Fire and Ice (Ravvus/Open)

[Ravvus Wiseau]

Minerva continued to behave in a way which confused the blond mage. She spoke in a playful manner which he didn't quite connect with. In spite of this, a thought popped into his mind. It was something similar to the nature of her jests. ”I'm not so sure about that, sweetie.” He jeered back, picking up some of her playful vernacular. The man spoke jokingly, but there was a lining of truth in his response. He didn't doubt Minerva's talent as a mage by any means. But Ravvus considered himself a difficult opponent. ”For all you know, I was just putting on airs. Maybe that wasn't my actual record.” The blond man spoke with eloquence. His false facade was betrayed only by his inexperience with such jests and the bits of sweat trickling down his head. The blond was a little surprised to find himself talking in such a manner. Revealing his limits was not something he did lightly and yet he was in fact making light of it. Perhaps the woman's coquettish nature had infected him.

Practice control. With recent events in mind, Ravvus found it funny that those words were being spoken about him. He'd lacked control while back in the mountains and back when he'd fought Duma. But Ravvus supposed she did have a point. If nothing else, he knew how to control his flames in times of nonviolence. ”Its not so hard.” The mage said modestly. ”Just strive to add a second to your fires every day. Before you know it, you'll be able to 'forget' the forget portion of your fire spells.” A deadly pun.

His blue-haired companion began to limber up, loosening her muscles with a handful of stretches. Ravvus wasn't sure if the next thing she said was intended as a pun, an innuendo, or both, but he was well-aware of the true meaning of her request. Her breath-taking azure flames danced around her arms as she spoke. She wanted to fight. Even Ravvus could understand that. A thought occurred to the blond man. It was once more something of a playful nature. He wondered if he could turn the tables and make her blush. ”I think I know what that question is.” The mage went to remove his orange cloak, slowly and purposefully. Whilst he removed the robe, he maintained eye contact with Minerva. He bore a pair of soft eyes. They were blue and open ”And the answer is yes.” He did hope the tone of his voice carried his intended boldness. He dropped his travel satchel to the ground, followed by his orange attire. He stepped forward, encompassing the majority of her vision. ”I wouldn't want my attire to catch fire once we start fighting in earnest. I rather enjoy that cloak and would prefer it remain intact.” He walked past the woman, sticking a thumb in his fire tome and propping it open.

He could tell that Minerva was excited, it was reflected by the movements in her fire. Ravvus felt himself getting excited too. The last few times he'd fought, his anger had taken control. He'd been so furious he could hardly see or think straight. But this time, Ravvus was merely excited. There was no foe for him to overcome, no strength of his that needed proving. All there was for the two mages was fun. The fun of testing each other's abilities. Ravvus couldn't remember the last time he'd tried to fight someone solely with the pursuit of pleasure in mind. He was glad he was there, glad he'd met Minerva, and glad that she wanted to fight him. Flirting was an almost alien concept to him, but fighting. Fighting was something Ravvus knew how to do.

[Minerva]

"Hahaha!"

Minerva laughed as Ravvus countered her gentle taunt. It was unusual, coming from him, but she enjoyed how he was able to shrug off the mantle of seriousness. It made playing a lot more fun. Then, when Ravvus boasted about perhaps having more skill, the blunette mage scoffed, her face smiling even as she spoke in mock derision.

"Please. I should hope you don't have more control - as it was, you were drowning in your own sweat!"

Suddenly, the mage stripped off his cloak, smiling and speaking in a strangely loaded tone, his eyes locked on hers. A slight flush, rosy pink, graced her cheeks, and she smiled in genuine mirth. What a battle of wits and wills! It was exciting already.

As Ravvus walked past, Minerva focused her mind and turned, following him with her eyes until he'd gone a sufficient distance. Raising her arms, Minerva let the flames flare up and mass between her cupped palms, and then blew on it, sending a wide swath of short-lived flame fluttering out. A diversion. As the fire reached its widest point, she punched her right arm forward and sent a fireball racing at Ravvus. Undoubtedly, he'd be able to see it coming - the initial attack was more for showmanship. She was warming up, trying to get a feel for his style - a necessary bit of knowledge if she was to out-cast him. She knew he possessed control and endurance, so she would have to be careful - or dangerously powerful.

Either worked, although she liked the volatility of the latter option. It suited her personality.

"Coming at you, honey! Catch it if you can!"

[Ravvus Wiseau]

Score. Ravvus saw a reddish hue visit Minerva's cheeks. A slight swell of confidence welled up inside of him. With his unfamiliarity, or rather unconfidence, with flirting, he didn't know if his gamble would pay off. But, it certainly seemed to do so. Those red cheeks were the most honest part of Minerva he'd seen all day. Even if she had countered with some characteristically, misdirecting, or playful, remark, her physical reactions would have spoken true.

Soon the playful banter ended and Minerva took a distinctly non-combatitive stance, summoning a host of tiny fires between her hands. She blew them forth, like a flurry of flower petals. He should have anticipated as much. The woman took nothing seriously. Ravvus was glad that he'd removed his cloak. Those small sparks, on their own, were not quite capable of harming him. But they were more than enough to burn through his clothing. It suddenly occurred to him that that might have been what the blue-haired woman had in mind. Perhaps this was not an earnest attempt at a fight, but rather an opportunity for the woman to make him blush further. He wouldn't put it past her.

Ravvus observed the small flames as they fluttered in the wind. It was like a celebratory display, something Ravvus expected from a festival or circus act. The blond man wondered what the point of it was, other than to show off Minerva's talent and creativity. But the blunette made it all very clear very quickly. Her arm shot forward and with it was an azure fireball. Fast. It came at him very fast. For a moment, Ravvus wondered if he should just take the hit and see exactly what he was dealing with. Feel the intensity of her fires firsthand. But in the end, he opted for a simple sidestep instead. There would be plenty of time to experience the heat of her fires later, once she started fighting in earnest. Ravvus kicked off to the side with his right foot, narrowly avoiding the blue orb as it shot past him. He was fortunate to have so much experience street fighintg. It gave him a slight edge in speed against most opponents. As his feet hovered above the earth, he made a mental note to anticipate an explosion from behind. Ravvus didn't know if Minerva was the sort to combust her fireballs when they got close enough, but he knew that he himself was. The blond landed back on the earth, his book at the ready. ”That one was a little fast, I might be able to catch the next one if you slow it down a bit.” He called out. The mage couldn't spare too many words. Unlike Minerva, he couldn't fully cast without consulting. He needed his voice to conjure spells. ”But first things first!” He said, double-tasking between jokes and words of power. ”My turn!” He shouted. He muttered an incantation, summoned a sphere of fire, and sent the orange missile her way. The attack was a little off course. An intentional error. The mage began to curve the fire's flight path just as it closed in on Minerva. Just to keep her on her toes, Ravvus raised his free hand, his fingers ready to snap on command. In his mind, he visualized some of the words from the introductory anima manual. With a snap, he sent a small spark, perhaps a tenth the size of his other fireball, flying at Minverva. Ravvus rubbed his fingers thoughtfully. He didn't quite like that. Summoning fire through snaps felt strange. He contemplated using a different gesture.

[Minerva]

Ravvus sidestepped the fireball, just as she'd expected. Allowing the orb to simply fade away - why waste more power? - the mage turned her attention to Ravvus's shot, which... was quite inaccurate. Oh, what a disappointing beginning. She'd hoped for more out of him.

But then, as it neared, she noticed the ball curving toward her. Curving. Dammit, she'd forgotten - he altered their course in-flight.

"Sneaky," Minerva muttered, shuffling to the right to avoid the large fireball. Then, she heard a distinct click, like the snap of fingers, and saw a small flame rushing towards her. The man was using her own skills against her. He was indeed an opponent to be watched.

Well, time to get feisty.

Minerva summoned a fireball, drawing her right arm slowly away from her left and massing a crackling ball of flame in her left hand, but holding a bit of a 'tail' in her right. Swirling her right arm, she agitated the tail and then jammed it back into the ball, which she then hurled towards Ravvus. As the attack neared, it rapidly decayed, becoming erratic and uncontrollable in its flight path, as if Minerva had launched a drunken, angry wasp at Ravvus. The unpredictable nature of the attack would be one thing the man would have to deal with - but there was another.

As the attack got very close to Ravvus, regardless of whether it had struck him or not, it spewed forth a puff of dark, thick smoke. The foul-smelling residue would clear in seconds, as it was a small quantity, but it was good for brief diversions. Minerva used the opportunity to move far to Ravvus's left. He would have to look for her, buying her a little time to relax.

[Ravvus Wiseau]

Minerva remained unscathed as Ravvus fought back. He was glad that she'd been able to dodge his initial strikes. He held the woman's talents in high regard. Anything less than evasion, a hit or even a graze, would have disappointed him. He allowed the fireball to fade and blink out of existence once it passed Minerva. The blond man considered how to react if she evaded his next fireball. He could always combust the projectiles if they got close enough to her. That was a favored trick of his. He kept the stratagem in mind. As for the spark, that attack had been intercepted by Minerva's new blue, fireball. She was doing something with it. What, Ravvus didn't know. From what the blond mage could see, it appeared as if she was jamming a smaller fireball into the larger one.

The sphere of heat shot forward, inconsistent in its' flight path. This new attack caught Ravvus off guard. The mage had found that he could dodge most magical projectiles. They tended to be slow-moving, at least compared to arrows or hand-axes, enough for him to sidestep or duck under. But with Minerva's new fireball, Ravvus wasn't just dealing with speed, he was dealing with variability. The flight path of the zig-zagging blue flame wasn't readable. The mage might be able to dodge it, but if he guessed poorly on the side-step he'd take a direct hit. Ultimately, the blond man decided that his best option was to literally fight fire with fire. Words of power were sounded, and with them came magic. Ravvus didn't imagine he could hit the other fireball with a direct hit. Such a thing would only transpire with luck, and he did not intend to bank on that. Rather, the mage's plan was to explode his fireball once it was close enough to Minerva's. At the very least, that could divert its' flight path. At best, it would weaken and destroy the other fireball.

As the orange fire spat forth towards the fickle blue flames, Ravvus noticed black smoke trailing around Minvera's attack. It smelled terrible, like burnt feet. Ravvus had trouble focusing under its' gag-inducing odor. He'd have to deal with that momentarily. Once the fires were close enough, the blond man exploded his fireball, ridding both mage's of their projectiles. Ravvus peered into the newly formed blackness. He squinted and pinched his nose. He needed to make some distance. He could neither see nor focus so close to the black fog. The mage slowly back-stepped. He had no idea how long the smoke would last. If Minerva was using the it as cover, she'd have a pretty good idea of where he was. The explosion he'd just caused was telling of his position. The mage hummed thoughtfully. An idea occurred. He might be able to use the fog to his advantage. Another fireball was spoken into life. The mage broke right, maximizing his distance from his new projectile, while staying relatively close to the fog. The orange fire hovered, briefly static in its' movements, before floating slowly forward into the fog. A distraction. Ravvus surmised that he might be able to fool his contemporary into thinking he was walking through the fog. If she blasted at his fire, she'd reveal her own position, giving the blond mage an opening. Of course, this was assuming that the two didn't clumsily bump into each other whilst circumventing the smog. The mage smirked. His feet beat against the earth. ”I couldn't catch that one either! You need to go easier on me!” He was genuinely enjoying this.

[Minerva]

As her ersatz attack neared Ravvus, the mage saw a quick blast of flames flare up as orange met blue in an aesthetically stunning display. The smoke, which began to dissipate, glowed strangely as a ball of orange flame gently bobbed through it.

"Well, well..."

Minerva's eyes twinkled. Time to settle this. She raised her arms, energy soaring into her fingertips as a thin layer of ice solidified on her arms. Aiming precisely, she summoned up some power and pointed at the orange fireball. A thin stream of water shot from her outstretched right index finger, arcing and hitting the magical flames head on. There was a brief hiss, and the fireball ceased to exist.

As the last of the dark smoke cleared, Minerva grinned cheekily across the makeshift 'arena' at Ravvus.

"I'm quite the customer, Ravvus dear. I'll have you breaking out in a cold sweat by the time I'm done with you!"

Laughing, Minerva aimed at Ravvus and grinned, her eyes narrowing as she concentrated.

"Ever seen Fimbulvetr before? Let me be the first to knock your socks off!"

The mage unleashed a stream of icy cold water, which blasted from her extended palm like water forced out of a hose. The slightly blue stream shot straight at the man, faster than any fireballs that had been launched thus far. While it wouldn't knock him out or send him flying, if caught unprepared, the stream could easily bowl him over like a reed in a windstorm.

"Can you catch this?"

The downside of her makeshift water cannon was its range. As her opponent got farther away, Minerva had to shrink the diameter of the stream to avoid overexerting herself. If Ravvus continued to retreat, she'd have to advance to do any more than make him uncomfortably wet.

[Ravvus Wiseau]

Ravvus laid in wait, preparing for the moment when Minerva revealed herself. She'd circumvented the blonde mage's advantage of speed with her last attack. She was crafty and had proven herself capable of thinking on her feet and adapting to the situation. But Ravvus was crafty too. And he was eager to spring his trap. Once she took his bait, he would gain the advantage. Or so he thought.

Rather than make use of Minerva's attack on his fireball, as he should have, Ravvus merely gazed on in awe. He heard a hiss, as if water from a pale had struck his fireball, and saw the flames disperse. The blond mage waited for the smog to disperse and laid his eyes on Minerva. He stared at her in disbelief. A river trailed forth from her fingertips, jutting out like an extendable lance or staff. He could hardly believe it. The magic he so desperately desired to wield. It was but a toy to the blue-haired woman. She was by no means a master, her primary means of attacking was water, not ice, but she was still an adept user. The advantage the mage had sought to gain was gone. In fact, it had been seized by Minerva. The surprise attack had caught Ravvus so off guard, that his body didn't start to move, even after the stream of water shot towards him. The blond mage remembered himself. ”Fast!” He muttered in mid-side step. He tried to get out of the way, but it was too late. He couldn't avoid the attack, not entirely. The stream of water struck him left in his shoulder, causing his body to twirl abruptly. His body made a full three hundred sixty degree rotation before the momentum died out and his frame struck the earth.

Dirt covered Ravvus' face. There was a dampness on his left shoulder. He growled in frustration. That had been unbecoming. He had stood there gawking, allowing himself to remain a target for Minerva's attack. Had the projectile been a simple fireball, he might have avoided it just barely. But the water moved faster, and hit harder to boot. With a sharp exhale, Ravvus' hands shot forward, pushing him from the ground. He stood back on his feet. This would prove difficult. The blond man didn't know how to fight against water magic. He would need to observe carefully how the woman manipulated it and act accordingly. But in the mean time, he would try to reestablish his offense.

”I didn't know you could use water magic.” He smirked, half-amused and half-annoyed with her stratagem. ”I don't think I'll be able to catch any of your attacks if they get any faster than that!” The blond mage called a fireball to life. ”Why don't you try and catch one of mine?” He summoned a sibling flame. He cast the first one forth, it was off course and would fly past Minerva. Its' twin, however, was headed straight for her.

--

[Apologies for the long gap. Summer classes started up and made it difficult for me to focus on writing.]

[Minerva]

Hah! It had worked to perfection. The magic of water and ice, Fimbulvetr, had succeeded in landing the first blow. First blood, if they were melee fighters... But the first strike was enough. Now, she had to mix her magic together. That would secure the win. At the moment, she couldn't underestimate Ravvus. Perhaps he too had another skill waiting in the shadows, ready to be unleashed. She couldn't get cocky. Not yet.

"I'm not great at it, obviously - but I can freeze things and shoot water cannons. It's more of an inconveniencing magic at range, since I've not had a lot of time to refine my skills, but close up, I could freeze you solid!"

Laughing, Minerva cut off the stream of water. Ravvus was out of range. As she advanced, her opponent rose to his feet, still taunting her about her speed. What was it that he was driving at? There was no clear reason to slow her attacks down. That would probably be what he was intending her to do. Well, then, she'd keep them as fast as she could.

"Well, maybe I'll just watch you run, then, dear. You do have a dashing frame - and if you happen to get too hot, I could cool you off! Hehehe!"

The bright, clear sound of Minerva's happy laugh echoed out as she smiled at Ravvus. This was more of a friendly, limit-testing spar than a true battle, and she appreciated that a lot. She liked being able to experiment and have a good time, without worrying with staying alive, or escaping sharp metal weapons, or any other complications.

So when Ravvus sent his flame at her, Minerva laughed again, coating her own hand in flame and stepping to the side, grabbing the orange ball and pulling it down to her, struggling to contain its energy and momentum.

Then, she felt a blast of heat, and was sent backwards by an impact she had not forseen. Another fireball. The mage must have made two.

Rolling quickly to extinguish the flames licking at her robe, Minerva rose, shaking her head in self-deprecation.

"Ach, I got lazy... Well, I guess we're not playing nice. No catch or tag for us... Now we'll fight hard and dirty. I never liked playing nice anyway. I was always the naughty one. So then, Ravvus... Let's see how you do it. Put up your dukes - let's get down to it!"

The mage summoned her icy power, sending swirling chunks of ice away from her in a haphazard display as she winked at Ravvus, assuming a ready stance.

"Hit me with your best shot!"

[Ravvus Wiseau]

”So I suppose I should keep my distance if I want to stay safe huh?” Ravvus smiled. ”Or maybe I should play nice and get closer to you?” The mage chuckled at Minerva's flirtatious remarks. It might actually do him some good to be doused with some of her water right now.

Ravvus blinked. Minerva actually tried to catch his fireball. She almost succeeded in doing so too. The blond mage had merely spoken in playful jest when he suggested she intercept his attacks. But Minerva had taken the jape literally and grabbed his projectile. Ravvus hadn't planned for that. His original plan was for the first projectile to pass by Minerva as the second missile approached her front. If the first fireball had gotten behind Minerva, Ravvus would have combusted it, throwing her off balance and leaving her open to the strike from the second fireball. But ironically, the decoy fireball and the assault fireball ended up accomplishing each other's goal. Ah Minerva how she continued to surprise and amaze. She was a delight.

”Hmmm. That was almost a rhyme.” Ravvus chuckled and smiled. ”Fair enough. I've never been one for playing nice either. I was always the rambunctious sort in my youth. Fighting fair never got me anywhere.” He muttered an incantation and wild and untempered fireball appeared above his left hand. ”But fighting dirty?” He mimicked flipping a coin and a small ember appeared above his pointer finger. ”That's something I know how to do.” He glanced at Minerva. Bits of ice twirled away from her body. Ah, there it was. He was finally starting to feel it. His arm wasn't quite twitching, but the anticipation of battle was getting the better of him.

He let the two flames disperse, then clapped his hands. The blond mage muttered a few incantations and summoned another fireball. It grew and grew, until it was about the size of his torso, and then he sent it forward. As the large ball of heat made its' way towards Minerva, Ravvus flicked his thumb and pointer finger, shoot small bullet-like embers at her.

[Minerva]

"Ooh, that makes me a bit happier - I like it when I can have a dirty fight. I despise the buttoned-up formality that combat has become."

Laughing, Minerva ran closer to Ravvus as he drew forth a huge fireball. That would prove problematic if she didn't do something about it - so she did.

As the ball of fire grew, she built her own - a ball of swirling water that solidified into a solid, heavy sphere of ice, crystal clear with no bubbles or haze within it. It was truly beautiful. Such a shame that it would go to waste - but battle was battle, and she had an idea.

As the fireball hurtled towards her, she released the ball of ice, which lumbered forward. The fireball quickly slammed into it, the flames surrounding the ice chunk and then suddenly sputtering as Minerva released control over the ice, causing it to rapidly decay into water that sent a burst of hot steam at Ravvus, in a quick blast, while simultaneously splashing warm water back at her, which she wiped out of her face, swatting the pesky embers away and smacking them off of her clothes as she sent another jab at Ravvus.

"That was really hot, Ravvus... Now I'm all wet!"

Hah! If that didn't fluster him... She would bet anything that he'd at least turn red as a beet, if not pause for a moment.

That's why she took the opportunity to charge forward, coating her body in icy coldness and a thin coating of frost as she sprinted straight towards him, leaping to tackle him down to the ground. It would be one unusual and memorable embrace - a woman covered in ice leaping like a bear wrestler at him. She hoped he'd remember it and look fondly back on it, once he was done being flattened into the turf like a fence post.

[Ravvus Wiseau]

A vibrant, red sun smashed into a cold, blue planet. Neither summon could survive the other, and the two ended up terminating each other in a fantastic and brilliant display. The fireball rapidly cooled and dispersed as it came into contact with the ice. In turn, bits of ice shattered from the initial impact and the mass of solid water rapidly turned into a gas. At first, it seemed as if Ravvus' fireball was going to win out, but the mass of frost changed forms, became a tide of water, and overcame the fireball. The water then changed forms again and became a blast of hot steam headed straight for Ravvus. How clever. The fireball Ravvus had pitched Minerva, she'd sent it right back to him. A beautiful display. The blond mage's arm began to twitch in earnest. He kicked off the ground to his right, performing a nip-tuck roll for added momentum, and avoided the blast of steam.

Eager to continue the fight, Ravvus brought his eyes to rest on Minerva. But the sight of her did the opposite of entice him. Rather, he felt a little calmer as his eyes fell upon her. She was a bit damp, made wet from the water of her icy attack. Bits of blue hair clung to her, laying flat on her face. It was quite an aesthetically pleasing display. The water on her skin made her face glisten in the sunlight. The sight of her had a strangely pacifistic effect on the mage. As Ravvus admired her appearance, she began a new assault of sexual innuendos. The blond mage blushed and frowned at the same time. He'd been steadily building up a tolerance to her wordplay over the course of the battle. But, in his daze, he wasn't quite prepared for a play of such explicit magnitude. He wanted to fire back with something. Something witty like: 'Not yet, you're not!' or cheesy like 'I might need you to cool me off because I'm getting a hot under the collar.' But try as he might, the words just didn't seem to quite form properly in his mouth. ”I think- I think I might be the one who needs to cool down.” Was all he managed to squeak out.

The woman's stratagem had given her a slight advantage. She was making her way towards the blond man, and had a fair head start. What was she doing? Was she trying to get close so she could use her ice magic to its' full affect? Maybe. But she was moving too fast, at the rate she was going she was going to collide into hi-

Oh. Duh.

The realization snapped Ravvus out of rose-cheeked daze. He liked this, what Minerva was doing. Turning this combat of magical prowess to one of physical. He liked that very much. His arm twitched again. That's when Ravvus noticed the thin armor of frost coating her body. Ravvus finally found his voice and began to speak a counter spell into being. Minerva was charging at him with an armor of cold. So he would meet her with a suit of heat. The ensuing grapple of the elements would be a poetic and blood-pumping display. A weak aura of fire, just strong enough to form a visible outline appeared around the blond mage. Ravvus planted his feet and braced himself for Minerva's tackle. Her body collided with his, his hands making contact with her arms, as she slung hers around his torso. The weight of her body was a bit much for Ravvus, braced as he was, and the two of their frames were flung to the earth.

If Minerva thought that the mage would be just as shy with physical contact as he was with flirting, she would find herself mistaken. This wasn't the first time the hot-tempered mage had found himself in a wrestling match with a woman. Growing up, he was rather indiscriminate with who he challenged to brawls, and he'd found himself in such tight embraces with men and women alike over the years. And on top of that, Ravvus was starting to lose himself in the thrill of battle. ”That was quite daring. I like that!” He met her with a toothy grin. ”But, I hope...” The mage moved his hands down Minerva's arms to her wrists in order to gain control of the two limbs. ”your plan here wasn't just to make me blush. I'm stronger than you.” The aura of fire surrounding his body flared lightly. ”And this isn't the first time I've been a position like this.” He winked at her, more comfortable than ever in the blue haired woman's cold embrace.

[Minerva]

”I think- I think I might be the one who needs to cool down.”

"Aww."

Then the impact. Ravvus was surprisingly solid, a package of lithe muscle that gripped her firmly and knowledgeably as she barreled into him. As they slammed into the earth, Minerva on top initially but soon rolled to end up underneath Ravvus, she momentarily lost control of herself and nipped his neck playfully. Then, as he pinned her down, fire and ice melded into one, and a strange lavender haze surrounded them as the blue and red auras lent their light to the small cloud of steam forming around the two, actively wrapped in their grappling match.

”That was quite daring. I like that! But, I hope...your plan here wasn't just to make me blush. I'm stronger than you. And this isn't the first time I've been a position like this.”

The man winked, and something in Minerva roared, deep inside. She winked back, laughing breathily and wrapping her legs around Ravvus to draw him in. As she did, she called forth her full power, and the cold began intensifying, the steam condensing and then falling as freezing rain. The cold droplets then turned to hail, and then everything went sub-zero as the world around them turned white as snow and then ice blanketed them in a veritable (if miniature) glacier.

Inside the frozen cocoon, Minerva smiled, panting slightly. Her muscles were relaxed and loose, and she didn't even try to support Ravvus, who lay pressed tightly on top of her.

"Bet you didn't... think this would happen... when you got up... this morning."

[Ravvus Wiseau]

A grunt of both surprise and excitement escaped Ravvus' lips as Minerva nipped at his neck. The woman was more playful than ever, returning his wink, wrapping her legs around him in a tight embrace, and dissolving into laughter. The blond mage must have truly hit the right mark. No sooner had he finished speaking, did Minerva, quite literally, call upon a storm with her magic. It began with a cold, numbing rain, encompassing his body with a pitter patter of droplets. Were it not for the mage's sheath of fire, the icy droplets would have been a nuisance. Ravvus surmised that this was one of the reasons Minerva kept him in such a tight embrace. His warm body prevented hers from receiving the onslaught of her magic. The water came down on him, heavier and heavier as it shifted into ice, eventually forming an igloo around the two mages.

Then the two were alone, encased in a haven of frost. Minerva lay beneath Ravvus, their bodies still locked in a tight embrace. She panted heavily, drained by the display of magic, but still managed to make her coquettish remarks. A flush of red swelled in the mage's cheeks as desire began to overtake him. His aura of fire brightened and expanded, with thick tongues of heat spurting and flailing from the outline. He wasn't particularly worried about the flames potentially harming Minerva. She was a mage, like him, after all. And if Ravvus could survive an explosion to the face, Minerva could certainly handle a few coils of excited fire.

The blond man held her wrists in his hands. They felt cold. With everything that had just happened, it hadn't even occurred to Ravvus how cold Minerva must have been. He was the one wearing the armor of flames after all, and while that was an effective space heater, the blue-haired woman had her own aura which sapped heat. ”You must be cold.” He stated innocently. The blond man leaned closer to her, feeling the heat of her breath on his face. Her chest raised and lowered itself with each breath. ”Let me... change th-” The blond man's words failed him. Try as he might he simply wasn't as adept as Minerva was at playful banter. He pressed his lips against hers and breathed out, allowing the heat of his body to transfer into hers. He lingered there for a short time, before pulling back. He gazed into here tired, coy, hazel eyes and realized just how difficult it was to control his passions. He leaned forward again, bringing his mouth to hers, and kissed her deeply. He let go of her wrists, and found himself cupping her face in his hands. It was possible that this was just part of an elaborate plan on Minerva's part to win the fight. That the show of magic had not been something he elicited, but a stratagem she'd played at just the right time. That confining their entangled bodies within the igloo was just a means of making Ravvus lose himself to his passions. That this was all a trick and Minerva had played him masterfully. And if it was, Ravvus did not care. As his more primal instincts took over, all he could focus on was the woman beneath him.

The blond mage pulled back, finding himself short of breath. ”We're not...” He managed to gasp out between breaths. ”We're not still fighting, are we?” No sooner had Ravvus finished saying those words, did he know the answer. The flush of red returned to his face, this time from genuine embarrassment.

[Minerva]

Minerva's breath came in short gasps as she lay, dripping wet with Ravvus on top of her. She felt drained, drained as if someone had poked a hole in a bucket and let all the water pour out. Then Ravvus spoke to her, pinning her wrists down and gazing at her as he spoke softly.

"You must be cold. Let me... change th-"

And then he was there, his lips pressed to hers, heat filling her, fire devouring ice and the lavender fading into a deep red as the blond mage's energy and passion overwhelmed her. She lay shell-shocked for the first one, her breath a sudden inward gasp as the heat flowed into her, seeping into every nook and cranny, but then as Ravvus kissed her again she responded in kind, wrapping herself once more around the blond mage as she accepted him hungrily. There was nothing left but him - no fighting spirit, no tricky snares, nothing but pure desire. It had been a while since she'd lost herself so completely, but she felt good. So good. Warm, and liquid, yet simultaneously tingling all over as if buried in snow.

"We're not still fighting, are we?"

The blunette gave one breathy laugh and then pulled the mage down once more, her hands tangled in his shaggy blond hair as she murmured back to him.

"Oh, honey, I'm still fighting... Fighting to control myself right now... And you can be sure I'm losing."

With that she arched her back, her lips meeting his and her hazel eyes locked onto his for one brief second more before she let them close and melted into him once more.

[Ravvus Wiseau]

Minerva dismissed his fears with a hearty laugh. No, no, she did not want to fight him. She made that very clear, very quickly. Relief washed over Ravvus. He was glad. He was enjoying this intimate embrace with Minerva too much for it to have simply been a tactical play. He had utterly convinced himself that he'd fallen for a trap of some kind, that he'd allowed the lustful curse of his gender to subvert his judgement. Though there was some truth in that, he had allowed his passions to overcome him, but it had been far from a mistake on his part. Fortune favored his boldness. Minerva returned his sign of affection and lust.

He returned her stare, captivated by such a connecting gaze, as she brought her lips back to his. Ravvus could feel her. Her fingers lightly tussling through his blonde hair, her cool, wet body pressed against his, and, of course, the light sucking sensation of her lips upon his. The meeting of their eyes occurred over the course of but a second at most, but felt longer. The sight of her face so close to his, in the context of a kiss and with her eyes so wide and full of desire, was beyond intoxicating. It had the power to slow time, to turn seconds into minutes, minutes into hours. When the woman closed her eyes Ravvus followed her lead, temporarily disregarding one of his most necessary senses. He wanted to feel this kiss with her more intensely. No need to dilute the sensations of touch and taste with that of sight.

The blond mage began to pull back, his lips retreating to her bottom lip before finally separating. They balanced each other well. His fire, her ice. He filled her with heat, with warmth, and with life. And she, she tempered him. Her heat-consuming magic took in the excess of his fires. She kept his flames from raging too strongly, from causing the two of them harm in it's abundance of life. It was a perfect balance of two opposite forces. His eyes still closed, Ravvus leaned into her neck, deeply inhaling her scent, familiarizing himself with it. His hands had long left her face and found themselves wrapped behind the woman. One was gently stroking the back of her head, the other tenderly moved up and down her back. The blond mage moved his face further up along her head, nuzzling her cheek softly. He planted a light kiss there, before meeting her forehead with his own.

For right now, it was all gone. The nervousness, the insecurity, the fear. There was nothing but Minerva, a woman he barely knew, but a woman he felt strangely comfortable with nonetheless. A woman he felt he was one with, at least physically. He glanced at the lower portion of her body, what lay beneath her neck. A primal desire stirred within him. ”Mi- Minerva.” He started cautiously ”You wouldn't mind if I-” His voice trailed off. He simply couldn't say it, he couldn't just put it out there like that. He brought his eyes back to bear on hers. The windows to his mind were open and honest. There was no need for him to verbalize the desire.