smile, she slowly started to swing her hammer around until it became a blur, a circle, a blurry image. And then she waited.

Strength: 140 (100 on Auto-mail right arm)
Speed: 80
Alchemic Stamina: 100
Alchemic Dexterity:100
Instinct: 50
Senses: 50

[Zeich Yajuu]

“It’s all in the linework… There’s something magical about capturing an image in ink, for all to see.”

The brush’s tip touched the canvas lightly as storm-blue eyes scanned over the horizon. Lucian DeMont, the Shaping Alchemist, sat atop the roof of Central’s main headquarters, his legs dangling over the side and his canvas pad resting against his legs. Rather than using a pen or pencil as most people did to draw or write, Lucian was a bit old-fashioned. He had an old ink brush that had been an heirloom of his family, a fine mahogany base carved and polished until it was smooth as glass. Lines were carved into it, little whorls and spirals that made their way up towards the head of the brush. The tassel was made of special silken strands, coated with a special oil that would allow them to retain their beautiful white sheen after a simple rinse to clean off any ink; no staining or darkening of the tassels was possible with just ink.

Dipping his brush into the jar at his side once more, Lucian let it brush gently against the canvas in a slow, even line. His hands were perfectly steady, tracing out the strokes that slowly painted out the image of the city horizon in front of him. It was a long process, one that he had been working on for three days now, but the buildings were starting to take a definite shape as more detail became evident. Windows and doors were tiny specks, but even the smallest details were done in a calm, careful manner as Lucian’s brush dabbed ink across the thick canvas of his sketchpad. This was an ink painting that he would sell, he believed, the details almost good enough to match the view if one were to look out a window.

“Alchemist DeMont?” A voice came from behind him, breaking Lucian’s concentration. His hand almost slipped, ruining the piece, but the Alchemist managed to keep his hand firmly in place. With a sigh, the young man dipped his brush in a small container of water he had brought up from inside, quickly cleaning it off before placing its protective cap over it and tucking it back into a pocket along with his now-sealed ink container. Turning, he found a low-ranked soldier saluting him.

“What is it…?” Lucian’s voice seemed almost lazy, languid, as he noted the soldier with a bored expression.

“Sir!” Another salute. How quaint. “I have a message from your superiors, sir! You are asked to meet Alchemist Mercury in the Training Ground by Courtyard B, sir! Report imm—”

“Please stop calling me ‘sir,’ or at least so often… it’s a bit irritating.” Lucian sighed again, reaching into his coat to ensure that his weapons of choice were present and folded up into the hidden pockets. He turned to the stairs and began to descend, speaking briefly to the soldier as he passed. “I will head there now. I don’t think I’ll be able to get any more work done on this landscape today anyway…”

---

In about fifteen minutes, Lucian was at the training ground that he was requested to meet Alchemist Jessie Mercury. On the way, he had managed to find a superior officer to get an explanation and an idea of what to expect. It seemed that Central had been instituting a new program of late; Alchemists were expected to spar on a bi-weekly basis to train and hone their skills in order to be more effective when it came to actual wartime combat. What a bother; Lucian was not one who enjoyed the front lines, and only had joined the military because he was the eldest son of his family who was skilled in alchemy and tradition bade he do so. Training exercises and practice for combat were bothersome, but he went along with them for the sake of his family’s name.

Upon arriving, Lucian studied the woman across from him with a bored, semi-neutral expression. Unlike the Shaping Alchemist, Jessie seemed to stick to the dress code. Lucian, on the other hand, felt no such inclination and dressed comfortably, wearing some of the less embroidered clothing he owned. Still, his jacket was fairly ornamented and his silk shirt was clearly of good quality, but at least he made an effort to tone it down. He wasn’t here to rub his family’s wealth in everyone’s face; Lucian was just here because he was expected to serve in the military to preserve his family’s traditions.

“I don’t suppose you wouldn’t mind putting this off…? I don’t really care much for fighting…” Lucian’s stance was relaxed, his hands in his pockets and his expression bored. “I was interrupted out of finishing such a nice painting too…”

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength: 30
Speed: 170
Alchemical Stamina: 40
Alchemical Dexterity: 150
Instinct: 70
Senses: 40

Stamina: 80/80

[Deleted]

"I was right; he IS cute." Thought Jessie with glee. But she kept her expression masked. "A bit depressing, though, it seems." Bright green eyes, like the leaves of an apple tree, flicked up and down, noting the informal dress and bored expression. Her upper lip curled in disgust, her right hand curling into a fist, the auto-mail joints curling inwards. A flicker of annoyance spread across her face for just an instinct before being hidden by a small smile. She stopped her hand, the hammer revolving once in midair before she caught it, holding it firmly in her hand. Her left arm was on her hip, a single blond eyebrow raised.

Then her plush lips parted, and her voice rang out. "Sorry, hun. I'm not one to disobey orders." She smiles at him, a smile that has had many men bowing down at her feet. Despite everything, she was very beautiful. With well defined features, tanned skin, and a body that men would kill to spend a night with, she is definitely a looker. Yet there was something past her physical appearance - the way she carries herself, the way she holds herself - that hints at secrets beneath the beauty. "If ya prefah, I can' always take it easy on ya, sugah." She winked at him, long eyelashes closing once then raising again. Her hammer swung again, this time moving in a slower circle; it was hypnotizing, the way the hammer moved, the way her muscles tightened then loosened.

[Zeich Yajuu]

“If you insist…” Lucian sighed, and reached into his a pocket of his coat, as if going for a weapon. What he brought out, however, was a small sheet of folded paper that looked to be blank on the side closest to Jessie. Was this his weapon of choice, or was it an odd habit of his to carry around blank sheets of paper. His other hand had an ink brush in it, one that was obviously high-quality, and this he held at ready. “It’s a shame, though… you’d make a great model for a painting…” He said this as an objective observer; unable to concentrate on anything besides his art, Lucian wasn’t taken by the woman’s attractive looks, and instead just noted that she would make a great painting, one that would sell well.

But now wasn’t the time for pleasure. Suddenly the paper started changing shape as he activated the circle that was hidden on the side closest to him, folding itself up and stretching to form a four-pointed star, almost like a shuriken but a bit larger. The object also became much more dense, the carbon within it shifting in order to make what was once paper nearly as sharp as steel. Though only its shape changed visibly, the edges were thinner and sharper, making the whole thing feel a bit heavier, and the star would fly straight when thrown. Of course, it still looked like paper. A glance from Jessie would show nothing but a star-shaped folded piece of paper.

And then it was thrown, and immediately another came behind it. This time, Lucian formed the paper in his coat pocket, and so Jessie wouldn’t see it form, would hopefully assume he was going for another sheet to fold in front of her again. But the star was already ready and hurled the instant his hand was removed from his pocket, the star flying through the air. This one was aimed at a lower trajectory than before, and would cut into Jessie’s thigh if she did not avoid the attack. Lucian wasn’t a fan of battle, and as a result he was trying to wrap it up as quickly as possible. A leg injury would disable her and call the match in his favor while she was taken to the medical wing to have her wound treated.

Lucian reached inside his coat for another piece of paper, but seemingly hesitated. Instead, he formed a paper trench knife with another sheet, this one wrapping around his fingers and forming a long blade that grew out horizontally, parallel to the curve of his hand. It was a bigger object, so it took a second sheet of paper, but in a heartbeat he had the weapon set. With that he began his actual assault, closing the distance between them with one quick charge. His hand emerged from his coat, and the paper trench knife suddenly slashed out as the man punched out at Jessie’s chest, attempting to slash it open. The attack came suddenly, with little warning, as he attacked. The artist’s eyes were calm, level, and focused. Lucian possessed a significant ability, one of narrow concentration, dedication to the task he put his mind to. Jessie would learn soon enough that when something drew Lucian’s attention, there was no escaping his gaze.

Stamina: 73/80

SPOILER: Click to show

-Used Class 5 Alchemy to create a paper star [0 Time units for premade circle, -2 Stamina (4 halved due to specialty)] (10 Time Units Remaining)
-Used Class 5 Alchemy to create a paper star [0 Time units for premade circle, -2 Stamina (4 halved due to specialty)] (10 Time Units Remaining)
-Used Class 5 Alchemy to create a paper trench knife [0 Time units for premade circle, -3 Stamina (4 halved due to specialty, +1 for extra paper used)] (10 Time Units Remaining)
-Moved ten feet to attack Jessie at close-range, -1 Time Unit (9 Time Units Remaining)
-Used a physical melee attack, -1 Time unit (8 Time Units Remaining)