A Defeated Duo (Ravvus/Duma B Support)

[Ravvus Wiseau]

Amidst the retreating members of the Pale Compass, Ravvus trudged alongside Duma. Before them stretched a field of rolling, open plains. There was a relaxing calmness to the sight of the land. A soothing reprieve from the hardships they'd just prior endured. But every respite the land before them provided, the land behind them undid. The plains at their back were no different in appearance, but filled the travelers with terror and anxiety. At any moment a band of bloodthirsty Killuans could come galloping from the rear and run them all down. An unpleasant thought, to say the least. The sooner the Pale Compass left Sacae, the better.

Ravvus turned to face his green-haired companion. ”You got banged up pretty bad back there. How are you feeling?” He didn't care for how the swordsman answered, not really. He just wanted to an excuse to tell Duma how he was feeling. Ravvus was pissed, but not in the usual way. Usually when he was angry, he'd take his aggression out by chucking a few fireballs and reducing a handful of trees to ash. But right now, the mage had no inkling to do so. He was angry, but what he felt wasn't a raging, fiery ire. It was better described as a quiet smoldering, a muted aggression with which he was unfamiliar.

”I'm mad.” He cut in before the swordsman had a chance to answer. ”I'm not even sure why. I just am.” He let out a sharp, brief exhale. ”What the hell was the point of all that?”

[Duma]

"I'm trying to ignore my pain." Duma spoke as he limped along with the rest of the group. He was doing his best to keep up with everyone despite his minor leg injury. He knew there were others among them who had it worse. He knew he wasn't fully right with his emotions. But, the Saceans had made good on their word. They had not yet been ambushed by a bunch of angry Killuans, which meant that the two sisters were probably dead. And that, THAT, left a bitter taste in Duma's mouth. He wasn't exactly fond of the sisters for their attitudes but yet they sacrificed themselves so that the rest of them could live.

"Perhaps there would be a point we could understand if the outcome had been different." He turned his head to glance at his blonde companion. He heard him talk about his feelings. Sounds like a step up from randomly beating a few faces in.

"The point is.. Life is not full of happy endings." Duma ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm bitter." He sighed.

"I know those sisters.. they are probably dead. And if they aren't then they probably wish they were." He spoke calmly. He closed his eyes again and let the scene run through his head once again. The nomad's speech about cleansing the sisters of their crimes by threatening to kill Anton.

"I should have ran my blade through the leader of the coup. Ugh. I had options Ravvus. I could have crippled him. But, that would have just been a death sentence for the rest of us."

[Ravvus Wiseau]

”Well, that's a shitty point!” Ravvus snapped, unintentionally so, at his comrade. ”People shouldn't have to give their lives because those around them are lacking in strength! Because they aren't strong enough to defend themselves in the first place!” Ravvus thought back to the Ilian mountain pass where George had died and Donovan had been injured. He clenched his fists, pained by the memories. ”I hate this. This feeling of powerlessness, of thinking that there was nothing to be done. There had to have been something! Some way we could have prepared better or some magic that I could have learned that could have given us an edge!” The mage struggled to keep his voice low.

”I don't even care that the sisters are dead! Who gives a damn! People die all the time! It's... its' just. Damnit! Why couldn't we do anything?! Was our only choice tucking tail and running!?” What was the right call? Should they have ignored the sacrifice the sisters were willing to make? Would it have been more noble to stay behind, to fight to the last breath? Would they have been better off staying behind and dying? No. Not even Ravvus was rash enough to humor that idea. But, if dying with the sisters was wrong, and running away was also wrong, then what was right? What could they have done differently?

”Damnit.” He swore again. ”...It's good you stayed your blade. I don't think running was the right choice, but killing Sur- Surru- Surresh? Whatever the hell his name was would have gotten everybody killed. And that wouldn't have been the right choice either.”

”Heh...” Ravvus let out a bitter laugh.

”Reminds... reminds me of when we first met. When you gutted that brigand I wanted to fight. Glad you've learned some restraint since then.” The irony of the statement was not lost on the blonde. It was funny. For all of Duma's self-control and steely-composure, he had still had to fight the same urges and impulses as Ravvus. Being of a more even temper didn't mean he lacked emotion or ignored his feelings. It just meant he was better at dealing with them.

[Duma]

"There was nothing else we could do Ravvus. We were out manned. On unfamiliar territory. And exhausted. We were guaranteed to lose had not those two sacrificed themselves. No amount of magic would have gotten us out of that. And even if it did I highly doubt we would have been able to outrun the survivors." Duma shook his head. There were simply too many negative factors involved for them to have gotten out of them without sacrifice.

"Wether.. that was the right thing to do.. that is another question entirely. And that question has no real right answer. Although the answer we did receive.. was probably the best out of all the other possibilities." His mind was starting to go through all sorts of different scenarios. Different endings. He sighed again. He knew better than to think about this now. Now he needed to focus on what was ahead of him. He had a leg that needed healing, a belly that needed food, and a good night's rest. He needed to forget about what had happened here. At least until he was ready to remember it with a clearer head and realize the lesson in all of this.

"Wait Wait, are you mocking me about my restraint? You? Mister fire spike? You were just yelling your frustrations a second ago." He actually found that amusing.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He spoke with an obvious tone of sarcasm.

"Should I have just let that fat bastard continue to beat your face in? Or did you want to wait until he started kicking your ribs in before I intervened?" He was grinning a little bit.

"And don't think I've forgotten our little fistfight afterwards." He was starting to feel better.

"The fact that you didn't run up and punch the trooper in face tells me two things. One, you've grown in intelligence and two you've gotten better at controlling yourself. Most kids never make it that far. Means you've had some other stuff happen since we last met."

[Ravvus Wiseau]

Mister fire spike? What? Was that an idiom?

”Yes! Exactly! That's what you should do next time. Wait until I'm on the ground, getting the piss kicked out of me. You see...” Ravvus raised an open palm so as to call attention to himself. ”I'd almost, almost, torn through my restraints by the time you'd stabbed him. If I'd had just a second more to get my hands on that pudgy pugilist, he'd have been a goner. Bumbling fellow like that wouldn't have been able to take more than a few punches.”

Ravvus placed his hands on hips, lightly chuckling. "Yeah. Guy like that? No way I couldn't have handled him on my own."

”I certainly hope you haven't. I aim to have many more fist fights with you, Duma. We will not stop until I have bested you at least once. My pride simply won't allow any alternative.” Ravvus closed his right fist and thumped it against his chest twice. A literal chest beating to supplement the figurative one.

The mage shot a glance and a smile his companion's way. ”You think so? Well, one must be of great intellect and many temperaments if they wish to master the whole of anima magic; A goal I still intend to accomplish.”

A bittersweet grin placed itself on Ravvus' lips.”I suppose I've seen my share of the world since our last parting as well. Some good; Some bad.” Yes, he had experienced a great deal since he and Duma had last met. Not all of it pleasant. Pictures of a wounded Donovan and a hulking Entombed flashed through his mind. ”But you would prefer to know of the good, yes? Now... how do I put this without being vulgar?” He touched a hand to his chin, stroking a finger just beneath his lip. ”I... spent an afternoon in the company of an Ilian woman. A blue-haired mage who enjoyed playing the coquette. We- hmm” The mage moved his hand to his forehead, now stroking it in thought. ”This is rather difficult to discuss without resorting to vulgarity...”

[Duma]

"Almost torn through your restraints? Truly?" Something about that comment made Duma smirk. There was a saying about talk and actions that popped up in his head. How almosts were just not good enough to get results.

"You do realize that I can't let someone kick the piss out of you now." It was true. Ravvus had graduated from Duma's mental lists of comrades over to a list of friends. And that meant he'd protect Ravvus as best as his ability would let him. Duma still wasn't sure why. After all, they had been on two adventures together. But, he knew it had something to do with the young blonde's spirit. His spirit was similar to that of both Mila's and Vincent. He remembered Mila's love for learning and her desire to become the best mage ever. And Vincent's goal of besting Duma in his own duel.

"Any goal with the desire to better one's self is a good goal. Mastery of All anima magic sounds incredibly difficult. But.. it's one that I think you can achieve. And if you can't well there is always the next life." He glanced at Ravvus for a bit, then back out in the distance to the rest of the group. He did a quick visual sweep of the grasslands around just as a precaution. But, his attention was still focused on Ravvus, who went on to talk about his past adventures. And apparently a past love. Now, that was unexpected, not that he doubted Ravvus' ability to bed a woman, but rather that the blonde was willing to share such a story. It wasn't exactly a conversation the swordsman was used too.

"You are talking to me about a woman you..." He sighed.

"Ravvus, were both men. I respect and thank you for your choice to remain nonvulgar. Trust me I think I can fill in the blanks. What happened after? Did she make you question some sort of life decision?"

[Ravvus Wiseau]

”Oh really, now?” The mage inquired, clumsily swinging his arm around Duma's shoulder. ”You worry about me that much?” His thumb and pointer finger crept towards Duma's cheek, clamping down in a light pinch. ”That steely facade of yours can frown and furrow its' brow as much as you want but, underneath it, you're just a big softy aren't you?” Ravvus was wise enough to know he had a smack coming his way, but it was worth it. The swordsman had offered a rare opportunity for the mage to heckle him.

Ravvus chuckled at his flustered companion. The sigh, in particular, was a cute touch. It was almost as though Duma had never listened to the vulgar ramblings of a drunkard, or a pack of boys who had visited a brothel. ”Hmmm, hmm. Well I'm glad my hesitance and stutters were enough to convey the specifics. To be entirely honest, it did start out as simple training. It was only after she tackled me that...” He shot a glance his companion's way, quickly surmising that the swordsman was uninterested in hearing more. ”Well, you said it yourself. You can fill in the blanks.” Or could he? How many sparing matches evolved into love-making? It had certainly been a first for the mage.

”There's not much more to it than that. It was just one of the better experiences I'd had since we'd last met. It's not often I meet a woman who actively engages in the art of flirting. I must say, it was very refreshing. And fun.” The pitch of his voice rose slightly, and a light smile planted itself on his face. ”Since we're on the subject..." Ravvus glanced at Duma with a mischevous grin. "How about you Duma? I can't be the only person you drop that steely facade for. What's the history of your love life look like?”

[Duma]

Duma didn't take kindly to Ravvus' cheek pinch. He retaliated in kind. Duma raised his hand and proceeded to finger flick Ravvus's nose. The swordsman knew well enough that a good flick on the nose hurt more than any slap. Usually, the flick was painful enough to cause a tear or two on the receiver's eyes.

"Do that again and I'll punch you." Ravvus' comment was one thing. He could tolerate the few jabs at his facade. The green-clad swordsman knew himself. He knew he was a big pile of goo when it came to certain things. Children, kittens, his family, the flowers in springtime, some really good sweets... actually that last one was a trait he with Mila. The both of them would get into literal fist fights over all sorts of sweets as children. Until they were both mature enough to cut the sweet in half and accept the half pieces. No, the threat was due to the fact that Ravvus touched his face. Duma wasn't fond of people touching his face.

"A spar that turned into a bed brawl. That's not an uncommon story." Duma did his best to return to his normally composed self. And he was mostly composed until Ravvus asked about his love life. The swordsman looked away for a moment and had a soft tint of red to his cheeks. Again these were conversations he was not used too.

"I have not been in a relationship with a woman in a while." He sighed.

"That's not to say I haven't been with one prior to that. I had me a love when I was seventeen. I learned two things. When I was with her. One, walls have ears. And two we were idiots." He looked down a bit.

"We were eventually caught by her dad, and she was married off not too long after that. Not that it really mattered. By eighteen I left the country with my sister and didn't look back. But, that's a story for another time. So! What did you fish out of that cave anyway?"

[Ravvus Wiseau]

”Off, ergh!” Ravvus reeled back, massaging his nose with both pointer finger and thumb. Not quite what he'd expected. ”You trying to make me sneeze?” The mage vigorously brushed his finger against the underside of his nose. It didn't do much to ameliorate the itch. In fact, it only served to irritate the mage's nostrils further. He clamped pointer finger and thumb down hard on either side of his nose, shutting both nostrils shut. ”At least...” A sharp, nasal tone penetrated his voice. ”At least you left my money-maker alone.”

'Pity you had to leave her behind.' Were the words Ravvus wanted to say. Unfortunately Duma beat him to the punch. ”What?” The mage sheepishly scritched at the back of his head. ”What makes you think I took something from the cave?” Come now, Ravvus, you kleptomaniac. Your friend knows you better than that. ”Rather.” He took a moment to try to rephrase his thoughts. But... ”Ah, Saint's name.” There was no use.

Ravvus glanced ahead at the rest of the guildsmen, and then to Duma. They were far enough away from prying ears. ”Alright, come closer.” The mage waved at his companion. As the swordsman leaned in, Ravvus gave his travel satchel two solid taps, and proceeded to undo its' binding clasp. He pulled the bag open just enough to give Duma a peak at the prize inside. ”There was a fimbulvetr tome in the cave. The sisters thought it was cursed;” He shrugged. ”I thought it was an opportunity. Certainly saved me a bit of coin.”

[Duma]

"Ah, I know that blue binding well." Duma commented after he finished sticking his nose into Ravvus' bag.

"Father used to keep one on the shelf near the fire place in case of emergencies." He commented in a slightly hushed voice. Ah, now that brought back some more pleasant memories. Good memories that made him momentarily forget about the ordeal the pair had recently ensued.

"Well, once we've recovered ourselves. I ask that you take some time out to show me what you can do with it. I haven't had an opportunity to face ice magic in a while." He thought back to his father. During the summer months, the sage picked up the tome to make ice, in order to chill drinks. And sometimes he'd make ice to put in a bag to help heal sprains. He sighed again. I could really use some of that ice now. He glanced at the rest of the group. We could All use some of that ice right about now. He suspected everyone was dealing with their own sort of pain, and that he really shouldn't be complaining. He got off lightly compared to some of the others.

"Now, I'm kinda curious to know what else was in that cave. I suspect that bow rider will have it raided, and its contents distributed to his most loyal members." He shook his head.

"I wish you could have grabbed me a new blade." He spoke with a bit of a light hearted tone to his voice.

"You were planning on buying one anyway?" Isn't a tome of ice and water a bit too mellow for a hot head like you? the swordsman thought to himself.

"You seem more like the Volcanon type."