sarcaskick | for pyrrhaicvictory

[ He's pretty caught up in his musings, so when Pyrrha's voice - of all people, Pyrrha - cuts through the silence he's visibly surprised for a moment, turning his head to face her with a blink of his eyes. It only takes a moment for him to regain his composure, though, his tone immediately snarky (if not a little dull) as he turns on his crutches to face her fully. ]

Oh, you know. Kind of hurt, kind of confused, pretty mad. So it's been a good day, is what I'm saying.

So you don't know why she did it? I've known Yang for a long time. It's not like her . . .

[ She trails off. She doesn't know what to believe. ]

Beats me.

[ ... He really doesn't, to be fair. Oh, he knows the gist of what happened - the illusion was all part of the plan, after all - but he has no idea what Yang actually saw. Hell, he wasn't even aware it was going to go so far as his leg being broken, which is what's really soured his mood.

Cinder sure hadn't warned him about that. ]

I mean, you saw what happened. I was just trying to tell her I'd see her in the arena next festival for a rematch. She just... flipped.

[ Something isn't right. But she's not going to accuse either of them without the facts. She glances around, searching for Emerald but doesn't seem to spot her ]

Where are your friends? Should you really be alone right now?

Eh, they're just going to nag me to get back in bed and rest my leg. Me, I can't sit still.

So I kind of snuck out.

[ A wink. ]

Don't tell.

Yes, you were doing a great job of it too.

[ She glances at his leg ] It must be hard. Especially when it's a part of you when you fight.

... Yeah. It's rough.

[ Why would Cinder let him lose a leg like this? Sure it'll heal, but with how things are going won't he probably need it again soon?

Or is this a sign that she won't need him much longer?

It's a question too unsettling to ponder while Pyrrha's right there, though, so he doesn't let himself dwell on it for long. ]

Oh, well. Still got one that works. I could take down some Grimm on crutches if I had do, no big deal.

[ Taking down Grimm. She's still not what being one of the Maidens would entail. Would she still fight? What kind of power would she have? ]

Well, it's a good thing everything's so quiet lately.

[ Quiet for an eventual war. ]

Well that's easy for you to say, Miss I-Still-Have-Two-Working-Legs.

[ He shifts his weight a little on his crutches, wincing slightly as his bad legs gets a little too much pressure put on it. Yeah, he was going to have to be mindful of that for a while. ]

On the plus side, your round couldn't possibly end as badly as mine did now.

[ Unbidden, the image of Amber rises to the forefront of her mind and she swallows ]

Hopefully not.

[ He looks her over briefly - seeing Pyrrha so visibly distracted or bothered is a little surprising. A crack in the facade of the Invincible Girl. ]

Something on your mind, champ?

No . . . It's nothing.

Do you need any help?

What, will you carry me where I need to go?

[ She cocks an eyebrow at him ]

I'm sure I can manage it.

Oh, my hero! Take me in your strong embrace!

Do you want to walk the whole way on your own then? Because that's what I'm hearing.

Here I thought you found my distinct style of humor to be charming.

Not all the time.

[ She pauses ] And I guess, it's hard to feel charmed right now. Things seem tense all around.

Hey, if I can tell a joke after being brutally and needlessly assaulted in front of a live audience - being broadcast worldwide - the least you can do is give me a half-giggle.

[ ... Even if the entire point of the plan was to create kind of a nexus of negativity, he might want a little distraction himself. While he can get one, anyway. ]

Or is this about your dark, mysterious secret?

[ She's never been good at lying. She's not even sure why she was picked. ]

I don't have a dark, mysterious secret. Just . . . a little tired, I guess. From everything that's happening.

[ On one hand, he really, really wants to know what's going on with her. Partly because he's curious. Partly because Cinder would probably want to know.

But on the other hand, he's not sure how cooperative with Cinder he's feeling at this particular moment in time, and frankly he could use a temporary distraction himself. ]

Do you want to... I dunno, go somewhere? Somewhere that isn't here?

I wouldn't mind a breather. Do you have a place in mind?

Literally anywhere. I'd rather go to the opera than hang around here right now.

...

Okay, maybe I'm not that desperate just yet, but you get the idea.

There are some nice gardens not far from here. At least it won't put too much pressure on you to make that distance.

[ She considers ] I doubt it'll be very entertaining, but it'll avoid . . . concerned and noisy visitors.

So we're literally going to stop to smell the roses, huh?

[ A beat, before he shrugs. ] Beats skulking around here, anyway. A little solitude's worth it.

for pyrrhaicvictory

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