Floor 39~

[uzuki]

Characters: Shion Uzuki and anyone who wants to brave the gym
Setting: Floor 39/Gymnasium
Format: Starting in prose, but I'll match
Summary: Shion is on a magical restaurant quest
Warnings: Physical violence!



When she had awoken that morning, she knew immediately that she was coming down with something. She just didn't feel right. Thinking it might be a cold, she had gone to the restaurant. No matter how many times she had insisted it was untrue in the past, she knew Jin had always been right. Proper nutrition is key to staying healthy. So one little trip to keep her immune system up wouldn't hurt, right?

Unfortunately though, by the time she had chosen something, all she could stomach was orange juice. It wasn't all bad though, a little vitamin C would still help... Probably. The only problem was that task. She had been sent to find a specific weight from the gym. One that had been painted blue.

It was easy enough to find, it was the only blue dumbbell on the rack. And she was happy to see that it was also one of the smallest. Though, upon picking it up, she realized it weighed a lot more than it appeared to. Probably 30 pounds, or close to it. Not that she wasn't in shape... But she was also feeling fatigued. Not to mention nauseated and cold. So on she went, struggling and straining to carry the weight back to the stairs, stopping every few moments to lower it to the floor and catch her breath.

Comments

[facedthetruth]

"Is that any way to react to someone offering you a fa-" He cut off as a coughing fit came over him. It wasn't enough to make him drop the dumbbell, but he did double over slightly.

[uzuki]

"I didn't ask for one."

[facedthetruth]

He groaned slightly when he got the coughing under control, already fed up with the illness.

"You've only associated with the sorts of people who only offer assistance when it's specifically asked for, then?"

[uzuki]

"Of course not. I associate with people who know when to let someone do something on their own if they want to."

Okay, so that was the biggest lie EVER, but still...

[facedthetruth]

"Hmph, fine. If you're so convinced you can handle it, here."

He held the weight out to her, still lifting it like it was feather light...although it did feel heavier than it should. The illness was getting to him, on top of the cold and general fatigue left over from his imprisonment, and it seemed as if even his simplest long-term Ethers were weakening.

[uzuki]

"Good."

She took it back, and immediately sank slightly because of its weight. Regardless of what he thought about his alignment, she couldn't stop seeing him as that man in Labyrinthos with Kevin. And she'd show him she didn't need his help. She started staggering away.

[facedthetruth]

He crossed his arms, watching as she struggled with it. If she really could manage, then fine, but he wasn't convinced she wasn't just too proud to accept help from someone she was used to considering an enemy.

[uzuki]

It was actually a little sad. She was obviously exhausted, and dropped the weight a few times before even reaching the stairs. But despite being pale and even perspiring, she was determined to do it on her own.

[facedthetruth]

"I hope wherever you're trying to take that thing isn't expecting it quickly, considering the condition you're in."

[uzuki]

"Really?"

She lowered it onto a step.

"That's what you hope? Why would you care? Because you have some kind of relationship with my brother? In your universe, I'm some evil figure, right? And in mine, you died in front of my brother, and everyone, because of the things you had done. Not that you actually cared about anyone you had hurt.

So what's your real reason?"

[facedthetruth]

"Don't act as if you understand my thoughts and motivations from whatever you saw while you were at odds with the version of myself in your universe. For one thing, I can't imagine we're even close to identical based off of what I've heard of him."

As he spoke, he closed the distance between them and reached out to grab her roughly by the arm.

"I don't know what impression you got from him, but my life's ambition has been to reverse the endless spiral of greed and mindless self-absorbence that humanity has fallen into. To that end, I will admit I used inhumane methods while convinced that my actions were guided by a higher power. But don't you dare insinuate that that means nothing to me!"

[uzuki]

She might have been weak and feverish, but her reflexes hadn't completely dulled. And as soon as she realized he was making an aggressive move toward her, her instincts kicked in.

She readied her weapon, and by the time he had finished his speech, her free arm was launching an MWS blow at his face.

[facedthetruth]

His eyes widened when he saw the weapon coming toward him and his own reflexes kicked in. He was sore and stiff from the cold, but he jerked to the side, moving toward the arm he already had a grip on, and ducked down to sweep a kick at her ankles, while yanking her arm forward in an attempt to upset her balance.

[uzuki]

That did manage unbalance her. But as she tumbled forward, she shot a strong lighting ether at his chest. Before hit the ground, anyway.

[facedthetruth]

The lightning hit its mark, well before Margulis had the chance to activate his Lightning Phoenix Ether. Rather than pinning her as he'd intended, he stumbled back as he doubled over in pain. And on top of that, the attack managed to trigger another coughing fit. But he forced it under control faster this time, fixing Shion with a look that could only be described as an enraged snarl.

"Why you- I had intended on showing you mercy since you likely didn't know any better about your remark. But I won't allow you to get away with that so easily!"

The end of his sentence was accompanied by a punch aimed directly down at her back. Unlike before, when he had suppressed the effect of his Crimson Ring, this time fire leaped to life around his fist for the attack.

[uzuki]

Pushing herself up had been a slow process. Her muscles ached already, but carrying that stupid dumbbell across the gym had only made it worse. She could barely support her weight with her arms, and was only a few inches off the floor when the punch connected, and seared through the back of her jacket before slamming her back into the floor.

Coughing, struggling to draw a breath, and now bleeding from one nostril, she managed to roll over. And with the last of the fighting strength she could muster, used an ice Ether that sent a large and solid rock of ice hurtling toward Margulis.

[facedthetruth]

He reached for his sword when he saw the ice chunk flying toward him, but his normally superhuman reflexes were dulled by cold, fatigue and sickness. He got his blade out in time to avoid a direct hit from the ice, but the force was just short of what he needed to come out unscathed. Small shards of ice left shallow cuts in cloth and skin.

His free hand clenched, giving off a brief plume of flame as he moved to plant his foot on her stomach.

"I'll make you regret picking this fight, woman."

Someone had to step in..

[lightofhumanity]

"That is quite enough."

chaos had been walking up the stairs and had noticed a blue dumbbell lying on the steps. Looking into the Gym, he had seen Shion and Margulis fighting, and had merely watched for a few moments to see whether they would come to their senses. Since it seemed like they wouldn't, he would have to play peacemaker. He gave the both of them a light glare.

"Margulis, lower your foot on the ground, if you please. How badly are either of you hurt? And why are the two of you fighting in this place? Shion, Margulis is not our enemy here. Why pick a fight?"

[uzuki]

She would have argued that Margulis had started it, by grabbing her first, but after having the air pressed out of her by being stepped on, all she could manage was a deep wheezing breath, then a coughing fit.

[facedthetruth]

Margulis turned to look back at chaos' interruption, but didn't take his foot off of Shion just yet.

"She seems intent on acting as if I'm no different from the U-TIC commander in your universe. And evidently, she considers an attack an appropriate response to someone taking strong offense."

[lightofhumanity]

chaos sighed and walked towards them. "I see. While I do admit that is a terrible thing to assume you are, since you not the same Margulis back in my universe, stepping on her is probably not going to improve her opinion of you."

chaos touched Margulis on the shoulder, both healing him of any cuts and bruises he might have obtained and warming him up.

"Shion..why do you think this Margulis is the same? I admit, a bit of confusion upon the first meeting is normal, but after you know, why continue to think that? Why attack?"

[uzuki]

"Engh..."

She looked away from both of them. She was still angry, and being stepped on... So she really didn't want to have this conversation.

[facedthetruth]

He let out a low growl, both at chaos' assumption that he needed the healing and at the repeated request to let Shion up. It turned into a cough at the end, but he ignored that and reluctantly moved his foot.

"I'm not certain I particularly care if someone like her has a high opinion of me or not."

[lightofhumanity]

chaos sighed and removed his hand. "Whether you two become friends or not is up to you two. However, I shan't have my friends killing each other."

After all..this Margulis seemed like a 'good' person, and Shion..he had deep ties to her and her past, when she was Mary's Maid. He was not going to allow either of them to fight and kill each other. After all, death was quite painful, even in this place where you could regenerate.

chaos nodded as Margulis let Shion up. "Thank you. Now, both of you, catch your breaths and calm down. Arguments are not easily settled when both parties have hot heads. Shion, once you have done that, I would like answers to my questions, if you do not mind."

[uzuki]

It took her a moment, but she sat up once she could. She gave one last glare at Margulis before looking away again. After taking a moment, she may have calmed, but she wasn't any closer to answering. Now that chaos was questioning her, she felt guilty, more than anything else. For letting her anger get the best of her again.