([i]pt. 2[/i]) Laila’s jaw froze and she let the jab at her memory slide for the moment and clarified, “I didn’t say you weren’t, I meant you were terrified of the Arc when you learned to use it.” “Exactly, which is what makes me so qualified to give him advice.” Cayde’s eyes settled on her and the light dimmed out of his cheeks as shutters flickered defensively. “I’ve been there, I know it’s not as scary as he’s making it out to be.” Laila remembered Cayde’s early attempts at Bladedancing, and she remembered how he’d hesitated, for the same reasons Nik hesitated now: Fear of death or irreparable harm. In spite of the fact that electrical currents were what kept Exo alive, they were just as susceptible to the dangers of Arc energy, if not more vulnerable, because of their delicate inner-workings. Exos reborn with a natural affinity for Arc (like Laila) rarely had to work hard to control the flow of the current, and the same could be said for any Guardian who naturally channeled Arc. But the discipline required of Exos who weren’t naturals made it much harder for them to resonate without incident. Because of the volatility of the nature of Arc, and the danger static discharge posed to their circuitry, it had been anything but easy for Cayde to shut off the subroutines that were constantly calculating the odds of death by Arc Flash, or significant memory loss or paralyzation by Static Shock. It had taken him weeks to hold an Arcblade without trembling. Of Fireteam Maverick, he had been the third to learn from her, and he still had a long way to go before he could effectively use Arc in harried combat; of all the things she’d forgotten, she hadn’t forgotten that. Nik felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and he watched them nervously as he backed away and quietly ducked into the building behind them, out of the quad and away from the imminent fight; he’d seen Wylie get into enough bar fights to know where this was going, and he knew that even Laila, sweet as can be, couldn’t resist knocking a prideful prick from their pedestal. Merric could sense the shift in her light from where he stood, and he turned and stepped outside onto the balcony to peer down at them curiously but couldn’t make out much more than the light of Laila’s Arc, which had been flowing on and off all afternoon. “Minnie, what’s going on over there?” The black and white spotted ghost materialized mid-flight from over his shoulder on command, red bulb tracing over him for a moment before turning her attention back to the group. “I don’t know… let me find out.” The playfulness drained out of her eyes, replaced by something much more serious and unfamiliar- anger wasn’t an emotion she processed often, and when she did it was quiet, directed, and stunning. A forced smile pushed at her exodermis and her brow hardened. “Alright, wise-guy...” she challenged with a prideful grin and narrow eyes, arms dropped to her sides as she shifted her weight from one hip to the other, dug her feet into the earth and drug one foot behind her by the toe. “If you understand as well as you say you do, you should be able to defeat me no problem.” “What!?” Minnie lofted back in surprise with an amused chirp as the response came through from Laila’s ghost Nyx, just as Nikel popped up the stairs. “What is it?” Merric asked. “Well…” The ghost hesitated to answer his question, gaze cast to the ground before it lifted to look at him. “You’re gonna wanna hear this.” “Hear what?” Andal’s head whipped up inquisitively from his conversation with Bennett, excitement hidden behind big brown eyes and a fatherly demeanor as they drifted toward Nikel coming up the stairs. “Pretty sure Cayde’s about to get his ass kicked again,” Nik answered with a gesture over his shoulder as he strolled into the room, his ghost Callie nearly hugging his shoulder as she followed. The Vanguard’s brows lifted in surprise as he half-stood and turned to look out the window, one hand over the back of the sofa. “What? Why? What’d he do now!?” he blurted out in surprise, holding back laughter through a big grin. “He insulted Laila’s pride,” Merric answered with the biggest smirk they’d ever seen on him, turned his head and directed the question at Nik. “Didn’t he?” The Awoken shrugged helplessly and nodded with a quiet, “Ehhhh… yeah.” Bennett eyed Merric uncertainly as he shifted forward in his seat next to Andal to stand up and follow the gazes of the rest of the bunch. “Then why are ye smilin’?” the Aussie asked and crossed his arms. The Exo flashed hot red lights in his throat with an audible thrum. “Because she’s going to put him in his place… and I’ve been waiting a loooong time to see that.” Bennett blinked hard and lifted a hand to stroke through long auburn locks in nervous habit, hazel eyes surveying the surrounding area. There were some stray Guardians of the Concordat and a handful of civilians discussing trade shipments from the main tower. If the fight spilled out of the area they’d been training in, it was likely to endanger lives. “Aren’t ya gonna stop em’…?” he glanced to the Vanguard and asked incredulously. Andal let a reserved laugh roll out of him that could have easily lit up the room, if not for the strong light of the setting sun, and responded after a moment of thought. “Nah…” He shrugged. “What? Why not?” “What’s the point…?“ The hunter stretched a big, toothy grin from ear to ear as he took the spot next to Merric and leaned one elbow on his shoulder. “A little healthy competition among comrades never hurt… besides,” he paused, popped his brows and shook his head with a heavy sigh. “If I stop this now, Laila’s gonna give me the cold shoulder for the next two weeks… and I can’t afford that.” Merric chuckled beside him, shoulders quaking and head shaking in agreement. “Cayde talked himself into this mess... and the kid’s gotta learn sooner or later, sometimes y’just gotta keep your big mouth shut.” “... but aren’t’cha gonna warn th-” “Benny,” Andal reassured with a firmness in his eyes. “It’ll be alright, just let the kids fight this out.” Laila summoned her Arcblade again with a bright flash and a violent thunderclap that energized the brick under their feet, and once the air had settled, Laila gestured for him to attack her with a one-handed taunt. “You think you know better than me…? Then show me your mastery,” she challenged, nearly growling it out. For a moment, Cayde froze, processes halted and mouth lights bright- Laila was a live-wire in every sense of the word, threatening but intriguing, unapproachable; he may have been cocky, but he wasn’t stupid. She was one of the most skilled (and most experienced) Bladedancers in the Vanguard’s ranks, and while he’d never witnessed her at full strength, he’d heard the stories and seen flashes of it here and there during her performances in the Crucible. Cayde knew well enough to know he didn’t want to be caught on the other end of her Arcblade. “C’mon Laila, that’s not what I meant, I don’t wanna fight you-” “Why not?” she asked almost immediately with a pop of her brow-plate, “Afraid you’ll lose…?” “What’s wrong, Cayde? Why the hesitation?” Andal teased with a raspy voice as he yelled down to him. Head jerked back to look up at the man with an exasperated groan, shoulders sunken. “Not you too!” His voice nearly cracked as it hit the peak of his tonal range. “You got this…! I have faith in you, buddy!” The Vanguard feigned confidence with a lazy thumbs-up that Cayde knew to be sarcasm and made him groan. He was so full of shit and he knew it. “Thanks for the vote of confidence!” he retorted after a frustrated pause. Nik eyed him with a knowing grin and rolled his eyes and glanced down, then over at the other men. “So uh... how long do you think he’s gonna last..?” “Ohhhh, I give him a few minutes at the most.” Nik’s laughter was raucous and telling. “You’re not giving much credence to Cayde’s Bladedancing ability.” “Mmmmm, I wouldn’t say that…” he mused, “Cayde’s a good bladedancer, he’s just nowhere near her level. Laila has dedicated all of her time and energy to perfecting her Bladedancing, she never even worried about being half-decent at anything else… It’s no contest.” “You willing to put a little money on that?” Nik’s brows popped with a small smirk as Andal’s face twisted with conflicted interest while he stroked his beard. “I give him a minute.” “Ah, c’mon blokes… bettin’ how long e’sgonna last’s in poor taste…” Bennett scolded. “10k all around- closest bet to time without going over wins the pot.” Both men blinked and glanced at each other. Nik’s offer was tempting, almost made the for-sure hustle worth betting on, and they resented him for that… but after a pause Bennett cleared his throat and mumbled, “Minnit thirty.” “Fine,” Andal followed, “Two minutes.” ([i]cont. below[/i])