She Wants Revenge - Someone Must Get Hurt

I walked into the gym with a searing headache, as if it had grown with each step between my first training and my second. Little lines of fire blazed paths through my brain, and even Ailech had stopped attempting to talk to me as we walked, though when I winced for the third time in as my minutes he spoke up.

"Are you...twitching?"

Tactless as ever, I glared over at him to little effect.

"Are you what, overheating? Like a computer? Are you going to crash? Should I find a nerd to play doctor with you? Two birds, one stone and all that jazz?"

I wished I could just ignore him, but when Ailech got started like this it was better to just answer him so he'd shut up, otherwise he'd keep coming up with different scenarios to entertain himself until I was ready to sew his mouth shut.

"Just a headache, bad one."

Suddenly he was very serious.

"Should I get Abby? How's your vision? Are you dizzy? Can you feel your Sign?"

I stared at him like he was a different person, which in a sense was how he was acting.

"I'm fine. I just need to practice to get my mind off it, that's all."

Ailech nodded slow, but the worried look didn't leave his face. He looked funny when he was worried, like his face didn't know how to wear the expression correctly. I wished I could hear his thoughts.

I was saved from having to say anything more as two men walked in, laughing loudly, followed by Ember, who had apparently been waiting outside until more witnesses were present. I could practically smell the fear dripping from her pores. The men both had dark reddish-brown hair, a deep copper in the gym's light. Their eyes were perfect matches of each other's too, medium brown with a slight upward slant, making it clear there was a relation. They were almost exactly the same height, though one looked younger, his face rounder and his build a little stockier, the other slimmer, his face somewhat thinner. Both looked like tricksters, like they loved a good prank, a good laugh, like they hardly ever took anything seriously, though their booming hoots and wide smiles as they entered might have lent to that impression.

Ember looked strange walking in behind them, in comparison to them, with her light brown hair and large eyes. She was close to a foot shorter than the brothers, almost disappearing behind them as she entered, her wide eyes just peeking out from their sides. She always seemed in awe, or afraid because of how her eyes were, how they were so round and shining. Maybe part of that was because she was afraid, of me at least, but I already had the feeling it was her standard look, not just when I was around.

The younger-looking man saw me first, stopping in his tracks and holding an arm out to stop his brother's advance, who in turn looked forward and saw me. I'd already begun preparing myself for the furtive glances to each other, the cautious eyes, the fidgety movements. Which is maybe why I didn't hide my surprise as I usually would when they acted completely contrary to my expectation.

The younger one crossed his arms over his puffed-out chest and let out a low whistle, a god damned catcall, and my jaw dropped. The second one stuck his thumbs in his waistband and made a similarly appreciative noise originating somewhere deep in his throat as his eyes ran up and down my body. I could see Ailech's mouth hanging open next to me from the corner of my eye.

"Remind me to thank old Abs next time I see him, brother, will you?"

"Only if you do the same for me. Mmh."

They exchanged a silly handshake without breaking their stares at me and I suddenly felt oddly self-conscious. Ailech was the one to come to my rescue, recovering from his shock before I did.

"You know she can slice you in half with her mind, right? Do you really want to treat her like a hick town's only seven?"

He sounded irritated, which I appreciated, but I still scowled over at him. I didn't want him to think I needed him protecting my honor like some sort of big brother.

"She can do whatever she wants to me, and I'd still thank her."

"Well-said, brother, well-fuck'n-said."

I finally found my voice.

"Leer all you want, boys, I can beat you both whether you drool or not."

I turned and walked toward the center of the gym, letting my hips sway a little more than I usually did. I heard something like a choking noise behind me and then some quiet thuds as I assumed one brother pounded the other's back.

"This is going to be the best assignment, ever."

The baby-faced brother tried to excitedly whisper to the older, but I heard. Ailech scoffed as he went to sit next to Ember on the side wall, making sure to keep a couple of feet of distance between them. I almost thought he was going to let someone else have the last word, though I should have known better. In my week with the mage, he always had one more crack to say.

"Just give me something to heal, Mors. I can't do much training of little Fireplace here if you don't break something of theirs for me to work with. Anything, really, break whatever you want."

I smirked over to him in spite of myself. My Shift snapping at its cage. The brothers swaggered over to me, dopey smiles on both their faces. They took opposite routes around me, circling like sharks, and I immediately saw it for what it was. They were setting up an attack, thinking I wouldn't notice, thinking I'd assume they were just giving me a three-sixty up-down. I flexed my fingers at my sides, getting ready for whichever one would strike first. It was an unnerving wait, I didn't want to attack first, not sure what I was up against, and not sure how hard I could go since I had no idea what their skill level was.

Finally, the older, slimmer one made his move. I hadn't been expecting his speed and barely dodged his kick in time, feeling my hair ruffle from the wind of his leg as I ducked under it. Then his brother mimicked the kick, except lower, so fast it didn't seem physically possible. He landed it square in my face, knocking me onto my back and rattling the headache right out of my brain. I stared up at the ceiling for a moment, dazed, wondering how the hell I had ended up where I was, how I had just been hit by a little human boy. Both brothers' heads appeared above me a moment later, looking down at me with curiosity as I continued to look up, trying to get the room to stay still.

"Wha-what happened?"

I sat up as I spoke. Completely dumbfounded at how they could be so fast, at how they could have timed their kicks so perfectly with one another. My nose began to bleed and I wiped at it messily.

"You just got laid out..."

"...on that fine little ass."

Each of them spoke separately, but their cadence meshed perfectly as if they really could finish each others' sentences with ease, as if they shared one mind.

"What even are you two?"

By the time I was back on my feet I was no longer confused. I was annoyed, my pride bruised, and ready to learn what I was up against, something I realized I should have figured out before the training had begun. Arrogance hadn't served me as well in this practice as it had with Zodiac.

"Mage brothers, and extremely close ones at that," The round-faced one replied with a flirtatious smile, which I ignored.

"And our biggest gift is speed,"The slimmer one dropped into an exaggerated low bow as he spoke, his head popping up at the end to give me a similar smile.

"We can practically read each others' minds, which makes fighting together a real joy."

"And with our quickness, we're just about the only ones here who can handle you."

The second brother winked this time, giving his words another connotation. Ailech made an unhappy noise from his seat. Ember turned a shade of magenta.

"Well, if you would have told me what your specialty was, I can guarantee things would have gone differently. Abraham didn't tell me what you two could do. He just said to not spell your name wrong."

The younger one smirked at that, clearly Prey. Parish shrugged.

"Even if you knew our skills, no one here beats us, not both of us at least. It's like fighting someone with four arms, four legs. Not possible, though you are welcome to try as much as you like, sweet cheeks."

He wagged his eyebrows and I felt my eyes roll without even meaning to. I had always hated pet names.

"Then let's go again, let's see what you can do."

I felt my Shift flexing, but I kept it down, not wanting to have to endure a lecture from Abraham, and also not wanting to make the training easy. No matter how good they were, against a Shift they'd be nothing, and I was looking forward to a challenge, even if it was in my weakened form.

The brothers smiled to each other before seeming to fly at me, each blow perfectly timed with the other's, each kick used to put me off balance so the other could get the real one in. I couldn't even get a hit of my own in, just block and dodge and dive away from them. I hated to admit it, but Abraham had been right, they were good, good enough to make me work up a sweat, something Ailech could never have done.

I saw a rare opportunity to get a jab in and leaped at it, though it meant taking a solid blow to my left side that I knew I'd feel in the morning. I used the heel of my hand as I hit the center of Parish's chest, knowing it would be bony and not wanting to split my knuckles. I knew my mistake a moment later as I felt his breastbone cave under my blow, a loud crack filling the room.

I stepped back quickly, guilt flooding me. I shouldn't have hit him so hard, I should have known to pull my punch. It had been my Shift, my nature, it had wanted to hurt him, to kill him. I stepped farther away as Parish stumbled back, gasping and clutching at his chest. His brother froze, his eyes as wide as they could get, his mouth open slightly as he stared at his brother, unsure of what to do.

Then Ailech was in front of me, partially blocking my view. He guided Parish down to the floor gently before placing both hands over the center of his chest, which was indented in a disturbing way. Ailech's lips moved quickly as he muttered heals, and within a few seconds Parish's breathing didn't sound as panicked, as wheezed and wet. I felt myself let out the breath I had been holding as well.

"I'm sorry." I looked down at the ground as I muttered my apology, feeling guilty for my actions, for not keeping myself in check.

"Don't worry, sugar, he likes it rough."

I looked up in confusion, seeing Prey smirking at me, helping his brother off the floor with his hand clasped down his wrist.

"It's true, I love a woman who can leave me breathless."

He winked again, but I hardly registered it. I shook my head in disbelief.

"But uh, really, watch it a little, please. We're supposed to teach you how to not get hit. If you just take our hits to get in your own, well, that's hardly helpful. We can't hit as hard as you and we can't hit as hard as the things out there that'll actually be trying to kill you. This isn't a lesson in handling hits, it's about avoiding them."

Parish stuck his lip out in a fake pout, and I almost burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. Instead, I shook my head again and agreed to play by their rules, like I should have to begin with.

By the end of the tutoring, I was actually tired, physically, something I hadn't really felt since being on my own. I had hardly felt anything with Jevin, and even training with Syn had never left me truly aching. It felt nice though, a familiar burn in my muscles, something I had always enjoyed in some way. Ailech offered me a heal for the soreness or any of the minor bumps and bruises the brothers had given me but I passed. I had missed the feeling.