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To my dear Clorinde,
In front of you is a collection of toy blasters.
I know we were having disagreements about where to go for Friday’s date, so this is how it shall be decided. You are to pick your weapons of choice. I have taken stronghold in Poisson, equipped with my own arsenal. Should you tag me with a dart, we shall go try that new limited-time menu of Escoffier’s. Should I tag you, we will see Furina’s newest film.
I hope you like popcorn.
Love,
Navia
Clorinde read the note several times.
Then a few more times.
Then one more time for good measure.
Was she serious?
Clorinde had to admit that she was intrigued, however. The arsenal in front of her was made of plastic, with mechanisms inside for firing foam darts. Was this what children enjoyed playing with nowadays? She picked one up, noting its weight, sights, and how it was loaded. It was a pistol, not too dissimilar to her own weapon of choice, perhaps even inspired by it. A test shot revealed that it wasn’t the most accurate weapon, but she could compensate for that with her own skill. If Navia was in Poisson, then it was likely that she had a plan up her sleeve.
Clorinde would prepare for a siege.
A pair of pistols on each hip. A rifle on her back with a foam dagger and sword beside it. Up her sleeve was a smaller pistol, a single shot loaded.
Hanging from bandoliers were two bags full of ammunition.
When she left her house, some Melusines gave her weird looks.
“What kind of duel does she have today?” One asked.
“I don’t know, but I’d hate to be her opponent,” The other answered.
Clorinde made her way to Poisson, going by way of stealth rather than direct entry. Sure enough, a man in a suit was patrolling the outskirts, a rifle in his hands. Navia had been gushing over Furina’s new film since it was announced.
She was gonna do anything to win.
As much as Clorinde loved Furina, this wasn’t something she wanted to see, admittedly. It was an adaptation of a book series that Clorinde hated, with the awkward, kinda creepy love between a vampire and a human.
When he had his back turned, Clorinde shot forward, drawing her dagger. She grabbed him, placing it over his throat and slitting it. He fell over, motionless on the ground.
“What?” Clorinde whispered. She looked at the toy in her hands like it was a murder weapon.
“Don’t worry, I’m alive,” The guard whispered back.
“How much are you being paid to do this?”
“Oh, so much.”
“Very well then. You won’t mind if I do this then?”
“Do what-”
Clorinde picked him up, hiding the body in a bush.
She continued onward, unseen as she climbed to a vantage point. The entirety of Poisson was heavily guarded, guards everywhere, each armed with various toy weapons. If she was hit by even a single one of their shots, then Clorinde would die never having tried Escoffier’s limited time menu!
She brought her rifle off her back, looking down the scope. Navia seemed to be in Poisson’s ship, at the helm with a shotgun in her hands.
Clorinde took a deep breath, holding it in as she took aim.
Adjust for wind.
Find the right angle.
And pull the trigger.
Clorinde fired, her dart making it about a quarter of the way to her girlfriend before plopping into the waters below.
Maybe these toys didn’t have much firepower.
They also made a lot of noise.
Every guard in the area turned to Clorinde, raising their weapons.
“Fine then,” Clorinde mumbled. With an Electro-powered leap, she went high into the air, firing two shots with her rifle, each striking true.
When she landed, she had drawn her sword, blocking two shots before retaliating with her own pistol. Three guards fell, leaving two aiming their guns at her. As they fired, Clorinde ducked, their shots tagging each other. They dropped to the floor as Clorinde sheathed her blade.
The one downside of her weapons (aside from them being toys) was how long they took to reload sometimes. Clorinde spent far too long loading darts into her pistol and rifle, long enough for backup to arrive. Two guards with rifles ran up, weapons drawn-
Clorinde threw her dagger before they could do anything. It bounced off one of their chests, ricocheting into the other’s head, and then back into Clorinde’s hand. She’d have to move quick before more arrived.
Keeping in stealth, she moved past another group of guards. She could dispatch them one by one, but would that waste ammo? Take too much time? Would they end up as reinforcements later if she did nothing now?
It was better to be safe than sorry.
A pair of gunshots rang through the air, two darts striking the heads of two guards. She leaped out of her hiding spot, but something was off about the air.
She immediately ended her charge, transitioning into a flip as she avoided a tripwire. As a guard took aim at her, she rushed in, grabbing her and shoving the poor girl into the wire. Darts came from multiple sides, taking her out instantly.
The one remaining guard just stared, dropping her gun and raising her hands in surrender.
Clorinde drew her blade, pointing it at her throat and threatening, “How many more guards are around here?”
“T-There’s five more groups,” She gulped.
“And how can I get past them?”
“T-There’s a back entrance! M-Miss Caspar was going to use it to escape.”
“Thank you.” Clorinde turned her blade, “slicing” her neck.
Clorinde was familiar with the entrance in question. She used to hide there when she and Navia played hide and seek as kids.
She crept her way in, crawling into a small space and into one of the many small caves of Poisson. Granted, she was far larger than she was the last time she was here. It was an incredibly tight fit now.
And when she emerged out the other side, she was face to face with Navia’s boot.
“Salut, mon fleur,” Navia said with a grin. Clorinde wasn’t in a position to draw a weapon, leaving her defenseless against her lover.
“You knew about this spot?” The duelist asked.
“Clori, I always won hide and seek.”
“Right.”
Navia snapped her fingers, a pair of sunglass-clad guards pointing their guns at Clorinde.
“So, you’re really going to cheat just to watch a movie?” Clorinde struggled. She struggled in her crawlspace. What if she could just draw her pistol?
“Clori, you know how much I’ve been looking forward to it,” Navia smirked. “Dawn: Breaking Twilight is our dear Furina’s latest work. If we aren’t at her premier, then what kind of friends are we?”
Clorinde scoffed, retorting, “The same can be said for Escoffier’s new menu. I know for a fact that you’ve been interested.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You’ve been eyeing her pastries for weeks.”
“As if!” Navia’s cheeks flushed. “You’ve read the book! I know you want to watch the movie!”
“That book was meaningless drivel with poorly written romance.”
“So I know you wanna tear into the movie!”
Clorinde couldn’t take any more of this slander! Her Vision began to glow, electricity surging around her.
“Um, Boss!” One of Navia’s grunts exclaimed.
“Huh?” Navia stammered. “Oh-”
Clorinde burst out of the hole like a bullet, ramming into one of the guards at full speed. She drew her pistol and sword, taking out both guards at once. She fired at Navia, but her lover’s umbrella extended, blocking the shots.
“Tisk tisk, Clori!” Navia threatened. With her free hand, she drew a shotgun, firing a spray of darts at Clorinde. The Duelist dove out of the way, taking cover and drawing her rifle. “A long ranged weapon in close range? You know better than that!”
“You’re right,” Clorinde replied, loading a dart. “I do.” She shot up, firing a dart with utmost precision. It struck Navia’s hat, sending her accessory soaring away.
“Wait, no!” Navia’s focus shifted, the leader of the Spina di Rosula chasing after the accessory. Clorinde took the moment to dash away, regrouping to a safe place. The interior of Poisson was far more guarded than the exterior. It was more like a military compound than a thriving city.
Clorinde snuck past several sunglasses-clad guards, taking shelter behind a building.
She saw Navia returning to the massive, land-bound ship that acted as the Spina di Rosula’s main headquarters. She would have to find some way to infiltrate there. With the army surrounding her, however, she didn’t have many options there. There was no way she had enough darts to take them all out, either, and she doubted that she could make it through the stronghold with only blades.
She slinked past another building, dropping down and hanging off one of the many wooden platforms. Slowly but surely, she made her way below, narrowly avoiding a step into the water. Her new plan was to get underneath the ship, entering from below.
Another pair of guards was dispatched on the way, hidden behind the rocks as she continued. She was lucky the town was as foggy as it was. Her striking, blue hat would have been easily visible otherwise. Dashing around a rocky wall, she was finally underneath Navia’s stronghold, unheard and unseen. She knew well that there was a hidden entrance underneath the ship, crawling beneath as quietly as possible. The hatch she needed to enter was above the ground, but she was able to make it via climbing.
Despite this, she was seen, not by a guard, but by a kid.
“Huh?” A little figure said, watching Clorinde reach for a circular handle. “Who are you, miss?”
“Um,” Clorinde mumbled. “I’m Miss Navia’s girlfriend. I’m here to surprise her.” Clorinde had heard of a kid who wanted to join the Spina. “Are you Adele, perchance?”
“I am!” The little girl giggled. “I’m gonna join the Spina and make mom proud!”
“That’s lovely. Now listen. You didn’t see me.”
“I didn’t see you?”
“Correct.”
Clorinde was close to opening the hatch, but her hunter’s ears picked up a sound.
She drew one of her pistols, aiming it at Adele, who wielded a similar one. Unfortunately for the duelist, she was left hanging with one hand from the hatch.
“You’re in on this, too?” Clorinde gasped.
“Put the gun down, Miss Clorinde!” Adele threatened. As a kid, she likely had more experience than Clorinde had with the toys. How was her strongest opponent a child?
“What do you want, kid?” Clorinde dropped her gun, letting it fall into Adele’s hands.
“I’m gonna shoot you now.”
Adele held her pistol with both hands, firing a dart at the hanging hunter. Clorinde was quick, heaving her body weight up and catching her feet onto the hatch. The dart whizzed past her head, knocking her hat off her head. Luckily, she was now in the perfect position to throw the hatch open, swing inside, and catch her hat.
“Phew,” She sighed, reattaching her accessory. “Oh.”
The room she was in was full of guards. For the most part, they were distracted, playing Genius Invocation TCG and other games. The moment they saw her, however, each and every one of them drew their guns.
Clorinde took a deep breath, taking one of her three remaining pistols in one hand and her sword in the other.
There were at least twenty of them in the room, but they all quivered in their boots as Clorinde opened her eyes, a spark in her irises as she uttered: “Time to hunt.”
Darts flew at her from every direction, but they were slower than bullets. They would be easy. She dashed out of their way, retaliating with a shot that struck one in the head. A shot from a rifle nearly struck her, but a swift movement of her blade deflected it into someone’s throat. She spun around, darts whizzing past her before she threw her sword. Immediately after it struck, she fired a dart at it, ricocheting off its blade and downing another guard. She grabbed the handle before it could fall, rapidly swinging it as a full-auto blaster unloaded against her. She managed to block its entire clip, firing a precise shot from her pistol to take its shooter out. Guards were starting to reload.
That was their mistake.
Clorinde rushed at them, unloading her pistol until three fell. She tossed the weapon aside, taking out her dagger and wielding two blades at once. Swift slashes of dagger and rapier were unmatched, faster than any gunshot that would dare threaten her. By the time she was done, seven had fallen.
“Go!” One screamed. “Get reinforcements!”
“What about you?” The farthest away guard yelled. “I’m not leaving you!” He had tears in his eyes, his entire body shaking.
“You matter more!” The guard had a solemn smile on his face. “Go.”
“You said- you said we would get married when this was done!”
“I’m sorry, but if you survive, then I can die content.”
“G-Goodbye, my love!” The guard rushed up the stairs, falling over when Clorinde’s dagger struck his back.
“NO!” His love fell to his knees, mourning his loss. “How- HOW COULD-” He was promptly cut down by Clorinde.
“Where did Navia get you guys?” Clorinde mumbled.
“Oh, we’re with Furina’s troupe!” The guard said, far too happy to be playing a dead man. “Miss Caspar is paying us by the hour!”
“Is the pay good?”
“Oh, you better believe it!”
“How generous of her.” Clorinde looked up. The three remaining guards were gone. She took a deep breath, rushing up the stairs.
She then narrowly ducked underneath a large blade, a burly woman with an axe trying to catch her off guard. As more guards approached, Clorinde drew her pistol, gunning two down before the weapon was knocked out of her hands. She grunted, focusing on her axe-wielding opponent as she focused her sword. As the woman swung, Clorinde made three thrusts, striking her down before she could even attack. As she fell, Clorinde drew her attention back to her shooters. There was no telling how much of the ship was alerted to her presence now, but that didn’t matter. She reached to her side to draw another pistol, but both holsters on her left side were empty. Diving behind cover, she scrambled to sheath her blade, drawing her rifle instead. Was there time to aim down the scope? Absolutely not, but it was still a weapon she was proficient in.
She leaped into the air, electricity sending her almost to the ceiling. Rapid shots were fired, each dart hitting someone’s head. Four bodies fell by the time she landed. Clorinde rushed at the last, pulling her trigger, but a soft click was heard instead.
“Ha!” She taunted. “Out of ammo-” Clorinde swung her rifle like a bat, stopping inches away from her target’s head. “I’ll just- I’m down.” She slowly got onto the floor, sprawling her body out and groaning, “Blegh-”
Clorinde dropped her empty rifle, sighing as she drew her two pistols. She would have to make every shot count. As she walked onto the deck, Navia laughed at her from behind the ship’s wheel.
“Clorinde, ma cherie!” The beautiful blonde cackled. “You’ve made it this far!”
“We are going to dine like queens,” Clorinde declared.
“Or we will laugh at a trashy film!”
“We shall see!"
"Now, Spina di Rosula!” Navia raised her umbrella, yelling at the top of her lungs, “ATTACK!”
Sunglasses-clad guards popped out of everywhere, each firing at Clorinde.
As the darts soared at her, Clorinde raised her pistols, an electric glint in her eyes.
She smirked, uttering with a devious grin, “Shoot on sight.”
Her Vision flared to life, the duelist moving faster than the eye could see. She burst around the ship, darts firing one after the other. To her, they stayed in place, unmoving. She was lightning, her rubber darts thunderbolts sent from the Raiden Shogun herself.
She returned to her starting point, tossing her pistols aside as twelve darts struck at once. Navia’s entire trap had been dismantled, the two lovers the only fighters remaining.
“Well played, Clori,” Navia chuckled. “But you’ve used your energy. It’s my turn now!”
“Fine then,” Clorinde replied, drawing her sword with a flourish. “We shall settle this now.”
“Fine with me!” Navia twirled her umbrella, loading darts into its mechanisms. She held it like a greatsword over her should, laughing as she ran at Clorinde. She leaped up, falling onto her lover’s sword. Clorinde knew she was a better duelist than Navia was, but that didn’t mean she should ever underestimate the leader of the Spina di Rosula. Clorinde’s strength was incomparable to Navia’s. Even the single strike of her umbrella destabilized the master duelist, sending her stumbling back. She stayed on the defensive, stepping back as Navia made her wild strikes. Each swing carried momentum similar to that of a far heavier weapon, but Navia made it seem like it was a training sword, heaving the umbrella around with ease.
With another exchange of blows, Navia spun back. Clorinde knew the movement well, readying herself for the oncoming click of her weapon’s mechanisms. Clorinde leaped up, taking the high ground and flipping over her girlfriend as her shotgun fired, several darts narrowly missing her. Navia reloaded, using some kind of specially made bundle to load what seemed to be six darts at once. When Clorinde landed, she thrust her blade, only for Navia to kick it aside, swinging wide. Clorinde leaned back, letting it ride past her as she spun past, another swing of her blade blocked by her lover.
Their exchanges were perfect. Clorinde was faster, able to dodge. Navia was stronger, blocking everything. The actors had given up their dead act, now just watching the pair in their dance of blade and gun. While Clorinde could strike countless times each second, Navia could open her umbrella, creating the ultimate shield. She could also make powerful shots or swings, but Clorinde could easily dodge them. In time, however, Navia began to grow impatient.
“We’re watching that film!” She threatened, slamming her weapon down hard. Their weapons were pressed against one another, a lock that Clorinde was starting to lose.
“We’re tasting that menu!” Clorinde shot back. Navia’s strength was far greater than Clorinde’s own, leaving her pushing back with all her might. She slid back, slowly crumpling to the ground, lower and lower.
“It’s over, mon cœur!”
“You’re right,” Clorinde struggled. “It is.”
With a swift movement of her arm, her hidden pistol left her sleeve. Navia didn’t even have time to react before it was pressed against her chest.
“Checkmate.”
Clorinde pulled the trigger.
“...”
“...”
At some point, the dart in the hidden weapon’s barrel must have slid out.
“Can,” Clorinde began to stammer, “Can we just say I shot you-”
“NOPE!” Navia yelped. She pushed Clorinde to the ground, pulling her umbrella’s trigger and unloading her shells into Clorinde’s chest.
“N-No-” Clorinde gasped. She dropped her weapons, falling over. “My- My love-”
“Clori!” Navia yelped. She tossed her umbrella aside, catching Clorinde before she hit the ground. “Oh what have I done!”
“N-Navia-”
“S-Stop it! Save your breath! There’s still time for you!”
“No… It’s too late for me.”
“I-I can get Sigewinne! We can save you!”
“Na- via-” She beckoned her lover closer to her.
“What is it, my darling?” Navia let out gasps, pretending to cry.
“I- I have one last thing to say…”
“Tell me, love! Anything!”
“Please-” Clorinde coughed, leaning in to whisper her final words. Navia waited with bated breath, then chortled as Clorinde whispered, “The restaurant’s open for lunch. We could just go there before the film.”
Navia dropped her, bursting into laughter.
“What?” She cackled.
“It’s true,” Clorinde replied, picking herself up. “None of this was necessary.”
“Ma chérie, of course I knew that!”
“W-What?”
“That was always the plan. I just figured this would be a fun way to spend the day!”
“Fun. Huh.” Clorinde couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her face. “How much did you spend?”
“I’m not in trouble, don’t worry. We have plenty to spare!”
“And the weapons?”
“Testing them for an upcoming toy line. They were all free.”
“Heh.” Clorinde leaned in, kissing Navia’s cheek. “You still manage to amaze me.”
* * *
Escoffier’s new menu was in fact, as incredible as Clorinde thought it would be, but Navia seemed to enjoy it far more. She downed all of the specialty deserts the chef had made, putting a smile on Clorinde’s face. Frankly, the main reason she wanted to come here was because it was the kind of food Navia liked.
The book the film was based on was trash. Utter trash. Furina seemed so happy when Clorinde and Navia showed up, so the duelist didn’t want to say anything bad about it. The moment Clorinde mentioned she read the book, however, Furina let it slip that it was barely based on the book. In fact, she made so many changes that it was practically a different story! Did Navia know this? Was this why she was so insistent on Clorinde coming?
She should have figured that was the case.
Navia knew her so well, after all.