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Having Tabi rank up was the worst thing that could've happened to her. With every turn, Julie sees her lurking in the background. She shadows in the corners, pensively looking around for something wicked, surely. When she's distracted enough, Julie is able to slowly get closer without her noticing. She can see the tension in her shoulders, the build of her axe upbringing barely concealed by her jumper. She stays still, her breathing deep and even. Only the veins on her hands betray her unease. Julie never gets to speak to her, though. Tabi flees before she even opens her mouth.
Only when she's sticking to Evbo's side can Julie get close to her. Still, it's as if the man was a shield for her to hide behind, stepping to his right when Julie goes left and vice versa. Evbo always seems oblivious to the chase he's in the middle of. Julie has yet to win one, and Tabi tends to throw a mocking smirk over her shoulder as she and Evbo walk off.
Irritating woman, this one.
During one of their usual outings, Minute tuts at her, hand curling around his tea. "I never thought you the impatient type."
She barely represses a scowl, "I don't know what you're talking about." There's an light breeze in the level, a ladybug lands on her sword.
Julie speaks before Minute can, "We failed at keeping our people safe. We could end her plans today."
As impartial as ever, he sips quietly.
"And Evbo. Are we legitimate to keep him ignorant ? Who's to say this won't betray his trust in us."
"Who would he choose," he peers up at Julie, cutting her off. "Her or us ?"
She breathe in sharply, flexing her right hand.
Minute's eyes soften, he nods to the silence. "We all want what's best for Evbo. Doing the right thing doesn't come without costs."
Right. For Evbo.
Julie takes her cup, the tea has gone cold.
She stops running after Tabi, but keeps a close eye on her still. They all do.
Julie has no idea what she could be up to all day. Wemmbu has taken the role to keep a track on her, but his search often end up coming short. "It's like trying to catch fish," according to him. "Or whatever metaphor Minute always says."
Evbo drags Tabi with him, sometimes, to another shopping spree or video journal browsing. If she's lucky, Tabi doesn't run away after Minute and Julie asks to tag along. As long as she doesn't try to talk to her, Julie gets to observe her as long as much as she can with Evbo in the way.
Still, Minutes knowing glance when Julie stares at her too long makes her face run hot, so she tries not to.
Going back to her routine proves to be hard with Evbo around, ever so eager to please. Him crashing in her training session almost ends in a beheading one too many times. When pressed about his visits, Evbo grins brightly and praise her fast reflexes. Julie would rather drop her sword before condemning his enthusiasm. So she bites down her scolding and tells him the proper etiquette to friendly sword duel.
Evbo is keen to learning, easily frustrated at his shortcomings, and impossibly energetic. Julie doesn't like to obsess over her swords durability, but seeing Evbo barely phased by their 3 hours spar makes her feel closer to death. When she falls to the ground to freshen up, Tabi sniggers at her red face. Julie scolds up at her but stays quiet, energy rejuvenated from finally being acknowledged. She drowns down her regeneration-spiked water.
Evbo hops to her side, "You guys should go for a round !" Julie starts choking.
The smile drops from Tabi's face, replaced by a cold stare. Evbo tilts his head at her.
His voice turns more heartfelt, "It'd be good for you, I think." And Tabi visibly struggles before sighing, walking towards the circle of trampled grass.
Julie turns to Evbo, frowning, and he slaps supportively her shoulder. He mouths an exaggerated 'good luck' while she readies her stance. Where she keeps her feet in a 90° angle, Tabi is content to leave a small space between hers. She holds her sword too high, used to a smaller weapon.
She raises an eyebrow at Julie, who can't help but feel embarrassed for staring. They both strike at the other, Julie digging her heels in to parry against her attack. Her arms start shaking under Tabi's strength. She lets herself fall, rolling to the side and jumping back as Tabi loses her footing from the loss of resistance. Her attack hits, but Tabi quickly responds and slashes at her side, they both back away from the other.
Julie tries to catch her breath, aware of the bright pain on her ribs, and Tabi runs towards her for a critical hit. She tries to dodge, but Tabi swings to her escapes route no matter what. Julie takes right before swiftly twirling left, bypassing Tabi and going for a hit on her back. It tears through her jumper, a gritting sound of pierced flesh makes Julie cringe. Tabi, turns and attacks without hesitation, no emotions on her face exempt from concentration. Julie almost forgets to parry, Tabi's sword getting to her shoulder before Julie strikes back, ignoring the pain in her whole right arm.
They go one against the other fast, blades striking so hard the chips of the metal go fly in all directions. Julie is faster, but Tabi has such ferocity in her attacks, she aims for her weak spots and doesn't stop until Julie has to dodge. She has to faint, to turn on her heel and misdirect Tabi to try and force some distance between them, but the other woman doesn't let her.
Annoyed, Julie drops down and kick at her feet, making her tumble. Tabi doesn't lose focus, though, and quickly parries her attacks, one handed and crawling away. Julie huffs and is tempted to tackle her, but Tabi suddenly grabs at her waist and throws her on the ground before she's able to finish the thought. Fighting against the other so closely is a bother, their bodies in the way of their swords. They end up clawing and kicking at each other more than actually sparring. To say Julie was lecturing Evbo about duel rules.
Being finally close to Tabi, Julie gets a good look at her face. She has a fervent glare, it makes Julie's blood rush to her head, her hands tightening their hold on her. In between their tussle, when their breath synchronises and both are planning their next move, Julie can see the scar on her eyebrow, jaw, cheekbone. Her eyes flutter when her hair strays on her face, but they never fully close. Set on Julie with a dizzying flare.
An amused look flashes on her face, "Got a staring problem ?"
Julie feels herself flushing from her ears to her neck, sweat running down her forehead. She goes for a punch in the face, but Tabi redirects her arm and suddenly sits up. She leans over Julie's frame, pushing her own arm to her throat. Julie tries to push her off with her legs, but the space between them is so small she can only wrap them around Tabi.
"If I knew you'd go down so easily," she snickers, "we would've done this sooner."
What the fuck. "Can you— Stop talking. Please." Julie says with a strangled voice. She struggles with the urge to both flee and stay still, Tabi's body heat seeping through her clothes, lighting her chest on fire.
Incomprehensibly, Tabi leans in unholily close, mixing their breath together. "Isn't this what you wanted ?"
Julie swallows audibly, blinking up at her, bemused, before swinging her sword and throwing her off.
She gets up and dusts herself off, walking towards Evbo without checking on Tabi. Evbo is visibly cringing, opening his mouth without any words coming out. She ruffles his hair, bids him goodbye and leaves without looking back.
The chain mail feels familiar in Julie's hands. She turns it around, the subtle sheen of the enchantment turns the metal from blue to purple. It's a gift, old enough for her to feel naked without it on. A fool gave it to her, said she'd look like she needed extra protection. She scoffs at the thought, there wasn't a moment during her journey she hasn't trained enough for. But there's no way to enchant items, at least that the swords know of, and the man was caring enough to help her. Life without her family was hard, the memories faded with the hard repetition of training, loss and pain. The chain mail served as beacon, in a way, that good things could happen to her if she clings on.
She cares for it regularly enough for no rust to appear. Coating it with soap Wemmbu gifted her, she scrubs it through two towels until her fingers turn pruney. After making sure the chain mail is dry, she applies oil over and through the rings, before laying it flat on the wall of her barren home.
There's still oil dripping from her hands when a singular knock on her door happens. Time must've escaped her, if Ferre is here for dinner already. She shouts an invitation and goes to wash her hand. The water makes her fingers sticky, and she pours an abundance of soap in her hand.
Julie calls out, "I'll be there in a second, Ferre ! Can you get the chicken out for me ?" He doesn't respond, which is expected, but the footsteps coming to the bathroom are unusual. She dries her hands before opening the door to a Tabi leaning on her wall, arms crossed.
"Yo," She says. Was she always this tall ? "Got the chicken out."
A scoff escapes her without notice. The same woman who's more skittish than a shield breaks in her house and cracks jokes. "Right," grumbles Julie, jostling her to stomp in the kitchen, a raw chicken waiting for her. She pulls out the oil, dried spices and some garlic cloves. Julie is cutting them in a brunoise before finally saying "Here to finish the job ?"
She stays quiet for a second, Julie can feel her eyes fixed on her arms and her rolled up sleeves. She suddenly feels very vulnerable, armourless and with low saturation.
Julie sees her shrug in the corner of her eye, "Not on an empty stomach, I won't." She fights down a smile and gesture her over.
"Prepare the chicken for me then." Having Tabi at her side awakens the same sensations than their duel. There's a force around her movements that Julie can't help but focus on.
She stands in front of the meat, shuffling in place before clearing her throat once, twice.
Julie states more than ask, "You can't cook." And Tabi nods, avoiding her eyes, "…Want me to help ?"
They smile at each other, as close to camaraderie as they can get before Tabi's face turns impassive and Julie remembers what she is.
It's hard to keep that distance when working the food. Their elbows knock and hands brush constantly. Julie tries to keep her instructions as scholarly as possible, but having Tabi obediently follow her words makes for a too good of a time. She learns quick, always turns her ear towards her as if not to have a moment of inattention. She looks proud when they close the smoker's door, how could Julie have her as an enemy ?
Julie takes her to the garden while it's cooking, Tabi sits on the grass, ignoring the lovely véranda with teacups ready and plush chairs. Julie grabs a cushion and lays on it. The bugs and breeze, if any, is muffled by the sound of Tabi's breathing, of her clothes rustling and hair curling in the wind.
When she speaks, it's the softest Julie ever heard her, "It's very.. Grand in here."
Looking around, she can't help but frown at her words. The tall walls of the level make the small outdoor space feel crowded, the grass is cut short and devoid of any flowers. The sitting area, out of their sight, is the only sign of life around them.
Julie says, "I'm sure Evbo's more deserving of what you say." They both giggle at his expense and ridiculous expenses. Tabi's eyes turn upwards when she smile, the curve of her cheek gives her a youthful, carefree look that makes Julie feel weightless. Her vision of the other woman visibly soften. The face of a happy Tabi colours her mind, so clear that she could paint it back using only her heart as a guide. The harmony of her mouth, her eyes and nose, that loops in a content expression. Julie is seeing a new, enthralling woman that she missed her entire life.
"Do you miss it ?" She slips out, not sure what she means by it, and the Tabi she just met fades away. She's still smiling, but it's a wry, cynical mockery of the real thing.
She answers, "How old are you ?" and Julie merely squints at her. Tabi visibly swallows around her next words.
"This world gives us no time for regrets, or remembering." She spits out, face bitter, "Only thing we can do is fight like dogs or drop dead."
And all Julie does is run her hand through a wild strand of her hair, accidentally tickling against the back of her neck. It's soft, and Tabi is ever so trembling, the aftermath of a build up rage. She looks hurt instead of hateful, when she finally meet her gaze, eyes searching for rejection.
It's too much. Julie averts both her hand and eyes, looking at the artificial scenery. The wind settled and the air is stale.
Julie says, "I live for my family. And I think.. So do you." And something in her closes up. Her vision blurs, she thinks of everything that Tabi is, what she was made into.
"You're angry," Julie shoots blindly, "Because you cared, you care. when Evbo—"
She hears Tabi standing up through the blood rushing her ears and can only watch her shadow disappear through the door. Julie stumbles after standing up, vision spotting, and her home is empty when she tries to run after Tabi.
She stands inside for a while, feeling the void of her empty home now that Tabi's gone. Ferre does arrive, on time. They end up eating the chicken. He doesn't talk, neither does she.
The bows have impressive architecture, Julie admits to herself. The thin, elevated paths turn on themselves in such a way that any non-native weapon would surely get lost in them. Julie doesn't appreciate the deathly heights, though, and resist the urge to grab Minute when he gets too close to the edge for her taste.
To say the weapons have formed an allyship due to the common enemy that is Evbo would be an exaggeration. The looming threat of war lifting, while a relief, wasn't enough to quell the feud of the countless bloodshed from all sides. Her family plans to use Tabi, now their trusted ally and former sister in arms to the bows, to form a relationship with the other PvPers that's deeper than 'we all kill the same guy to live' status quo. Wemmbu had said something about Julie going to seduce tabi to convince her to get alongside them, and she threatened him with a water bucket until he yield.
By the time they arrive at the bows training ground, Julie's feet ache and minute is discretely opening his top button, fanning himself.
When they spot Hannah and Seawatt, Minute goes to kiss on his friend's cheek while Julie and Seawatt nod at each other. He always holds himself, crossed armed and somehow pissed face. Yet, Julie likes to think her able to read him, and he seems happy to see her. So she shoots him a quick smile and he gives one back.
Minute and Hannah catch up while they stay at their side silent and watching. They walk over to a secluded part of the area, with an outdoor table and tall, skinny trees surrounding them. As they settle down, Julie appreciates that the setting is closer to one for multicultural young adult friend group rather than reluctant political reunion.
She's content to look at her friend for a few minutes, they were all pained over Tabi's infiltration and the duty to protect Evbo. To see Minute without this weight, to talk freely with people outside of their family was very precious. Seawatt, while looking bored, has a loose grip on his bow, which is as relaxed as she's ever seen him.
Julie says quietly, "Nice to see you're well." while the argument against door in PvP gets heated.
Seawatt blinks a few times, barely registering that he's being spoken to, "Yes. Er…" He cringes for a second, "You too. Still wearing that old thing, too."
She frowns, hand instinctively going to her chain mail. "Well yes. Enchants aren't exactly common, are they ?"
It's only when Seawatt frowns that she realises she's looking at him like he is stupid. Because he is. At least he starts blushing, probably thinking the same thing.
"No, it's not— Well," he rolls his eyes, speaking in a voice that tries to be humble, "it's actually pretty easy. I think people are just too lazy to do anything that's not fighting. Like, you know, actually planning before they fight or looking after their armour."
Julie smirks, "Or tagging along pseudo friendly meetings for peace." and Seawatt giggles, more at the situation than the joke.
He looks younger than last time she saw her. Closer to her age, if not tired still. It's clear that he has different expectations than Hannah, and it didn't escape Julie that he hasn't asked about Tabi's absence. But when they joke with the other, Julie can imagine this being a regular thing.
He says, "I'd show you how to enchant. Later, if you want." She almost believes him.
Tabi does show up, a good twenty minutes after the designated time, and Seawatt is the only one that fails at hiding the tension in his posture. She sits next to Julie, which almost makes her miss her greeting with all her blood flowing upwards.
"Yo." She says. Is this the the only greeting she knows ?
Hannah catches her up on their debate, with Minute adding on his own arguments once in a while. Tabi listen politely and Julie watch her listen, less politely. She looks skinnier than she remembers, a constant frown between her eyebrows carving in. Julie is as pleased as her to have Evbo out there, put to death for who knows how long.
He's the reason why we're doing this, she snaps out. Evbo needs them to work out with the others, to make his sacrifice worth it.
"Now that everybody's here, we should start talking about the terms." Julie says, and the bows do a grimace at her. Julie looks over at Minute, confused by their reaction. He does a minuscule shake of the head and speaks for her.
"What we mean is, there's some things we'd like to offer you, as representatives of the bows."
Tabi nods, "War is over." She looks at them meaningfully, "this new time of peace needs protection. A vow between the swords and bows that guarantees the safety of the newborn weapons would be a good start."
Hannah wears a pensive look, while Seawatt squints in judgment, "You're not a sword, though." Hannah elbow him in the side.
Julie hears Minute open his mouth but she rushes to say, "She played a crucial part in the unwinding of the past few weeks and is welcomed in our community."
She doesn't think much about her words until Tabi looks at her with an unreadable expression. They stare at each other for a beat, and Julie feels her cheek heat up. Tabi does too, glancing down from her eyes to her cheeks before grinning.
She says, "Thanks." A teasing glint in her eyes. Julie looks down to her lap, hands clutched on her sword handle.
Seawatt's staring burns on her skin for the rest of the conversation, but Julie missed Tabi too much to call him out on it.
Hannah ends up shaking their hands, coming to the conclusion that bows can't afford to pass on the offer, probably. Minute lingers with Hannah and Seawatt, gesturing to the training targets when Julie notices Tabi quietly slipping away.
She runs after her without thinking about it, grabbing her hand when she catches up.
Tabi whips around and Julie drops her hand. They're surrounded by the tall walls again, on a skinny path with canals on the side. Julie imagines herself drop down, how long she gets to scream and think of her life before she hits the water.
Her face must have visibly paled at the thought, because Tabi closes the gap between them and grasp her hand between hers. She has to tilt her head down to maintain eye contact, and the wind makes her brown hair fly wildly around her. When Julie looks long enough, she sees the gold of the sun mirrored in her iris. Her hand has never been so warm before.
"Come visit ?" She says with minimal stutters, and Tabi's laugh rings in her head.
"Sure. My place ?" Julie nods, hard. "Tomorrow ?" She nods harder.
The moment stretches, and Julie has the dizzying thought of going to her tippy toes to peck her. She doesn't, and Tabi winks at her before slipping away.
Julie stands and watch her disappear in the horizon. The air is cool and the water below is out of sight.
"You sure it's not a trap ?" Says Seawatt behind her.
She flinches, "How much did you hear ?" It comes out like an accusation.
He merely raises an eyebrow, "Not much, but I know stupid in love when I see it."
Julie can't decide between scoffing and rolling her eyes, so she does both at the same time. "Sure, old man."
He can't wipe his scowl fast enough for her to miss it. "This," he gestures to the training ground's direction, to where Tabi was, "means nothing. Your Evbo is a temporary solution. And when he falls, and he will, your friends will fall with him."
He chuckles grimly, "Take it from me, you better save yourself. Before he kills you, too."
He falls silent, and Julie can't hear anything above her own, heavy breathing. Seawatt stays stoic, searching in her eyes for a few seconds before turning to walk away.
He doesn't stop until she says, "I meant it, you know." He looks back, and she admits, "I've missed you."
Seawatt confesses, "I did, too." And she's alone again.
Julie stands on the edge, and the wind carries her home.
Though Julie can find the cultural enrichment of visiting the other weapons, the open air is getting to her. She is used to the diamond sword level, where she doesn't have to look around constantly for threats. Just her and her family around, always having each others back.
Since arriving at the axe's, she had to scurry past numerous axes with hate in their eyes and an eager grip on their handles. The knowledge that she could take them in a fight doesn't lift the weight on her shoulder. To see the raw contempt targeted at her makes her hands clammy with shame. She wonders how Tabi was able to walk through the bows home without breaking a sweat.
After a few confused turn around the different levels, Julie starts to accept the fact that she is utterly lost. Thankfully, it's at this moment that Tabi calls out for her, and they do an embarrassing, half assumed jog towards the other.
Julie says, "Hi." Breathless, not from the run.
"Yo." She says. This cannot be her catchphrase, surely. "Got here safely ?"
Tabi tilts her head when asking her question, and Julie tries so hard not to fawn vocally that she almost misses the extended hand. She firmly takes it and, as she gets lead towards Tabi's home, remembers that she didn't get to swipe the clamminess away.
Stupid Julie, she is. "Oh— yes. Well…" The stupidest. "Got a bit disoriented by the different levels being in a circle, if I'm being honest." She rambles.
Tabi hums, and Julie is suddenly scared to do a faux-pas. They get to her flat in silence, and she opens the door on the ground level, light from the doorway peering on the minuscule home. She peers at the cool coloured lamp and impersonal painting. There's cobwebs between the ceiling and closet.
The door closes loudly behind her, and she turns to see Tabi leaning against it, hands on her back. The low lighting makes her face unreadable, and Julie feels a shiver ghost her neck.
When Tabi's posture change, leaning to step closer, Julie blurts out, "People don't seem to like having a sword around."
If the silence wasn't so loud, Julie could've bawled a pained noise. Seawatt would've been proud of her idiocity.
After a second, Tabi kisses her teeth. "They sure don't," she sits on her bed, gesturing at Julie to do the same. "And neither do the swords with us."
In the comfort of the enclosed walls, Julie admits to herself not feeling guilt over the axes feelings. She lived the fall of the swords reign through the intrusions of the other weapons in the lower levels and the whispers of the curious stone swords, bribing the shield to know which brother and sister died in battle. The idea of the diamond doors ever opening again was like the apocalypse for her generation.
She hears herself ask, "Do you feel responsible for the people you kill ?" The words taste like ash on her tongue.
The other woman doesn't flinch, "It wasn't right." She looks used to death, if not a bit worn. "But nobody else did anything. And I had weapons from three different stocks counting on me. I had to betray my morals, my rank, my honour to tie my debt to them."
Before she can process it Julie's hand finds Tabi's. She squeezes hard enough to hurt, and Tabi stops digging her nails in. "I would never do it again, but I can't put this duty on anyone else."
There's a lump in her throat that Julie tries to swallow down once, twice. She fails and just says "I'm sorry," pitifully. Tabi turns to look at her, and she clarifies, "I did a faux pas, haven't I ?"
Tabi spits out a laugh, pressing herself to Julie's front. She giggles silently and Julie asks herself how hair can smells so addictive. When Tabi's shoulders stop shaking, she does a leap of faith and slowly warps her arms around her. Tabi goes completely limp against her, and Julie ends up laying on her bed with an armful of the most confusing woman she knows.
She barely dares to breathe too loud and barely darts her eyes away from the very barren ceiling. Tabi does a little movement below her chin, it almost sounds like she's… smelling her ?
Before she gets to analyse the roars of feelings in her chest, Tabi lifts herself up, hands around Julie's face. Her hair frames around her face, tickling her nose.
She wrinkles her face, trying not to sneeze, and Tabi laughs at her before sitting down properly and taking her clothes off.
Multiple noises come out of Julie all at once, notably strangling, spluttering and squeaking. Tabi nonchalantly throws her jumper on the closet's handle and puts a hand on Julie's gaping mouth.
"Gets hot in here." She smirks and Julie fails to not notice her biceps, triceps and deltoids. She does fall down beside her instead of staying seated on her lap, which Julie is grateful for. Her forearm is resting on top of her own, the point of contact boils over to her entire body. Julie risks a glance towards her, and Tabi keeps her eyes closed, eyelashes fluttering every so often. There's a plentiful of scars on her neck, fresh bandages peeking out her shirt.
Of course, Tabi chooses this moment to open her eyes and Julie has to deviate her gaze quickly enough without looking guilty. She snickers, and Julie marvels at how much blood the head can handle without passing out.
Her hand snakes up to her chin, forcing Julie's face back towards her.
She says, "You're ridiculous." And waits until Julie opens her mouth in protest to lick in. Julie barely registers the action under the burning, petty feeling of being played with.
She pushes Tabi down, leans down to swallow her 'oomph' before she can think it over. Julie pushes against Tabi's lip, a thrill zipping through when she moves back. Hands reach to the bottom of her jaw, angling her so her nose settles in the crease of her cheek, their breath hot in the other's mouth. Tabi feels so soft through her lips, Julie licks at the bottom one, sucking it in before biting it. Tabi moves away, and Julie hungers over the red indent left on them. She goes to bite a second time, probably harder, but Tabi says, "Slow down, damn."
Julie can't help but frown, feeling scolded and very much denied. And all Tabi does is laugh cruelly at her, gently holding her head between her hands and slowly going for a kiss. Julie stays obediently, and Tabi keeps it a modest peck. She only mouths gently, and Julie takes in how all encompassing her lips feel before returning the movement. She often has to back away to take tiny breaths in their space, lips always ghosting over the other before coming back. She pushes and gets pushed, there's an addiction to how Tabi refuses to escalate and only gives as much as Julie does. She thinks she wants to feel her with her mouth for a few century, at least.
At one point, Tabi pulls always and doesn't return to her mouth but, confusingly, travels to the corner of her lips, to her cheek. "You make me feel crazy, you know ?" The words are said on her freckles, to the curve of her nose and the tip of her eyelashes. "It's like chasing after a rainbow."
Julie huffs, "I don't follow." in a voice that is far from whiny. She takes offence in the mocking smirk Tabi puts on.
Tabi whispers, "Julie…" With her heart skipping a beat, Julie realises her name was meant to be said with Tabi's voice only. "We probably won't live long enough to see true peace. But, maybe, I could keep you safe, with me. For as long as you'll have me."
There's a storm of emotions in her head, immense and incomprehensible, that makes her vision blur and smile wobbles.
"Tabi." She laughs as to not cry, "you're the best thing that could've happened to me."