gay

It's just like with Catsby; the thought is bitter, but true as it courses through Nollaz's mind. However, it's hard to focus on just one thought. Back and forth, she's dodging attack after attack, the sound of metal cutting the air around her, as well as the sound of their blades ricochetting off of each other quicker than the normal eye can see. She'd like to say it's uncomfortable to see the Wanderer's face in a cold fury as the fight persists, but she can't. Not because she's seen the gaze before, after seeing the Phantasm in the flesh, but because this boy - the Apprentice - is unrecognizable. He's a metal monster now; he's left the coil of "troll", leaving it behind like a lizard's skin. No, it's not uncomfortable to see him like this at all - instead, it's saddening. That's what she feels, she decides. She feels sad for her brother.

But most importantly, she doesn't want to hurt him.

To her, he's delicate, even though his attacks are brutal, almost impossible to block and dodge. More than once, she sees golden threads flutter from her epaulettes, thin strands of hair billow into the air. Frankly, she's lucky it hasn't been her blood. Back to the train of thought at hand, however, Nollaz twists fluidly around the Apprentice, kicking him away from her, only to have to block moments later. His eyes seem to glow with fire behind them, and she forces them into a lock of blades, keeping his twisted betwixt the crook of her scissors. She feels her mouth move, but everything sounds distant except for the metal as he breaks the lock. Even as she, herself, is batted away like a fly, her lips still move.

Landing on the ground once more, she goes to meet him, passing with another loud crack of metal and twisting around, to pass by and do the same thing, over and over - she recognizes that she's saying something repetitively. Nollaz can't place it, though, amongst the white noise, and the metal. Oh, and her heart. She can't forget about that rascal, beating as loudly as it is, can she? Her teeth grit in her mouth, sweat beading on her forehead. She can't fight like this.

Nollaz takes a deep breath as she hits the ground on the final pass, skidding on the ground and shifting the scissors in her hands. Shutting her eyes, she lets everything wash over her one last time, drawing it in before pushing it back away. Things begin to grow more clear.

"/COME ON, SISTER, KILL ME! KILL ME, ALREADY!/"

Her eyes snap open, glowing purple with flecks of violet flame licking around them. In an instant, she's moving back forth -

But he's gotten faster, the back of his fist colliding with her face as his blade wrenched her scissors from her hands. Stumbling back, the scent of iron floods her nostrils as blood splatters from her mouth, causing her thoughts to falter, briefly. Time seems to slow down as she looks down to the boy she can call her brother, watching as he begins to close the distance. Slamming her eyes shut, she waits for his blade to pierce through her. She realizes what she's been crying out all this time, in some futile attempt to bring him back, and the word slips from her lips again, just as he's about to drive the sword through her -

"... Tennko!"