[1v1] The Rematch (Levi/West) [FIN]

[Smerdle]

West was itchy.  It was the only word he could think of to describe the nagging restlessness that hadn't stopped gnawing at him since the trials of the Four Clans had ended.  He had already applied his usual remedy for when things in his life became overwhelmingly uncomfortable, but this time staying in his room had just served to compound the problem.  He had no use for thinking.  He wanted to do. Running around under the guise of helping Seeds had been an intriguingly productive time waster, but even that burst of combative rebellion was not enough to rid him of this nervous energy.  Sure, they had proven they could strike as a group, flinging themselves in harm's way in an suicidal wave, but what good did that do them as individuals?  Halloween as a whole might never die, but West had personally kicked it in more ways than he cared to count.  He needed more training.  He didn't think he could ever train enough.

In the back of his mind West knew it was probably a bad idea to show up at Levi's out of the blue.  She could have been doing any number of things like washing her hair or playing with that stupid clingy treat of hers. But if there was even the slightest possibility that she would come to the gym... well, he wasn't going to miss that chance. Anyway, she owed him. She had agreed to a rematch during Scarentine's, not that he was going to bring that up.

He didn't hesitate once he arrived at her dorm, knocking on the door like he was being chased. West doubted he would ever just walk in, despite the fact that he knew she left her room unlocked. It would be too weird.  

[nekoluch]

Levi was doing it; she was playing with Sweets, her candy corn treat, as predicted. What West probably didn't predict? Levi had earphones on and was sweeping the kitchen floor, her back facing the door, with a rather rhythmic swaying of her - ... tail. She felt the need to be extra clean with things since she'd only recently returned back from a trip home. This evening, she was ready to get down on the dirty.

Levi had some unfinished business with her Ma and a certain boil tatzel while back home. She learned things about herself... as a ghoul, as a tatzel and as a mate. There were things her kin did in the matters of choosing a mate and to whom one was mated that didn't sit right with her. Surprisingly, her Ma had seemed glad she had this revelation. She could not be paired with just anyone. It had to be someone she wanted to be paired with. Levi wanted someone that was able to make her feel equal; like she was no more or no less what they were.

She knew a boil like this who always tested her and made her strive to be on her toes. A boil who considered her strong enough to lead him as well as soft enough to need his strength back. At least, this was what the tatzel believed internally.

Thinking in the solitude of her room back home, wondering how she'd be able to return to Amity after what she'd discovered, the ghoul thought of West. A pillow lightly pressed against her face, she didn't know what to do. Boils were stupid and West was one of them, but she thought of him. Levi couldn't not think of him. She kinda wished he was there with her right now. She imagined him walking into her room and grasping at her shoulder and...

Levi's face was red under that pillow. Both for being upset at how utterly ghouly these thoughts were and how she actually wanted such a thing to happen. No no. She was safe here at home. No way he'd come to the tatzelwurm town.

Through some personal decision-making, the white-haired ghoul concluded that West was someone she wanted to know more about. What he did when he wasn't fighting or studying, what he was like back home ... what he felt. Did the wrath demon feel anything like affection? Or was he incapable of being mated? She had no idea and NO plan on how to even remotely go about inquiring such a thing. That was so not something she'd talk about; WITH WEST NO LESS. But there was a calming element to her realizing that she wanted to share her FEAR with West: she was capable of such feelings. Never before had she thought that a boil could be her equal; that she'd find someone right there in her own school. This was how she was able to return back without wanting to lock her door and remain hidden from any demon boils.

Sweeping away at the floor she hummed, doing as she usually did during chores with Sweets fluttering around her head chirping to her humming. Occasionally a hand would come up and rub the treat under their chin or their cheeks would rub together in a nuzzle.  

[Smerdle]

She wasn't answering. Despite his willingness to believe that she might have been legitimately busy less than a minute before, a sharp spike of anger jabbed West in the gut at the thought that she was refusing to see him on purpose and he clenched his fist, hammering at the door again.

"Levi! I gotta talk t'you!" Knock knock knock. "I know yer in there!" No, he didn't. And anyway, this was all starting to sound a little threatening. He didn't want to threaten her, he wanted to fight her. Wait...

West sighed, leaning forward and resting his head against the cool wood of her dorm room door. He knocked a few more times with his forehead before reaching down and wrapping his fingers around the doorknob. He would just take a quick peek, and if she was preoccupied, he would leave before she even knew he was there. Nevermind the fact that she was quicker than him by far and would likely notice his presence before he'd even stepped in the room. This would work. It was a good plan.

The first thing he saw when he entered her room was her damnable tail. His gaze trailed up the tricksy appendage as he shut the door behind him, eyes lingering on, well, everything really. Jackdammit. West cleared his throat. No response. He stomped a boot-clad foot, its heel clicking sharply against the floor. It was only then that he noticed her earphones. Great. Greeeeat. If he wanted her to notice him, he was going to have to get closer.

He took another couple of steps into the room, far more tentatively than he would have if he had been forcing his way into anyone else's personal space. The boil stopped, his brows dipping in agitation as he stared at the ghoul and her treat, willing one of them to notice him.  

[nekoluch]

The eyePod was one of the few electronics she owned and only began using it more recently. The seeds meet had opened her eyes a bit at the benefits of knowing how to use various technological devices. The tatzel would try her best to be more able with them.

It seemed like the kitchen was done. Now it was onto the pillows by the skeeV. She'd need to smack them around a bit, keeping them nice and-

O______O

Turning around to face the doorway with a West not too far away, Levi went solid as a statue. The slightly muffled sound of a fiddle coming from her ears sounded as her broom dropped over by her feet. Wha-... What are you doing here? For that brief moment, Levi relived that moment in her room back home. No no. This was the dorms. A chill caused her spine and tail to jolt and align straight, her tail's end audibly hitting a leg of the wooden kitchen table with a -thunk!- which Levi ignored. She was too busy staring at West... who was behind her... how long had he been there? Just as importantly, Levi wanted to know how much he'd seen. For a ghoul who left her dorm door open for walking in, she was terribly dim enough to not be concerned about peers seeing her in odd moments.

Dancing in the kitchen with her cuddly treat was not exactly a strong fighter's appearance, she thought.

Sweets had a different viewpoint. West would find a treat chirping at him like it was telling him all the events of the day. Or saying "pet me, pet me, OwO you're the warm one from before! I like you! Please pet me!" from its perch on statue!Levi's head.

Words. She needed words right now.

Say something, ghoul. He'll think you're weird.

Uhhh... Aye. She was okay. She was fine. West was just behind her the whole time she'd been dancing with her treat in her dorm room. It was fine. Nothing to see here. If he saw anything, or commented, Levi considered the options of:

1) Biting him with her venom again and running out the door

2) Doing what her Ma had told her to do...

Right now- Levi moved to pick up the broom, causally placing it at the wall in the kitchen before returning to stand in front of West at the same distance; this would do.  

[Smerdle]

He took half a step back when she turned, his mild annoyance over her inability to hear him immediately replaced by a burst of surprised embarrassment that pushed his eyelids to their widest. The boil recovered quickly, standing taller and trying to formulate a coherent reply. It didn't work nearly as well as he might have hoped.

"I, uh..."

West clearly recalled a time, not so long ago, when this would have been easy. When had simply asking the ghoul a question become more difficult than besting the bears of the Garowl Mountains? Well, there had been Scarentine's, a dizzying evening of Whack-A-Hunter, slaps, kisses and dancing that he hadn't been able to purge from his mind no matter how many times he told himself it hadn't happened. The waking dream they may or may not have shared during the Death trial had only served to confuse him further. What would he regret if Hunters stormed the school and turned them all into weapons tomorrow? Still, if he was being honest with himself, this had been a problem way before Scarentine's. West could see that now. He should have put a stop to it long ago. He was starting to think it was too late now.

"Fight me," he said, the words coming out far more gruffly than he had intended. Never mind the fact that the sun was down or that she was in the middle of something. "You said y'wou—" No. He had promised himself he wouldn't mention that. "If yer not doin' nothin'."

He looked up at Sweets, finding it far easier to keep his eyes on the treat than the ghoul. "Shut up," he muttered. Clearly his heart wasn't in the taunt.  

[nekoluch]

The ghoul, realizing West had opened his mouth to speak but she couldn't hear him, removed her earphones and placed the device (still on. wtg levi) on the kitchen table. The first words she heard were of a declaration of a challenge

Right now?

Ya 'wanna go... now? It was more of just a shock due to the time of day for this to happen. In no way was it unwelcome for West to fight with her but Levi's head couldn't help but try to make some sense of his choice in timing. Looking at a clock on the wall, Levi counted the digits before an ear twitched at his next offer of words. Shut up...

As her Ma would say: West will be West. Placing both hands at her hips, she grinned. Boil, with'a mouth like that, yer sure askin' fer it. Yew got'yerself a fight, West. Ya'want it right 'ere 'er are we goin' ta tha'gym?

She shouldn't have suggested they stay there; Levi realized this now. Distracting herself with a light correctional cough, she placed a hand over a suddenly churring Sweets. Grabbing it by the scruff, she also placed it on the table, giving it a commanding look to be understood as "stay."  

[Smerdle]

As soon as Levi had agreed, the boil responded with a terse nod. That was all he needed to hear. He did take in another short breath to reply audibly, but her choice of words left him at a loss for a moment. West squeezed his eyes shut, blinking a couple of times as he opened them again. Short and sweet. He would keep his reply short and sweet.

"Gym," West said, turning sharply and pulling open the door once again. He didn't wait for her to follow. The candy corn scent that filled Levi's room stayed with him as he stomped outside, finally dissipating as he hurried across campus.

West stopped abruptly as he reached the gym. Although the hall leading up to it had been quiet enough to make his echoing footfalls sound abnormally loud, now that he was closer he could hear the rumble of activity on the other side of the doors. West's hands clenched at his sides. Of all the nights for the gym to be occupied...  

[nekoluch]

Geeze! He was already on his way out. Within a short jump, Levi grabbed two small towels and hurried for the door after the demon boil. The weather this evening was ideal and she kept up a pace matching West as they walked/stomped. Every so often she side glanced his way, but then her eyes trailed off to find some distraction again.

Once at the entrance of the gym, Levi too heard the sound from within, raising a brow with curiosity. At this time'a night? Whadaya'suppose-... Opening the door, Levi saw gnomes in tight spankex suits that glittered with sequins doing various cleaning jobs while moving and grooving. Disco-style. She just didn't know what to make of this. Starring for a moment just completely dumbfounded, Levi spoke to West though her eyes remained staring at the gnome riding the polishing machine in circles. Guess... it's bein' cleaned. Outside ring?

Stare. stare.

((ps. We do not ask why the shielded floor requires polishing. That would be breaking the fourth wall. shhhh ))  

[Smerdle]

It only took one glance at the activities going on inside the gym for West to nod again, turning back the way he came and starting in the direction of the outside ring. This time, however, he didn't rush ahead, waiting for Levi to follow before he made an effort to slow down and stroll to their destination. This was not a race. The competition had not yet begun. He might be bored and frustrated and unwilling to admit that maybe he was looking to spend time with the ghoul, but that didn't quite mean he was anxious to have his a** handed to him. A stray thought tickled the edges of his mind. What if he won? What if she had shown him enough by way of training to make him her equal rather than the boil she taught things to whose a** she occasionally whooped?

West turned and grinned down at the tatzel as their battleground came into view. It was a clear night, and the moon and stars were so bright it almost made it unnecessary to light the area.

"Y'ready?" he asked, keeping his eyes on her as he began to slowly back a good distance away.  

[nekoluch]

Levi moved on with West, backing away from the gnome activities she wanted no part in. To the tune of "shake your groove thang shake your groove thang yeah yeah," the ghoul carefully closed the door and walked.

His grin caused her to smirk back. He was likely thinking he'd beat her, right? That was the West she admired. Admired. That was how she put it but she knew better. Admiration was just a part of what she really thought of him. The sky was full of more glittering as the stars shone over their battle ground.

Getting into position opposite West, Levi nodded her chin to him. Ready when ya'll are.  

[Smerdle]

The boil took a deep breath as Levi moved into position and he crouched slightly, securing his own stance. He knew that he could just run at her, and was confident that he would get in a hit of some sort, but he hesitated, perhaps because she was prepared for his attack. If he was going to win, he needed to catch her off guard somehow.

"So, c'mon then," he replied, flicking his hand at her with a small measure of agitation. He was all about the strategy at the moment, but if she didn't start things soon, he was bound to fall back into his old predictable behavior.  

[nekoluch]

Well 'alright, if yew think yer ready fer me. Changing your usual methods, West? He'd held back for once? Levi was terribly curious to see what he intended to do now. So- she took an offensive crouch stance, tail wavering behind her as she thought.

It was hard to look him over right now; surprisingly so. Under the dark of the evening, his eye seemed to glow a menacing green and his posture ... thinking of how to go at him was hard. Gulping, she tried to keep a straight face.  

[Smerdle]

West nodded, then when he realized that might not have been the clearest indicator of agreement in this light, added, "Yeah, I am," even though he kind of wasn't.

He sincerely hoped this would pass when the fight got started. It was disconcerting to feel reluctant to fight, even if the reason was valid. Well, valid to him at least. "Ready... for ya." Dammit.  

[nekoluch]

Alright- He was still her opponent, he was still her opponent, he was still her opponent...

Taking off upward by the spring of her tail, she summersaulted behind West. Her front pushing against his back as her arms wrapped elbow-to-elbow around his neck.

She felt funny.

HP: 40/40
Damage: 0
 

[Smerdle]

West felt off as well, but this unwanted mental and physical squirminess only fed his anger. In spite of that fact, the next sound that came out of him was a cruel chuckle. He bent forward with a grunt, trying to throw her from his neck as his wings added to the attack, buffeting out behind him then disappearing again as quickly as they'd come. Using them so recklessly this early in the fight was a stupid idea, but it made him feel better.

"I am, see?" he practically chirped, bouncing back on the balls of his feet and watching to see what she would do next. West tried to slow his shaky breathing and swallow his smirk. The fight had only just begun.

HP: 50/50
Damage: 6