Chapter 134: "Stand My Ground"
Kyle set his things down next to his seat and sat. "Sup, Rag?" he said. "Why the long, stupid face?"
"Something weird happened between me and Merc' this weekend."
"Something weird like that?"
"I dunno! She's just so mysterious!" Ragnarok planted his face into his desk and waited for something to grow.
Nothing did.
"...Is he okay?" Kyrie asked, stopping as she walked by.
"The usual," Kyle joked. "Something happened between him and Mercedes that he won't talk ab--"
Ragnarok found the energy to clap his hands over Kyle's respiratory orifices just in time to stifle his message. Well, he was pretty late, but he took it as a tiny success. "It's nothing! Nothing!"
"...What happened?" Kyrie was wearing her serious face. "Did she... touch... you...?"
"What?! No! Probably not!" Ragnarok had to second-guess himself. "I mean, who wouldn't? I wouldn't! No way! But you might! Wait no! I'm not trying to--!"
Kyrie had already walked away and seated herself in her own desk. Ragnarok breathed a sigh of relief. Kyle collapsed due to a lack of oxygen.
So the day started out awkward, but even at the end it was far from over.
"The Duel will be limited to two minutes!" The emcee announced. "If there is no knock-out within that time, Duelists will be determined by power and finesse displayed during the bout."
"What's the deal, Kyrie? You've never challenged me to a Duel before and we are childhood friends!"
"I know all of that! But I won't stand around and watch as you toy with Ragnarok's feelings just because he's an idiot!"
Mercedes spat in disgust. "If you think that's what's going on then you're just as stupid as he is!"
Ragnarok frowned. "It's almost like they don't know I'm here." Kyle patted him on the back.
A long black whip materialized in Mercedes' hand. Its handle was embedded with jewels that brought out the black in her eyes.
"Those are her pupils, Rag," Kyle said matter-of-factly. "You have them too!"
Kyrie took a new martial arts stance that Ragnarok had never seen her use before. It seemed Mercedes was familiar with it, however, as her eye twitched at the sight of it. "Prepare yourself!"
"Leave such cheesy lines to movie stars and RPG heroes!" Mercedes called back, readying her whip. Then, without warning, she lashed out.
Kyrie absorbed the strike with her forearm and gripped the weapon with her other hand as she advanced in short bursts. She gave it a sharp tug, pulling her opponent forward.
This wasn't the first time Mercedes had seen Kyrie fight, and she knew that letting her get close enough to tag her or land a reverse palm was the end of the match. Her options were limited at the moment though, so she tried to talk her down. "And what do you care if Ragnarok is confused? It's never bothered you before, and it's certainly never bothered him!"
"It bothers me because I know it bothers you! And you don't even bother to notice!" Kyrie responded without hesitation. "He's head-over-heels for you, and you treat him like this constantly?! He deserves better, even if you don't feel the same way!"
"What business is it of yours?!" Mercedes stomped a heel onto the handle of her whip, sending an electric shock running through it like a wire. Kyrie trembled as the shock entered her body, and forced the whip away from her hand as quickly as she could. With a twist of her heel, Mercedes could bring the whip back and forth like an electric python, so Kyrie had to move around it precisely.
"People like you don't deserve to have guys fawning over you all over the place! But still, they do! I won't stand by and watch any longer! There's no way I could call myself a friend if I did!"
Mercedes tilted her foot back on her heel, and the whip retracted completely. She tapped the bottom once more and flipped it up into her hand. "Just say what this is really about already, won't you? You like him too, right?"
Kyrie stumbled, as though over those very words. For some reason, having someone else say it before her threw her off balance in every way. But it was okay, she thought with her hand palm pressed to Mercedes' chest. She was already where she needed to be. She felt the whip winding around her torso, but she didn't care. None of that mattered now. Nothing could be unsaid or unheard. "Yeah. And I'll take him if you don't."
"I dare you to try."
A crack.
And the arena was filled with the light of passion.
"Something weird happened between me and Merc' this weekend."
"Something weird like that?"
"I dunno! She's just so mysterious!" Ragnarok planted his face into his desk and waited for something to grow.
Nothing did.
"...Is he okay?" Kyrie asked, stopping as she walked by.
"The usual," Kyle joked. "Something happened between him and Mercedes that he won't talk ab--"
Ragnarok found the energy to clap his hands over Kyle's respiratory orifices just in time to stifle his message. Well, he was pretty late, but he took it as a tiny success. "It's nothing! Nothing!"
"...What happened?" Kyrie was wearing her serious face. "Did she... touch... you...?"
"What?! No! Probably not!" Ragnarok had to second-guess himself. "I mean, who wouldn't? I wouldn't! No way! But you might! Wait no! I'm not trying to--!"
Kyrie had already walked away and seated herself in her own desk. Ragnarok breathed a sigh of relief. Kyle collapsed due to a lack of oxygen.
So the day started out awkward, but even at the end it was far from over.
"The Duel will be limited to two minutes!" The emcee announced. "If there is no knock-out within that time, Duelists will be determined by power and finesse displayed during the bout."
"What's the deal, Kyrie? You've never challenged me to a Duel before and we are childhood friends!"
"I know all of that! But I won't stand around and watch as you toy with Ragnarok's feelings just because he's an idiot!"
Mercedes spat in disgust. "If you think that's what's going on then you're just as stupid as he is!"
Ragnarok frowned. "It's almost like they don't know I'm here." Kyle patted him on the back.
A long black whip materialized in Mercedes' hand. Its handle was embedded with jewels that brought out the black in her eyes.
"Those are her pupils, Rag," Kyle said matter-of-factly. "You have them too!"
Kyrie took a new martial arts stance that Ragnarok had never seen her use before. It seemed Mercedes was familiar with it, however, as her eye twitched at the sight of it. "Prepare yourself!"
"Leave such cheesy lines to movie stars and RPG heroes!" Mercedes called back, readying her whip. Then, without warning, she lashed out.
Kyrie absorbed the strike with her forearm and gripped the weapon with her other hand as she advanced in short bursts. She gave it a sharp tug, pulling her opponent forward.
This wasn't the first time Mercedes had seen Kyrie fight, and she knew that letting her get close enough to tag her or land a reverse palm was the end of the match. Her options were limited at the moment though, so she tried to talk her down. "And what do you care if Ragnarok is confused? It's never bothered you before, and it's certainly never bothered him!"
"It bothers me because I know it bothers you! And you don't even bother to notice!" Kyrie responded without hesitation. "He's head-over-heels for you, and you treat him like this constantly?! He deserves better, even if you don't feel the same way!"
"What business is it of yours?!" Mercedes stomped a heel onto the handle of her whip, sending an electric shock running through it like a wire. Kyrie trembled as the shock entered her body, and forced the whip away from her hand as quickly as she could. With a twist of her heel, Mercedes could bring the whip back and forth like an electric python, so Kyrie had to move around it precisely.
"People like you don't deserve to have guys fawning over you all over the place! But still, they do! I won't stand by and watch any longer! There's no way I could call myself a friend if I did!"
Mercedes tilted her foot back on her heel, and the whip retracted completely. She tapped the bottom once more and flipped it up into her hand. "Just say what this is really about already, won't you? You like him too, right?"
Kyrie stumbled, as though over those very words. For some reason, having someone else say it before her threw her off balance in every way. But it was okay, she thought with her hand palm pressed to Mercedes' chest. She was already where she needed to be. She felt the whip winding around her torso, but she didn't care. None of that mattered now. Nothing could be unsaid or unheard. "Yeah. And I'll take him if you don't."
"I dare you to try."
A crack.
And the arena was filled with the light of passion.