A/N: Right, so, this is out a little late, sorry, but here it is.
Now, onto responses:
phillyitalian: Well, we'll have to see about the Toon Force.
Drake202: Yup, just how Claire is. I'm glad you enjoyed the last one and I hope you enjoy this one.
"You know," I start, knowing what I'm about to say sounds completely ridiculous from my own experience as someone who's been homeless, "aren't you eating a bit too much?" Claire does not like that, whirling around to me with her eyes still heated from the misunderstanding. "Put some thought into it, I was homeless, and I think you're eating too much."
She pauses, looking at the food in front of her as she glares at it before looking back at me, as if daring me to speak up again. "Shut it, pervert spirit."
In retaliation, when she reached for her food, I brought it up beyond her reach as she gaped, "I can give you food, and I can cut you off just as easy."
Her heated glare was cute in comparison to full-grown gangsters, not to mention that, despite most of the food I made coming from the various cans of food in her pantry, she seems to be enjoying the dishes I made. Even Scarlet, the little Hell Cat was seated beside her as she dug into a can of tuna. Slowly, I add some more food as she goes right back to eating as I join her, at a far more sedate pace, but still eating.
Like I said, you never know when you're gonna lose access to food out in the streets, might as well eat when I can. Still, Claire seems hung up on my words so she still answers, "I have a constitution that doesn't get fat."
"Famous last words." I mutter under my breath, enjoying my food as Claire points another attempt at a terrifying glare that was blunted by her just being cute. Still…
The memories of the last few minutes cause shivers to crawl up my spine before shaking it off, returning to my food and enjoying the taste. A coke would be awesome, they have canned food, so why can't they have soda? Pop? Whatever the other languages call soda.
Still, I've heard that Spirits consume their contractor's calories, so Scarlet eating food isn't required, they just like the taste. Does that mean…
My eyes lower from her neckline to her bustline, turning away and sucking my lips lest I begin to laugh at the idea that popped up. I mean, come on, Scarlet can't possibly… She knows her Master, so she wouldn't...
But at that point, wouldn't it just be genetics? Claire isn't old, but she isn't exactly at the age where she's barely developing, so wouldn't the idea that the reason for her lack of growth isn't because Scarlet is taking the calories from there, but because of her genetics be far more painful? At least if Scarlet was consuming her calories from her chest means that there's something to consume there.
At this point, I have to place my forehead against the table or else I'd burst out laughing. "You're thinking something absolutely rude, aren't you?" She asks, her hair shadowing her eyes as I release a deep breath.
"I'm no expert in manners, but isn't it bad manners to eat your dessert so early?" I can't help but point out under Claire's withering glare. "Ruder to glare." I add under my breath.
"Shut up, you panty thief Spirit!" She accuses as…
Well, by definition… Yeah, she got me, there's genuinely nothing I can say back that will work as she continues, "You've been demoted form pervert Spirit to panty thief Spirit."
"You sure you in the right path? Not supposed to be a researcher, maybe a spiritologist? You've been finding so many different types of Spirits, the ruling body of study of Spirits would probably love you."
"Y-You!" She glares before pouting, "You're the worst. Of all the things, you stole my favorite pair of panties."
That detail caught my attention but I quickly let it go lest my head begin to be filled by more… unwholesome thoughts. It's a good thing I had a bevy of material to latch onto, "And I already told ya, it wasn't on purpose."
"Huh?" She asks, a fang appearing on her tooth for a second, likening her to the cat she's contracted to as she adds, "Are you being defiant?"
"…" I wholeheartedly wish I could retort, but… this time, only this time, it was, in fact, mostly my fault, much as I hate that fact.
Despite not looking away, she takes my silence as the victory it was before setting herself back down, the tow of us returning to our food. She takes a bite out of a sandwich and visibly perks up, looking at the sandwich, swallowing it before speaking, showing she still has some manners. "I'll recognize your cooking skills at least. It's delicious. If you make meals for me every day, I'll promote you to cooking Spirit."
"Funny," I can't help but note out loud, mostly to myself but not making an effort to hide my voice, "that's how some people propose where I'm from."
I didn't really note anything wrong, but Claire's face seems to explode int a color of red, her arm shaking as her hand grasps the fork and alarms begin to go off in my head as I begin to shift in preparation.
"D-Don't be an idiot!" She finally bursts out, pointing the fork in my direction, her eyes spinning under the embarrassment, 'Do you want me to turn you to cinders!?"
"Hey!" I say, leaning back before an eye, or both, can be poked out by the fork, "Don't point that thing at me! Do you really want blood on it?"
The mention of blood seems to snap her out of it, as she steps back, still glaring at me, "Hmph." She harrumphs, crossing her arms, "N-Next time you say such idiotic things, I really will turn you to cinders."
"At least season me and cook me to medium." Was my smart response as we return to our food.
In the midst of the silence, not exactly comfortable but not one between two strangers, they continue to eat until Claire pauses as she grabs some eggs and ham. Completely normal pieces of food, but as she took a bite, something about them… stood out.
"This…" She begins, never having tasted ham or eggs like it, "this is pretty good."
"It'd be better with something with it," Ethan adds, "ketchup or soy sauce." He says before smirking to himself at the memory he had while on the run. They weren't always good, but he has quite a few he'd never replace for the world.
"Soy… sauce?" She repeats as Ethan glances up.
"It's a sauce used by some old friends I knew." He explains, "My old hometown wasn't… the best place, but it was one filled with a fairly diverse cast of people in it." Softly, a smile appears as he leans on the palm of his hand, "They weren't always the best, but they did what they could with what they had… I hope they're doing fine." He finishes, returning to his food as he glances at Claire, spotting a strange expression on her face.
It was… melancholic, of sorts, lonely almost. A look he's quite used to having and seeing on a mirror. "Hometown… huh." She murmurs, a distant expression on her face as Ethan nods.
"What's yours like?" He asks, leaning on the palm of his hand once more.
"Pardon me?" She asks.
"Hometown or castle, whatever, what's it like?" He asks, looking at the cans stacked up by the counter. "I don't want to assume, and if we're going to be working together, wouldn't it be right to get to know each other? Sure. I'm not as cuddly as the Hellcat, but I think I can do a few tricks."
For a second, she seems almost befuddled, Ethan taking a bite out of the food he was eating as he continues, "So, it probably wasn't good." He notes as he looks away, stabbing at a piece of ham and shoving it into his mouth, "That why you want a strong Spirit?"
"No." She quickly cuts him off, placing a cup of black tea on the table, her eyes alit with a flame… a flame that'd turn her to cinders if she wasn't careful. "There's someone I want to meet, no matter what."
"Hmm," he hums under his breath, taking a sip from his water in contrast to her black tea, "who'd that be, then?" He asks, not expecting an answer other than to mind his business or her brushing him off. Not like he'd expect her to spill her guts out.
"… Someone I can't hide, something I can't deny." She answers, standing up as she reaches into her chest and brings out a pendant attached to silver chains. On it was a shiny crimson crystal, not a jewel, or at least, he thinks it isn't a jewel. On it was a crest, and as someone who's lived in a major tourist destination, Ethan is fairly used to things like crests.
He's never seen on like the one engraved on the crystal, it's pretty well-done, but Claire seems like she's bracing herself for something, her face unwilling to look at Ethan's as she seems focused on something else.
For a long stretch of time, silence settles over the room, with Ethan still eating as he inspects it. "Hmmm. It's… pretty?"
Claire looks up confused before she pauses, her eyes dulling as if she's looking at something, or someone that's particularly slow. "Right… You're not just any commoner…" She trails off, with an almost dead look in her eyes.
"Hey!" Ethan says, pointing a finger at her. "You're not wrong." He admits as her brow twitches as she sighs. "'Sides, I ain't going anywhere any time soon." He pauses as he shrugs, "Well, more like I simply can't. Still, I've got something I want, and I ain't leavin' 'till I get it." He turns to her as he leans back, his chair resting on two legs instead of the original four. "I'm guessing you want to meet your sister?"
"Absolutely." She answers without hesitation. "When I meet her, I want to hear the truth."
"… You know, I don't mind being in the dark, but a bit of context would be nice." He adds as she glares at him before huffing.
"… If that's the case, fine." She relents, sitting back down as she begins telling the story of the Calamity Queen. The Toons were having a hell of a time recreating her story.
By the end of it, the kitchen would be a mess if the Toons could consistently interact with the material world. Claire was, once more, looking down at her lap, Granny right beside her and doing her best to comfort the poor girl in her own non-visible way. He knew her reason for entering the Blade Dance, for wanting a strong spirit, all of it. Slowly, she looked up, her eyes resolute to meet Ethan's expression.
She's sorely disappointed when he's taking a sip from his water, unfazed and unbothered, well, not completely unbothered. "Well…" He trails off, "I'm no expert on family matters, but if you want to find your sister, all the power to ya. Just… be careful." He adds, looking straight into her very soul with his eyes. "You can't get answers when you're dead."
She harrumphs confidently. "I won't die that easily."
"I'd rather you didn't die at all." He points out, leaning forward as this time, the front two legs of the chair are balancing him this time, his frown serious along with his eyes, "I ain't your slave, but I don't hate you enough to want you dead." He says, as, for a second, his stare causes her to blush, unable to look him in the eye as she fidgets minutely under the intense stare.
Finally, he relents, leaning back, "So, any other reason, or is that all?"
She blinks at his question before looking away, almost shyly, "W-Well, I did hear that Ren Ashbell was going to participate this Blade Dance."
"Ren Ashbell, who's that?" He asks as Claire's head slams onto the table as Ethan laughed.
"Ren Ashbell, who's that?" She could hear his voice, watching as he saved the girl with him, not her contractor, but a possibility…
She watched him, licking her lips, "No, not yet." She mutters under her breath.
He needs to be strong, stronger than he is, strong enough to win.
With that, the woman with black wings disappears, jet black feathers falling down from her previous location.
Throwing his phone on the table, setting an alarm, he watches Claire sleep, moving over and covering her form, weirdly sloppy for a rich girl after her little fangirling episode over Ren Ashbell. One of the premier Blade Dancers, the inspiration for many young ladies to try their hand at being the warriors of Spirits.
"She reminds me of myself when I was younger." Granny says, sighing, "Oh what days they were, fighting those detestable Nazis." She says, a sliver of vitriol coming through her words for a second.
"The way she was talking about him a-a-almost r-r-r-reminded me of M-M-Muhammad A-A-Ali." Porky stuttered out, watching as Daffy and Buggs took center stage aboard a makeshift boxing ring. Swinging wildly and occasionally pulling some of the most over-the-top moves he's ever seen.
"Yeah…" He trailed off, watching Claire sleep, the shadows stretching even in the night, the moon filtering some light in, but still casting some light over the appliances, their shadows stretching almost ominously.
Inwardly, Ethan knew that he was alone, that it was silent, that the sound he heard weren't real in that they weren't in the material realm, but in whatever realm the Toons tend to weave in and out of usually for their shenanigans. He knew this, but despite it, he always felt a bit of trepidation in places that are completely silent.
He was thankful for the Toon's presence on these occasions, he sits on a chair, playing with his backpack and making sure he has everything set up for the 'duel'. He really hopes it isn't a gunfight-like thing where it's supposed to be expected to stay still while they take turns.
Inwardly, he knows that's, most likely, not the truth, but it's funny to think about it that way. He's been in fights, he's not scared of them, but that sword? The idea that more of those things out there could do something similar sent shivers down her spine.
He looks at the mark at the back of his hand and tries to manipulate the same energy he uses for his Toons into it, but it feels sluggish, as if the energy is supposed to have the consistency of water, and instead what comes is sludge. Granted, the energy definitely feels cleaner than sludge, but it doesn't reach, not to mention there are words at the tip of his tongue, similar to the one he chanted when he made a 'contract' with it.
"Is something wrong, sonny?"
"Oh!" Foghorn starts, meandering over, "Is that fear I see? Oh, boy, let me tell you, let. Me. Tell. You. There ain't nothing, nothing I say, that you need to be afraid of."
"So you didn't see me nearly get cut in half by this." He asks, pointing to the mark at the back of his hand. "These things are dangerous, hel-," he begins before flinching as Granny bops him over the head, "-Ow! What?"
Granny points at Claire, shifting as Josue stays quiet, sitting still for a second as he waits for her to return to sleep, the other Toons doing the same, with Daffy and Buggs putting on makeup to look like mimes, eyes wide and putting their hands on the air like they're being impeded by it before they bump into each other, the two puffing their chests and trying to size the other.
Instead, a 'referee' steps in, separating two as they begin flailing in outrage, the 'crowd' of similar mimes cheering or booing the referee as they celebrate with air popcorn and actual popcorn. Elmer throws his real popcorn as it scatters over… something as they begin to take shape in the form of dust cloud and the vague shape of people. The people begin to argue as they charge at Elmer, only for him to brandish a gun at them, as in he was in the pose he usually took when 'hunting wabbits'. They froze as Elmer shifted his stance, waiting for one of the dust people to move.
Someone does and the crowd surges back, the 'dust' person coughing, holding their gut as they fall, slumping on the floor. There was a palpable pressure as Elmer seems confident.
Instead, the crowd surges forward and begin beating up Elmer, kicking up a cloud as the scene changes, all the 'mimes' now cheering for the people to beat up Elmer. Even the referee clambered over and is helping in the dust cloud, dust medics picking up the dust person and escorting them out as, in an explosion of dust, Elmer's beaten form is revealed, twitching as the first sound was made that broke the entire thing.
Elmer's hand hits the floor with a soft thud.
"Booo!"
"C'mon bub, you can't just do that!" Daffy starts, "if you can't deal with the heat, what are you doing here!?"
As the others begin yelling and jeering, Ethan turns to see that Claire is back to her usual, asleep as he sighs. "You shouldn't curse around a lady." Granny reminds him as he sighs, already aware that any snark out of his mouth will only result in a smack across the back of his head.
"Yes Granny." He resigns himself, turning to Foghorn, "Like I was saying, thing was terrifying. What, are you saying I can't?"
"No, you idiot." Foghorn says, Ethan's brow twitching in frustration, the other Toons sputtering or outright laughing at the fact that Foghorn just called me an idiot. "Fear's fine. Hell, if my old pa didn't put the fear of God in me, oh boy, lemme tell ya, I wouldn't be here now. That don't mean it was easy, but c'mon kid, sometimes, ya gotta step forward and take ya licks, ya hear? I say, oh boy, I say life ain't gonna let you walk off a few licks, it's gonna keep licking ya 'till ya down!"
"Ew." Ethan manages, grimacing in disgust at the image that was conjured by Foghorn's passionate ramblings. Or speech is more like it, at least this time, it's more coherent than some of his actual ramblings and far less fatal in that no one's around to hear him. "Did not need that image in my head."
Of course, there's their nebulous ability to interact with objects and people under the caveat that it would not only cause problems for Ethan, but that it'd be funny. All that Ethan could hope was that Foghorn couldn't be heard and their ability only extends to touching things and not being heard.
"He's right, Doc." Buggs points out, leaning on a wall and taking a bite out of a carrot. "Ya can't just flake out easy. Gotta go in and give 'em the ol' one-two." Buggs says, brandishing the ol' meat cannons, performing the iconic and well-known boxing movements as Daffy scoffs, his lisp causing him to spit all over the side and nearly hitting Scarlet.
He really, really, hopes that Spirit spit can't be felt by other Spirits, the two of them are cool with each other, and Ethan would rather not test the limits of a cat's leniency, especially when the cat can burn you into a crisp and beyond. Maybe once the Toons can actually regularly interact with more than just each other and the occasional thing, he'll let Daffy get into as much trouble as he wants. But now, he's practically his arm, he can't just say that the spit Scarlet felt was from his invisible Spirit that definitely isn't the sword one on his hand.
"What are you talking about?" He asks, putting his arms up and bobbing. "It's obvious that he needs the good ol' jab-jab-hook to the stomach!" Daffy argues, re-enacting the move as the rest of his body continues to spin despite his head still looking straight, his body spinning like a top.
"Yeah, well," Buggs said, extending a finger and stopping Daffy's fist, "you're wrong."
Daffy's neck was tied as Buggs finished the sentence before it began to spin like his body was a second ago, his bill extended and making his movements look like a top… again.
This time, Buggs extended his other finger, stopping his bill, but instead of stopping it, it began to spin like if it wasn't tightened correctly.
Ethan decided to leave them. "Still, you saw what those things could do."
"We did." Granny points out, smiling kindly, "We saw what the sword that killed the Demon Lord could do and what a high-ranking Spirit with a well-trained Elementalist could do. It's fine to be afraid when the only thing you can compare them to are probably some of the strongest out there. Just take it one step at a time, nothing wrong with running and re-assessing a threat, especially when it comes t protecting your life."
Ethan mulled over her words, after all, Granny is a veritable fountain of wisdom that fought the nazis once upon a time. He's sure she knows what she's talking about.
Still…
Before he could finish his thought, Granny chuckles, "Besides, we've been with you for a long time, we know you better than you probably know yourself. Like I said, take it a step at a time and do what you can with what you have."
"Yeah." He can't help but scoff, twirling the frying pan in his hand. "A frying pan, a backpack full of random stuff, a firecracker, and a snow cone maker… I'm suddenly feeling a lot less confident about this entire debacle."
"Come now," Granny says, admonishing him, "Is that anyway to talk to young ladies? You're not exactly impressive in their eyes either." She reminds him as Ethan raises a brow.
"That's not my problem, I don't care what they think about me, I've been on the run for years, but they're, like you say, 'young ladies', shouldn't they, I don't know, have a slightly better grasp on their emotions and manners?" He points out as Granny giggles into her hand, hiding the smile before sending him a pointed look.
"You're not exactly making that easier." She points it out as Ethan concedes on that point. He's combative by nature even if he dislikes fighting. After all, fights have the possibility of messing with food stores, and the less fights you get into, the less energy you use and the more you can use it for more useful things, like hunting.
"Well… You're not wrong." He admits hesitantly. "Well, we've got a fight in a bit, might as well get some sleep, alarm should wake us up." He says as he grabs a blanket from his backpack, removing his sweater and folding it into a pillow as he rests his head on it, the floor soft enough to not cause him problem… thing is…
It's the floor. He can't get too comfortable, or else it'll be too hard to get up once the alarm goes off. Still, the room… he didn't notice it until recently, but it smells nice. He can still catch the remnant scent of the food they ate as he can feel Morpheus' embrace become becoming far too tempting as he falls into the lands of dreams, unaware of the dark spirit that circles him, waiting, watching, and, above all, hoping.
"Jesus H. Christ, I still can't believe you used a flaming whip in a very flammable room."
"Sh-Shut up! You should've told me that you had something like that! The sound surprised me, that's all."
"Well, it's not like the chirping of birds would wake either of us up." Ethan points out as Claire harrumphs, looking away as the blonde sighs, running a hand through his recently shortened hair as he stretches, subtle pops ringing out from his back as he sighs in relief. "Still, this place seems so… different at night. Hell, it's different during the day."
Huffing a puff of air, Claire sends him a look he's grown accustomed to before explaining, "Of course, the Areisha Spirit Academy is not only the home of some of the best Elementalists, but the night is also the time of Spirits."
Her shoes click against the path they're taking, dotted with stones as they make their way through the forest, Ethan's flashlight out but not on as Claire is using her own magic to cast a small light, lighting up the immediate area with the moonlight assisting them in finding their way to their 'duel'.
"So, where's this gonna happen? A suspicious alley? The main street? A gym?" He begins to ask, his own sneakers light against the stone and his backpack barely making a noise with his voice being the only thing that stands out considering Claire hasn't said much. Probably tense about the duel with the Knights.
Still, where could girls with the abilities of the very world around them settle their difference through wanton violence and fighting? Ethan's first guess is that one of the buildings worked as an underground fighting ring, he's seen his fair share of them, after all. In his mind, it wouldn't be strange for a building to exist for the express purpose of letting these girls blow off their steam and settle their differences, but considering that wasn't in the tour, then they probably don't have one.
For a while, Claire doesn't answer, instead, leading Ethan to the location, her eyes resolutely looking forward, the flame she was using to light up their surroundings causing her crimson hair to glisten as she finally answers. "There." She says, pointing forward as Ethan's eyes widen, "An Astral Gate."
Within a clearing was something reminiscent of stonehenge, or pictures of it, but instead of pure blocks of rock, it's pillars, flames of blue lit up as white energy coalesced around the stone circle inside, it's design reminiscent of a ruin, but still standing. And it was beautiful.
"...Whoa." He managed, following after Claire, "It's pretty and all, but is it safe?"
"It's the reason why the Academy was built in such a remote location and it's still standing." She answers, before tapping the outside of the circle with her toe. "Astral Gates are gates to the world where Spirits reside, the Astral Zero. This Gate leads to a safe area, filled with low-level Spirits."
"So, nothing like the sword and your cat. Got it." He says, nodding before pausing as she leans forward, practically right in front of him despite the height difference.
"Are you sure? Because I'm not going to be explaining this again." She warns him as Ethan brings up both hands.
"I do, I do. Don't worry." He assures her as she steps back and into the circle and he follows, speaking in the strange language she uses for her spells as the light around them began to brighten, intensifying until Ethan was forced to close his eyes.
A second later, when he felt confident to open his eyes, the first thing he saw was a blood red moon and a box rattling in its best imitation of a wolf's howl. But considering who's locked in the box, it wouldn't be a howl but still be ten times scarier..
Trees twist in strange ways with a purple fog covering the area around them, hiding a lot from sight as Claire continues, "If it's here, nobody can disturb us. Even if we were injured, it would not be so serious, so this place is often used by the Academy students for duels."
"Talk about privilege, eh Doc?" Buggs muttered as Ethan had to suppress a snort. Leave it to rich kids to use an entirely different world to settle squabbles with each other and not have to deal with the consequences.
Shaking his head, Claire extends a hand, "Flame, illuminate." The small flame comes to life once more, lighting the path ahead as the two spot the narrow path. "Let's go, Ethan." She says, brushing her twintails and following the trail, Ethan following as he take sin the surrounding.
"So," Ethan starts, turning to Claire, "what're our chances of winning?"
Claire's expression twitches, becoming downtrodden before shaking it off a second later, "… I believe you'd make a suitable distraction with your frying pan." She says, evading the question as the two of them glance at each other, before Ethan releases a heavy sigh.
"… I'll do my best." He says, relinquishing himself to being a decoy as the one with the least experience in this entire thing. "What about you? Obvious it might be, but I'm still trying to catch up on all the Elementalists subjects."
"Putting aside the other two, Ellis is strong. Her title as the Knight's Leader isn't for show. Not to mention Scarlet exhausted some strength from this morning's fight with the sealed Spirit. Rinslet…" She trails off, grimacing, "I recognize her ability, but her teamwork is abysmal."
"So we should probably plan around her as the linchpin, huh?" He asks out loud, holding a hand to his chin, to Claire's interest as the red-headed firecracker watched his mind work. "As the weakest link Spirit-wise, I'll have to run as a distraction, go in head first and try to hold on. It'd probably be better to turn it into a guerilla fight, dip into the forest and take 'em out from there, but Rinslet doesn't seem like the type to do so." He grimaces as Claire raises a brow.
"Don't you have a sword Spirit?" She asks, "Shouldn't you know how to summon it?"
Ethan didn't answer, instead, he raised a brow as Claire was suddenly far more reluctant in this entire affair, not only because her pride is on the line and she brought along a commoner to it, but because she might be the reason why one of the few people who she can see as a good acquaintance, and a possible friend despite his heavy use of sarcasm and thinly-veiled insults, will be hurt.
"No." He answers simply, continuing his walk as Claire gaped before stomping ahead.
"Honestly, how did you manage to make a contract with a sealed Spirit. It makes no sense." She points out as Ethan sighs.
"And you're violent whip-using tendencies aren't?" He points out, her temper flaring as she uses her whip as he brandishes his frying pan and parries the blow. The sound easing her heart somewhat, after all, if he can block that, then he should be fine. That does bring up a question though, how strong is that frying pan?
"Anyway," he continues, as if she didn't try to hit him, "you'll run interference, I'll run decoy and stay out of Rinslet's way."
"Hah!?" She bursts, glaring at Ethan. "Want me to turn you to cinders?"
"Look, it's the only solid plan we have." He explains as Claire tilts her head in confusion, "Archers aren't supposed to be stationary nor are they supposed to be out in the open, whips aren't exactly traditional weapons, and they're not expecting anything from me." He points out as they reach a theater-like area. "Use your brain for once and take these factors into account, anything I do through pure luck will cause them to stumble, you'll run around and aim for their legs, keep them immobile and stopping them from disposing of me or Rinslet, then Rinslet will take care of them. That sound good?"
Claire's face was one of shock, she didn't say anything as Ethan gave her a confused look. "Claire…?"
Finally, she returns to her senses as she looks at him with a re-appraising look. "Forgive me, I thought you were just a lucky, rude, thuggish commoner." She trails off, a line of flame appearing in between her hands as she tugs at both ends, a loud snap ringing out as she adds, "It seems l should add 'strategically competent' to that list. But I feel like I should make you pay for what you said!"
The crack of a whip hitting a frying pan rings out as a few pass by his guard, as Ethan evaded most of them until a voice interrupted her, to Ethan's relief. "What in the world are you doing, Claire Rouge?"
"You're late!" Claire snaps at Rinslet, the blonde in the Academy uniform as she huffs, her sizable chest shifting as she brushes a stray strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear. Behind her, Carol appeared, smiling all the way with a rolled-up flag amongst other things.
"Aah," Rinslet sighs audibly, "a lady getting dressed take time."
"That Carol over there? What's she doing here?" Ethan asks, the maid smiling and waving her hand as Ethan does the same.
"Of course I'm here." She confirms, unfurling her flag as it flattered in the wind, as it said something about Rinslet and her being the best. "I'm milady's supporter."
"Right…" He trailed off but smiled, amused at her antics even at the tense situation.
"By the way," Rinslet starts, curious as she holds a finger to her cheek, "why were you whipping Ethan?"
Immediately, Carol jumped on the question, "Milady, that's something unrefined to listen to."
Claire's face begins to practically boil as her face became the same color as her hair. "What do you mean?" Rinslet asks, curious as Ethan lays on one of the seats and waits for the fight to start.
"That as a form of slightly unusual love." Carol elaborates, tilting her head and smiling brightly, "In a unique way, that was a perverted play."
Claire was practically steaming as Rinslet seemed absolutely scandalized, her own blush a few degrees behind Scarlet's. "Ehh! Is that right, you two?"
Ethan doesn't answer, already fairly exhausted before even starting but Claire retorts, "T-That's not it!" She denies Rinslet before turning to Carol, "W-What are you saying you stupid maid?!"
Before they could continue, a familiar voice rang out. "Your side seems to be all present, Raven class."
The four of them looked up to the origin of the frigid voice, atop the crumbling walls of the theater, the moonlight glints off of the three knight's silver armor, with Ellis Fahrengart at the front, her two knights behind her like something straight out of a Saturday morning TV show.. They had to have been waiting for the perfect moment.
"Ellis Fahrengart, for how long were you here!?" Claire demands as Ethan scoffs, sitting up as he grabs his frying pan and hops up to Carol, leaving his bag with her.
"By the by, you wouldn't by any chance have been waiting for a chance to appear at a cool moment, right?" He says, attempting to transmit his wishes for Carol to take care of his stuff as the maid nods with a smile and he returns it, ignorant to Rinslet and Claire narrowing their eyes at the little act before returning to Ellis.
"Wha-!" She starts, looking anywhere but Ethan's location, "T-There's no such thing! I only just got here!" She retorted, nearly falling off her perch as Ethan had to stifle his laughter as he joined Claire up front.
Ellis' glare landed on them as she regained her composure and drew her sword from her waist, "Let's go, Raven class. Let's finish this duel by daybreak!"
Before they could retort, he took one step as Claire lagged back as a flame lit up the stage, a feeling familiar to the sealed Spirit coming to mind as he watched the flame spin, Daffy walking by as he slows down.
In the next second, he jumped, eyes popping out of their sockets as his pupils became hearts at what he saw.
Slowly, the eagle began to spread its wings, nearly covering the red moon as Ethan closed his eyes and sighed in resignation, twirling his frying pan in one hand and exhaling slowly, his breath coming out in a low hiss. He opened them as he finally stepped at the lowest area, Rinslet at the top, Claire somewhere in the middle and Ellis and her knights opposite of them.
"Let me introduce you, Ethan." Ellis began, "This is my contracted Spirit, demon wind Spirit, Simorgh!"
In a burst of wind, the eagle released an unholy mixture of a screech and a howl, kicking up dust as Ethan could feel the wind return to it as his lips twitched upwards in regret. Removing his sweater, no longer wearing the uniform but a black shirt and jeans, he ties it around his waist, tightening it so it wouldn't fly off as the sleeves flew in the returning wind.
Claire brandished her whip and Rinslet pulled back the string of her bow, the two trading one last insult as for their roles in this fight as the eagle flew up before swooping down like a missile.
Ethan dashed away as he rolls, bringing up a hand to protect his face from the debris as he spotted the damage Simorgh left.
With that one look, he knew he would not like being hit by that.
Like a bell, the duel begun.