The Preserve, Sunday Afternoon

[carbsliftthespirit]

Raiden had arranged to meet Jane in a clearing in the preserve, but when Gray had shown up at his place bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and early, they'd decided to take advantage of it to do some sparring first. Gray had gotten tired after a while, though, and now they were cleaning their weapons while they waited for a physicist with a war hammer and whoever else decided to show up.

"You've been slacking," Raiden told Gray around a mouthful of trail mix. "You're getting lazy."

"I'm always lazy," Gray protested. "It's kind of my thing."

"Hm," was all Raiden said to that.

((For hammer friends, but open preserve is open, of course!))

Comments

[needsacatchphrase]

"Hi," Jane said, jogging on up. Which was A Look with that cape. "I'm not late, right?"

[carbsliftthespirit]

"Nah," Raiden assured her. "We were early. Gray was on a sugar rush." Which meant he would probably be crashing soon, but that was how it went with Gray.

[napking]

"Hi, Dr. Foster!" Gray said cheerily. Then he paused to eye her hammer. "Good thing you had Al bring you a shield," he told Raiden. Sword vs. hammer was tricky otherwise.

Especially with an enthusiastic amateur, sorry Jane.

[needsacatchphrase]

Oh, it was going to be a mess.

"Hi, Gray," Jane said with a wave. "Should I have gotten some practice weapons from Asgard? I could probably see if they'd give me some."

They would, but then she'd end up sparring there too.

[carbsliftthespirit]

"It's up to you," Raiden told her. "You said it's magic, right, so if you want to learn how to use the magic part you need to use that hammer."

[napking]

"I do think it's celestial, though," Gray told Raiden. "Which means if it hits you it's gonna hurt." And, well. Enthusiastic amateur.

He looked up from polishing his short sword (not dirty) to tell Jane, "It also means Ray'll have to use his real sword. We don't keep blunted celestial steel around. It would be wasteful. But don't worry, he won't hit you. He's too good." Raiden blushed at this praise.

[needsacatchphrase]

"And you're here to make sure of it," Jane added, twirling the hammer in her hand as an almost anxious habit.

[thatwaslucky]

Rey was not completely sure she was going to be needed here, but the way she figured, worst case scenario was she got to see some cool stuff.

"Sorry if I kept you."

[needsacatchphrase]

"Rey!" Well, her super cool laser sword was needed. Always.

[thatwaslucky]

"Hi," Rey greeted her. "I'm not late, am I?"

[needsacatchphrase]

"Oh, no no no," Jane replied. "Raiden and his brother wanted to spar first."

As either a warm up or an actual challenge before Jane was there.

[thatwaslucky]

Rey looked over at them. "Is that the brother?"

[napking]

Gray and Raiden both eyed the twirling hammer warily.

Do you have the number for that witch Bell knows in Baltimore? Raiden asked his brother telepathically. Nephilim couldn't heal wounds from celestial steel, but fortunately (or else Daman wouldn't still be alive) that didn't apply to healers from other species.

Got it, Gray confirmed. I'm not gonna be the one to tell Al if that thing crushes your ribs.

What Al doesn't know won't hurt him.

Oh, right, Jane had said something. "That's what I'm here for!" Gray confirmed. As long as he didn't fall asleep.

[carbsliftthespirit]

"Hi, Rey," Raiden said with a little wave. "Jane says you have a laser sword!" So cool.

[napking]

"You're not late," Gray assured her. "Hi! I'm Gray."

Gray, Ray, Rey, and...Jane. Combo breaker!

[needsacatchphrase]

Look, it was just a hammer, made from a magical element, forged in the heart of a dying star.

No big.

"Rey's also coming to help with it," Jane promised.

[needsacatchphrase]

"He's a student," Jane said, nodding along with it. "He has... I guess magical narcolepsy, you could say?"

[carbsliftthespirit]

"With her laser sword?" Raiden asked hopefully. He nudged Gray. "I told you about the laser sword, right?"

[needsacatchphrase]

"With the laser sword," Jane agreed readily. "Maybe we can see how it holds up against our weapons!"

That almost sounded like an innuendo if it was from someone else.

[napking]

Gray nodded enthusiastically. "I've never seen a laser sword before outside of a movie. My dad has a flaming sword, but it's not the same thing." After he'd said that, something seemed to get the better of him, and he deflated a little. Raiden ruffled his curls so he'd swat at him, and mouthed 'evil dad' at Jane.

"I do wanna go against the laser sword," Gray admitted, "but if it lasers right through our swords Lazarus will be pissed."

Jane then got to watch a silent negotiation take place between the brothers that ended with Raiden turning to her and saying, "Okay, if the opportunity is there, we will first very carefully test Gray's backup dagger against the laser sword. If it gets damaged it's the least big deal."

[thatwaslucky]

"...Magical narcolepsy," Rey repeated, slowly. "What's that?"

[thatwaslucky]

"A lightsaber, yes," Rey said with a smile. "It gets a lot of attention."

[thatwaslucky]

"Rey," she said. Have fun, radio! "Raiden's brother?"

[napking]

"What?" Gray asked. "You can't see the family resemblance?" Then he snickered and said, "No, I'm just kidding. We're not biologically related, but yes, he's my big brother." His very big brother.

[carbsliftthespirit]

"Well, I've never seen one before, and I've been around the block...several times," Raiden mused. "Then again, I just started meeting space people recently, so there's that. I've seen flaming swords before, of course...is it similar to that?" Ray, buddy, how would she know?