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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 18, 2016 3:50:05 GMT -5
"If only you had one," she said in mock sympathy as she looked at his backside. In actuality Nicolas had a marvelous ass, but that was neither here nor there.
"Where is it you think I'm going with you?" she asked without budging.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 18, 2016 4:03:26 GMT -5
He rolled his eyes at her comment about his backside. He had a flawless physique and didn't need Lyra to tell him so.
He wasn't surprised when she asked where he was taking her, she always had silly questions. Still he replied, "You and I are going to settle things once and for all." he said ominously.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 18, 2016 4:13:22 GMT -5
She rolled her eyes even louder than he had and pushed herself up from the armchair. "Are you sure you wouldn't just rather hide behind your newspaper, old man?" she asked sarcastically as she followed him. Nik was only a couple years older than her, but that was enough of an age difference for her to mock him.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 18, 2016 13:01:16 GMT -5
"That's a bit of a reach." he smiled. If Lyra was attacking his age, then she truly had run out of other insults.
He led her down several corridors and stopped in front of a door, then pulled a large key from the master set.
As soon as he entered they entered the room their clothing changed to dueling clothes allowing for range of mobility. The room itself protected the occupants and furniture from serious harm. Even a spell such as the cruciatus would only inflict the mildest pain.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 18, 2016 14:42:53 GMT -5
Lyra had plenty more things to insult Nicolas on, they came so naturally when he was around. She was simply off her game today. Lyra's head was still focused on the shock of Julian's confession and her heart heavy with the burden of knowing exactly how she had made him feel by her own dark confessions.
She followed Nicolas down the maze of corridors that was only a tiny portion of Montgomery Manor, but it was large enough that Lyra had no idea where they were going. By now she had memorized the way to Samantha's rooms and to the ballroom and kitchen, but everything else about the expansive castle still confused her and turned her around.
She should have been expecting it, having walked in after Nicolas and seen his attire transform, but suddenly Lyra was four inches shorter than she had been and when she looked down her high heels and form fitting dress were gone, replaced instead with a dark shift dress, leggings, and low heeled boots.
"Oh, this is ridiculous! How am I supposed to walk in something like this?" she complained of the one inch heel.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 18, 2016 14:50:26 GMT -5
Nik let out a short laugh and used his wand to increase her heel height another inch.
"You'll get used to it." he said shortly going across the room. Finally he turned to face her his wand in hand, "Come now Lyra, have you never dueled before?" he nudged his head to where her starting point was.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 18, 2016 15:05:58 GMT -5
Lyra quickly rolled her eyes at the meager extra inch he'd given her, still three inches shorter than she was used to. "Merlin, you're even less attractive from down here. You're so lucky Sam is tall, Nik, really. It's all about angles." She smirked at him as she walked over to her starting point.
"Of course I've dueled before, don't be daft. I bested almost everyone in my year last term," she said smugly, though her chest was telling a different story. Her pulse had quickened and she felt a tightness around her heart.
She drew her wand, her hand shaking slightly, and took a deep breath. She could do this. It was just a silly duel. It was nothing like the carriage ride.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 18, 2016 15:15:56 GMT -5
He didn't banter with her, his expression was serious, once she was at her starting position he let loose a curse toward her.
She had bested school kids, but it hadn't prepared her for the real world. Nik had trained with master duelists and had his arse handed to him in his first fight outside of the dueling arena.
Lyra had froze when she was faced with M and the real life circumstances, Nik was going to make sure that never happened again.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 18, 2016 15:23:03 GMT -5
She instinctively shrieked as the curse came at her, turning away as it hit her and knocked her backwards. She hadn't even tried to block it.
"I wasn't ready!" she yelled in a high pitch tone that shook. She righted herself. "If you're not even going to follow the rules..." she huffed at him as the tightening in her chest continued.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 18, 2016 15:28:27 GMT -5
"Always be ready." he said firing another curse, "The man who attacked you wasn't following the rules." and another, "Fight back!"
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 18, 2016 15:41:38 GMT -5
The second curse hit her before she could make it to her feet and knocked her further onto her ass. She didn't even have time to see it coming, but she saw the third coming straight for her and she screamed putting both hands up in front of her face as it hit her square in the stomach and made her double over, dropping her wand.
"Stop it! This isn't funny, Nicolas!" she screamed from the floor. The mention of her attacker had drawn tears to her eyes, or maybe that was the curse that had knocked the wind out of her. Lyra sat on the floor and didn't bother trying to get up, he'd just knock her back down again.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 18, 2016 15:50:32 GMT -5
He walked toward her and crouched down beside her, "I'm not laughing pet." he said in a strangely sympathetic tone.
"All your training at school, when push came to shove it was pointless in the real world. Something horrible happened to you Lyra. It didn't matter that he didn't succeed, he stole something from you. And all these panic attacks...he continues to steal from you. It's time to take it back. Time to channel some of that rage you use so eloquently against me, so that it never happens again."
He stood up then. "You know Sam told me you were something of a terror at school, she put it in much more charming terms, but you were positively vicious in getting what you wanted, and had a confidence to match. I think it's time you found that girl again." he said while offering his hand to help her up.
"Or are you really going to let me best you?" he challenged.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 18, 2016 16:08:37 GMT -5
M wasn't the first to steal something from her, but he was definitely the most recent. Rystain had stolen her confidence, her parents took her sense of trust, and M had taken her courage. Lyra was barely a shell of the girl she was only a year ago. Julian was helping her recover her former self, but their turbulent relationship hindered her progress.
She didn't look at Nik as he spoke to her, her eyes didn't even follow as he got to his feet. She maintained that she didn't like him. And he knew that, which is why he challenged her in a way he knew she wouldn't be able to resist.
Lyra looked up at him, scowling slightly then reached for her wand. She pushed his hand away. "I can get up by myself," she said angrily as she rose to her feet and brushed away a tear. "Well?" she asked in a snotty tone, waiting for him to reach his mark so they could begin.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 18, 2016 18:35:29 GMT -5
He smirked at her and moved back to his starting position keeping an eye on her in case she should attack.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 18, 2016 21:00:43 GMT -5
Which she did. He wasn't waiting until she was ready, like in a proper duel, so why should she. She fired a mild curse at him and waited a moment before sending a second.
Her chest was still constricted, her heart still beating faster than normal. She didn't want to talk about her would-be abductor. Her attacks were worse when she thought about him but now that Nik had brought him up, M was all she thinking about and he terrified her.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 18, 2016 21:20:15 GMT -5
He blocked the attack, but smiled at her daring.
"There you go. Again!" he ordered her, sticking to the defensive for now.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 18, 2016 21:50:01 GMT -5
She didn't like Nik's smile or his encouraging words. He had brought on several of her panic attacks and there may have even been a part of her that associated him with her attack. Yes, Nicolas had saved her from M, but they had been fighting just before about his distrust for her and the two events were now linked in her brain.
Lyra shut him up by sending another curse, aimed straight for his stupid smile.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 18, 2016 22:51:40 GMT -5
He let her hate him, if that's what it took to get her to take care of herself. He usually tried the calm approach first, but she delighted in provoking him, and eventually he had to provoke her into making better choices such as bathing, not participating in a destructive relationship, and now learning to defend herself.
He defended again, and when he thought she could handle it began throwing hexes back at her.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 18, 2016 23:22:16 GMT -5
She did better with the offense than the defense. She continued to freeze as he threw curses at her, screaming and shrieking as she tried to move out of the way and nearly always being knocked on her ass. But each time she got back up and instantly fired at him, and each time she grew angrier and angrier until finally Nicolas threw a curse and she actually managed to produce a shield charm. She didn't produce it in time and was still thrown to the floor, but she hadn't screamed and she hadn't seized up.
She sat on the floor where she had fallen, breathing heavy. A small smile played on her lips though she didn't direct it at Nicolas.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 18, 2016 23:42:05 GMT -5
Nik too was breathing heavily, she hadn't lied about being good, and he was mildly surprised at her skills. But she froze when being attacked.
They had been at it for a while and he could feel her anger mounting in her attacks towards him. When he threw the last curse and she defended herself he smiled widely enough for the both of them.
"Well done."
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