high_seas | Masquerade Ball - Totally not an ambush

[Ragna opens his mouth to say something in protest─ but he quickly realizes there's no point in trying to do that. He really should've known better, since Kodachi always seems to ignore the sarcasm part and take his words at face value. The man sighs, feeling it's a little too late to argue about it now.]

... Whatever. Guess a spar can't hurt...

[Although he'd feel weird fighting against the girl. Not that he hasn't faced kids in battle before, but it's far from his favorite thing to do.]

[Kodachi smiled at that. Yes, he may have been rude and annoying, but at least he knew when he had no choice. That was very important.]

When did you learn how to fight?

[Feeling much more at ease, she began to place more edibles onto her plate.]

I was doing martial arts as soon as I could walk and talk.

[Ragna finally takes interest in his own plate as well, sampling various dishes. They're actually pretty good, which may at least make up for being dragged to this place.

The Grim Reaper doesn't find this new information odd─ sure, he's unfamiliar with the ways of Kodachi's world, but in his own, it seems to be common for the children of noble families to be trained in combat from early on, so that they can join the Librarium's ranks later. So it all makes sense.]

That was like... eight years ago, I guess.

[Never the one to keep the track of time too closely ~~since he's jobless~~, Ragna feels slightly surprised at his own words. Eight years already? And yet, that sounds about right... The years spent by Jubei's side sure flew by fast.]

How did you learn?

[Kodachi remembered training with various teachers until she could best them all. And best them all she did. It was part and parcel her talent and her penchant for fighting dirty, but then, that was all ancient history by now.]

[She eyed him all of a sudden, looking him up and down.]

How old are you, anyway?

From my Master.

[And he taught him well. Besting him, though? That's something Ragna wouldn't even dream of; Jubei is the strongest creature to walk on Earth, after all, and one of the legendary Six Heroes on top of that. The old coot may claim he's no longer what he used to be, but he could still defeat most of the world's warriors with minimal effort.

The man blinks, feeling rather uncomfortable with the look she's suddenly giving him. He raises an eyebrow at the question, too─ it's not something he's asked too often.]

Me? I'm twenty-three... no, wait. It's April already, no? Then I guess twenty-four it is...

[~~headcanon ahoy~~ It's hard to keep up with your own age, okay.]

[If only Kodachi knew that his Master was a cat. She would immediately think much better of him.]

You are?

[It's funny how at sixteen, twenty-four seemed positively ancient. Kodachi already wanted to be married and have that part of her life settled. What would she be doing at twenty-four? Having her first child, perhaps? Dominating Japan with her fiercely shrewd investments and her capacity to terrorize her opponents?]

You aren't married yet? How strange.

... Eh?

[Ragna's eyes widen at that, and for a moment he just stands there, dumbfounded. Wh...y is that even important? Fine, he gets Kodachi is crazy about her own martial status, but leave him out of it!]

Are you stupid?! Why the hell would I be?! [Or better yet, to whom.] I don't have time for that kinda nonsense!

[Ain't got time for marriage when you're the world's most wanted criminal, let me tell you.]

Shhh~!

[She took that opportunity to grab a bun to attempt to stuff it into his mouth. Really, she just mentioned that it was odd that he didn't have someone yet! No reason to fly off the handle! It wasn't as if she was temperamental or anything, of course. She was the calmest, sanest person that ever existed, and she was going to demonstrate to Ragna how poised she was.]

How could anyone have no time for love?

[Kodachi looked at him with an expression that was akin to pity.]

Ghhh─

[The man chokes on the bun, taking a moment to swallow it before he can speak (and maybe breathe) again. Okay, maybe he overreacted a bit, but she can't blame him! That was a dumb thing to ask!]

Just like that? I told you I travel a lot. [And, well, he destroys the army's branches wherever he goes, killing everyone in sight. Kind of hard to think about romance when you live a life like his.] ... Don't look at me like this.

[Ragna doesn't like pity; it annoys him when people show it to him, like he's some sort of stray dog in need of a home...]

[Kodachi's expression changed to one of sadness, and she looked away. It really was a lonely life, and she felt sorry for him. For all his crassness and everything infuriating about him, well . . . maybe he'd be different - not nicer, of course - but different if there was someone who loved him and he knew it.]

It sounds lonely, is all. It would be easier, I think, if you had someone fighting alongside you.

[She pushed a bit of cake around her plate. Hadn't it occurred to Ragna that the reason she was so enamored of marriage wasn't just the trappings and the grandiosity of it - it was the simple fact that marriage meant that someone loved you forever and would always be at your side, no matter what - and that you could do the same for them.]

Edited 2014-05-27 17:39 (UTC)

[Again with the "lonely" thing. Ragna honestly can't see why it bothers her so much, especially when it doesn't concern her, but some man from a different world that she barely even knows.]

I don't really care 'bout that. They'd probably just get in the way.

[A part of him is aware saying something like that may make her even more sad, and he feels bad about it, but he'll stand his ground nonetheless. He used to have people he loved─ and now every night he wakes up from the nightmares (or more like memories) of losing them all. The last thing he needs is to go through that kind of hell again.

The Grim Reaper makes a pause, his frown deepening slightly.]

... 'Sides, I'm not a kinda guy people should get involved with.

[It's not any sort of self-deprecation on his part; he's simply stating a fact. Really, hanging around a wanted criminal charged with rebellion and treason is not something many people would choose to do─ and rightly so. The man glances down at his right hand thoughtfully. There's also the matter of his Azure Grimoire... it seems to have gone dormant while in this world, thankfully, but under normal circumstances, it would consume the souls of those around him. Hardly the conditions to keep a lover close to him.

All in all, Ragna feels he has every damn reason not to desire company.]

[Maybe he was right about himself - after all, he was a criminal. He was hard to talk to, difficult to spend time with, and probably preferred to be solitary. There wouldn't be much of a chance for him to be involved with anyone.]

[Kodachi was beginning to realize that here, in this place that she still had no name for, people had different ideals than her; she'd always believed that marriage was the highest ambition in one's life because everyone around her fought for it, tooth and nail. But here, after talking to people like Motochika and Mitsunari and Ragna, she was beginning to understand that there were bigger things. Not necessarily better dreams, but . . . bigger ones. Different ones.]

[It was an eye-opener for sure.]

Hmm - you're quite right, someone as foul-mouthed as you would have a hard time whispering sweet nothings to a lady.

[Kodachi gave him a small smile.]

[Ragna staying as far away from people as possible is better for everyone, for multiple reasons. Plus, he gets peace, while others don't die because of him. It's a win-win situation.

He eyes Kodachi with a scowl. Sure, by now the Grim Reaper has figured all this love shit means a whole lot to her and she'd probably drop everything like it's hot if it meant getting married; that's fine with him, since what she does with her life is none of his business anyway. But does she really have to drag him into this bullshit?]

Who the hell would wanna do crap like that?

[... Just because he knows how she feels about it doesn't mean he'll show it proper respect.]

Not you, obviously.

[Kodachi scoffed and took a bite of another entree. She was beginning to feel that all her talk about the virtue of marriage was wasted in this place. While he was the most vocal in his disapproval, Ragna wasn't the only one who seemed averse to it.]

[Oh, now she's done it.

Normally, Ragna doesn't give a damn about what people think or say about him; after all, at this point the society views him as nothing but a ruthless murderer. And that's fine, as his public image isn't something the Grim Reaper concerns himself with. But the way Kodachi makes a fuss over him not being a romantic type... it feels almost like she deems him to be emotionally stunned or something. Regardless of whether it was her intention or it's just him reading too much into this, he finds himself irritated by the thought.

The man places his plate back on the table with a little more force than necessary, the noise it makes causing a few heads to turn in their direction, but Ragna doesn't seem to care or notice. Instead, he extends his arm towards the girl without a single word.]

[She raised a brow at him. Had he finally snapped?]

[She looked at the hand that was outstretched towards her. Some measure of her didn't trust Ragna completely, and she briefly wondered if he was going to suddenly hurl her across the room or some such. By nature, she wasn't a very trusting person - because she wouldn't trust herself completely if it came to it - but she wanted to be.]

[With that in mind, she hesitated only briefly before putting her hand in his, wondering what the hell he was up to.]

[Did she just successfully goad him into a rage!dance?]

Edited 2014-05-30 18:00 (UTC)

[Oh come on, even he isn't barbaric enough to use violence on a girl in public in a middle of a party!

... At most times. And thankfully, it isn't his intention now, either; instead, Ragna simply takes her hand and starts walking in the direction they came from in the first place─ namely, towards the dance floor.]

You wanted to dance, right? Fine, you're getting it.

[He says that with a huff, looking not unlike an offended ~~and overgrown~~ child.]

[What, Kodachi would totally hurl someone across a room in the middle of a party.]

[Kodachi raised her brows at the way he said that he was finally dancing with her - it was as if he was meting some sort of punishment upon her. Except he looked miserable, while she simply felt bemused.]

[Ragna, you're weird.]

What a change of heart.

[She smiled slyly and easily took up the closed position, coming close to lay her free hand on his shoulder.]

Shut the hell up.

[It will be a cold day in hell before Ragna gives up on trying to maintain the air of superiority, no matter the situation. Though it would sound a lot more convincing if he didn't tense up so much the moment Kodachi came closer. He's... not very good at this physical contact thing, so he'll just stand there awkwardly until somebody tell him what to do.

... A little help here?]

I should probably mention... I can't dance.

[No shit, Rags.]

Shhh.

[Don't make her stuff your mouth with bread all over again, Ragna. To quiet his foul mouth, she placed a finger across his lips. Seriously. Just don't.]

[She ignored the way he tensed up as she came closer - it was probably a reflex, what with how antisocial he was. Plus there was probably that urge to throw her across the room. (Whether or not there really was one didn't matter; all Kodachi knew was that if she were him, she'd definitely have that reflex.)]

I'm not surprised.

Just follow my lead.

[She smiled and took a step back, nudging his foot with her own to follow.]

[His response to that action is stiffening up even more, if that's possible, and it takes literally all of his willpower to overcome the urge to push her away. Maybe GAUNTLET HADES her for the good measure too. What the hell makes her think it's okay to touch him?! It's bad enough that he's about to make an idiot out of himself with an attempt to dance without her pulling shit like that.

... Though surprisingly, it seems to have worked, as Ragna doesn't argue any further and slowly does as instructed. Which, of course, comes out slightly awkward, but he's definitely doing his best there.]

[He was about as graceful as a wall, but Kodachi kept at it until he was awkwardly moving into the steps of the waltz. It was a good thing that she was a wonderful dancer; otherwise, they would've looked terrible on the dance floor.]

[As it was, she held her head high and continued to swirl around, as though dancing was, to her, as easy as breathing. Which, in fact, it was.]

Isn't that nice? ♥

["Nice"? Far from it; to Ragna, it's stressful and makes him feel like a complete moron, but admittedly, the longer he does it, the less unpleasant it feels. The steps aren't overly complicated, so the Grim Reaper manages to follow without much trouble, even if his dancing is nowhere near as elegant or sophisticated as Kodachi's. Eventually, his expression softens a little, the corners of his lips turning up slightly in a small smile.]

... It's not terrible.

[Kodachi managed to coax him into the motions so that she was free to pirouette in his arms, her skirt flaring out dramatically. Coming to a halt, she positioned his arm on her back and guided him to sink her into a perfect dip.]

[She smiled slyly up at Ragna.]

My, my. That wasn't bad at all.

In fact, I daresay it was . . . quite enjoyable.

[She straightened up and sank into a curtsy, as was proper at the end of a dance, before applauding the orchestra and indicating that he should do the same.]

[Ragna sure hopes his nervousness wasn't visible on his face when she did all of her... fancy moves (though he has to admit, they did look pretty impressive). He finds himself rather astonished that he's been able to keep up with Kodachi and not fuck up too badly in the process.

Giving the girl a small, awkward nod at the end of the dance, the Grim Reaper takes the clue and claps his hands a few times before looking back down to his partner.

And then... he laughs.]

You really are a lot like the Rabbit!

[The roses, the lady from a good house vibes... Maybe she's nowhere near Rachel's levels of verbal (and physical) abuse, but it's hard to miss the similarities.]

Masquerade Ball - Totally not an ambush

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