J: Let's not forget whose story this is.
The training room is much larger than Jevoi had been expecting. Numerous training targets of various sizes stand around the spacious chamber. Along the walls, several weapons (swords, axes, polearms) are kept sorted in stands. A few grindstones sit next to shelves of materials and a small forge in the corner.
Jevoi's eyes dart across the room; scanning the weapons, she finds her target: knives, daggers. Little blades that can fit in little hands. Her hands. She rushes to them and begins testing their handles. Forward, backward, reverse-grip. She has to find one that fits.
"Oh, ya're into this," says Gank with a smile, "Anything clicking?"
Jevoi stops, holding one sleek dagger in her hand. "YES," she exhales, swinging the runic blade a few times, listening to it sing as it cuts through the air, "Perfect."
"D'ya think?" asks Gank, she points to a humanoid dummy, "Go on, then. Give it a whirl."
The little gecko walks around the dummy and slices at it. The blade cleanly cuts through its soft plant-like material. Jevoi coos at the damage, but the gasps in realization.
"Don't worry," says Gank, as the dummy stitches itself back together, "Nobody'll see nothing."
Jevoi licks her eyes and stabs the dummy as many times as she can, as fast as she can. She twists the blade and begins slashing wildly into it, desperate to outpace the regeneration.
"Okay, slow down," laughs Gank as she walks up to another one, "Let me ya how the big girls do it!" Gank unfurls her claws dramatically and swipes at the dummy in a practiced concert of blows. Her four arms tear, rip, and shred it that it flops about as if it were alive. She throws in a few twirling slashes and kicks as well.
"That's not fair," says Jevoi, "You've got four arms."
"Sorry," says Gank, her tongue hanging from her mouth, "But that's why I'm a warrior and ya're just a rogue."
"Oh yeah?" says Jevoi, running back to the daggers, "I'll show you." She grabs another and racing toward another dummy.
Gank's slit eyes widen. "Woah, kid, wait, no," she steps in front of Jevoi, "If ya get hurt, I'm getting in trouble. Put that one back."
"You don't get to call me a kid," says Jevoi, she looks at her weapons, then up at Gank, "Try and take them!"
L: Trouble from day one.
The developing rational part of Gank's brain attempts to conjure a means of handling this situation. Unfortunately, the emotional threat to her ego prevents the teenager from having any ideas more complicated than, 'Take them.' Some may also claim that her species, hard-wired for a short life of constant violence, may also be a factor in this spur-of-the-moment decision, but that hypothesis's largely irrelevant when faced with the far more accepted theory:
L: Kids are so f*****g stupid.
Gank suddenly lunges at Jevoi, who reflexively holds the blades in front of her. Gank grabs onto Jevoi's wrists, but the gecko squirms and the weapons come dangerously close to the charda's face.
"Let go!" yells Gank.
"Make me!" yells Jevoi. She kicks Gank in the groin. Both girls gasp in pain and Jevoi almost loses balance.
"Why would'ya do that?" says Gank, she then kicks Jevoi right back, "How d'ya like it?"
Jevoi emits a long squeak, but continues struggling to pull her hands out of Gank's claws. Blood begins dripping down both of their arms.
Gank bends her empty hands inward and uses the back of her wrists to slap Jevoi's face and punch her in the gut. "LET!" Hit. "GO!" Slap. "OF!" Knee. "THE!" Clunk. "KNIVES!" Punch.
"Noooo," squeals Jevoi weakly. One blade hits the floor, but she her grip on the other. She shoves her bloody hand into Gank's face, feebly slapping her. "Let me go."
The last thing Jevoi hears before passing out is Gank's desperate voice repeating, "Oh s***e!"
"Go on," says Gash, pushing Jevoi into the room, "Say 'hello.'"
Jevoi freezes; the older reptilian's eyes stare into her. Gank puts her tome down and slides off the side of the bed and slowly walks toward Jevoi.
"Hello, there, pinky," says Gank. She turns her attention to the tallgoblin, "Shouldn't you be helping your boss, old man?"
"Boss said-" Another explosion and Melandria's voice echo up the tower interrupting Gash. "On second thought, keep an eye on Ling's kid." He leans down to Jevoi and asks, "Are you going to be okay?"
Jevoi nods and Gash takes off back toward the stairs.
L: To be fair, we were just about to call him back anyway.
Gank quickly slams the door shut and turns to Jevoi. "Alright, pinky let's play a little game." She grabs the gecko by the shoulders with one set of claws and the waist with the other, and sets her on the bed. "I know your weird mom can regrow her limbs," she says with a smile. Her three rows of sharp teeth shining in the low light. "Let's see if you can do it, too." Jevoi continues to stare into Gank's eyes, transfixed. Gank hesitates. "Aren't you scared, pinky?"
Jevoi's voice squeaks out, "You're so cool."
"No fear at all," says Gank, "You're as weird as your mom."
"No, I'm not," says Jevoi, snapping out of her enamoration, "She keeps bringing women home and putting them in her bed." Jevoi looks to her side. "You put me in your bed; you're the weird one."
"I'm going to eat you," says Gank, bluntly.
"She says things like that, too," says Jevoi, equally blunt.
L: When have I ever said that.
D: You said that to that lady who needed a new arm last week.
L: That- Th- Nevermind it.
Gank pushes herself off the bed. "You're funny, pinky," she says, "What's your name?"
"I'm Jevoi." She sits up and spots Gank's tome. "What were you reading?"
"Just magic rituals," says Gank, trying to be cool and aloof, "Old man says I have to learn something here and this is the least boring thing they've got."
"Mum wants me to study magic too," says Jevoi, "But all she has is her dumb plants and animals. I want to learn blades."
An idea worms its way into Gank's brain. "Blades, huh?" she says, "I know where my 'mom'-" Airquotes. "-keeps her swords." She leans toward Jevoi with a coy smile. "Want to see them?"
"YES!" Jevoi jumps off the bed and almost into Gank's naturally armored face.
L: Reminder: I was fighting the abomy outside.
J: And?
L: I just think Dalini would like to know the other side of this.
J: Fine, make it quick.