Broken Sword

Posted on 19 Jun 2013 @ 7:20am by Petty Officer 1st Class Victarion Jaqen & Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Stark

1,467 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo: Deck 6 - Cargobay 3
Timeline: MD 07 - 17:00

[ON]

Gabriel breathed harder as he lunged, his arm thrusting forward with the practice rapier, his arm up, but wrist bending downward to change the angle of the sword. He hopped back onto his back foot before doing the same again. He was drenched in sweat from the training, not having stopped for well over an hour.

Victarion stopped in the doorway of the cargo bay turned practice arena as he watched, his eyes wide. He had never seen anyone do that before. He had never seen anyone use a sword, to practice or otherwise. It was fascinating.

Gabriel was strict with himself, to keep in the rules and restraints of the art of fencing, rather than slipping into ~real~ fencing and fighting. He kept his other hand behind him, thrusting forward before turning, the rapier drawing down and twisting in a slicing arc before he stopped, seeing the man in the doorway. He relaxed and stood normally, breathing hard as he lowered the sword and wiped his forehead with the back of a hand. "Don't worry, I won't get you," he said lightly to the way the man watched him, seeing the mixed emotions on his features and his eyes.

"No...I..." Victarion chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Sorry, I did not mean to stare. That...was like a dance."

"I suppose it is a kind of dancing. It's certainly an art," Gabriel laughed gently at the thought of it, rubbing over his hair. "The sport of fencing that is. Real fencing, real fighting with a sword to actually hurt isn't as elegant."

Victarion watched him for a long moment before smiling weakly. "But what you do is a sport, not for fighting?" he asked with interest. He had never encountered that before.

"I do both," Gabriel said with a warm smile, shaking his head as he caught hold of his water bottle. "But what I was just doing? That's the sport. I've done it for years," he reached out to offer his hand. "Gabriel Stark."

"Victarion Jaqen," he said as he took the hand, moving closer as he smiled. "I did not realise swords were used for sports as well...seems odd, to play with danger."

"The swords aren't the same," Gabriel assured quickly, shaking his head. "See this practice one?" he held it out so he could see the end. "Blunt, see?"

Victarion nodded, reaching to carefully touch it before smiling gently. "My...people don't believe in violence."

Gabriel watched him with surprise, lifting his eyebrows as he stared at him. "Like, none at all?"

He smiled as he watched him, nodding as he touched the end of the blade, as if to feel for himself that it was blunt. "We believe in pleasure and peace. Yes, it sounds pretty lame."

"That doesn't sound lame! Just totally and utterly impossible!" Gabriel laughed good naturedly, watching him with clear wide eyed awe. "So, you have no violence what so ever? No fights and brawls?"

Victarion watched him with a small smile at seeing Gabriel's difficulty in understanding it, shaking his head. "No violence...we are pacifists."

Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck, watching him with dark eyes as he tried to get his head around the idea of it. "Not even boxing?"

"Not even boxing," Victarion said and smiled gently, chuckling. "I know, it is quite strange in comparison to Earth culture."

"What happens if there is violence? Or does it never ever happen?" Gabriel asked with sheer curiosity, watching his face eagerly. The man seemed gentle and delicate in features. Pretty rather than handsome almost. He suited a place like that.

"It...has happened," Victarion said, and frowned slightly. "Our laws...are old. And punishes such by death...a slow, torturous death. It is such an old law we never thought of changing it, until a little over a hundred years ago when we had...murders."

"So it's not inherent in you, it's purely culture and social pressure," Gabriel said with interest, shaking his head as he took a deep breath. "I think I'd be in trouble there."

Victarion watched him for a moment before smiling gently with amusement. "We have ways of easing aggression. Warmth, senses, pleasures, sex."

"Ah, I see - and that's where the pursuit of pleasure comes in, to keep the peace," Gabriel nodded with understanding. Strangely, it made a lot of sense.

Victarion nodded as he watched him, his eyes shining. "We have some of the most beautiful dancers in the universe."

Gabriel looked over him with a suggestive smile. "I bet you do," he teased, but the look in his eyes was only playful.

Victarion laughed warmly, arching an eyebrow. "You should visit one day..."

"I'd never survive," Gabriel laughed softly, looking down. "I'd be chucked off in a day for aggression," he winked.

Victarion chuckled teasingly, moving closer. "Sure we could not...distract you with other pleasures?"

Gabriel laughed warmly, tilting his head as he watched him with shining eyes, an almost seductive smile playing across his features for a moment, but not serious with it. "Hm, that's true. That's wicked tactics."

Victarion smiled gently, nodding as he held his eyes in return. "It is simply how we work...and we give good massages you know."

"How come you're not there then? Giving massages and dancing?" Gabriel asked with a curious smile as he picked up his towel, drying his face.

Victarion smiled gently as he shook his head, moving to touch the sword. "I wanted to see the universe. And we are a Federation planet."

Gabriel offered the sword over to him to hold and feel, smiling brightly. "What do you think of it so far?"

Victarion bit his lip as he held it, taking a breath. "That it is beautiful..." he admitted and smiled.

Gabriel blinked, watching him with mild surprise, taking a long breath. "You think the universe is beautiful?"

He nodded as he met his eyes, biting his lip. "It is the creation of all, isn't it? We all come from the stars."

"Maybe people that come from a place that pursues pleasure and peace sees the best in everything," Gabriel gave a half smile, sitting down heavily on the bench as he took a rest.

Victarion placed the sword down, moving to sit down beside him. "I have been called...too trusting."

"It's only a bad thing because out here it can get you hurt," Gabriel replied, seriously as he met his eyes.

Victarion watched him for a long moment before smiling gently. "Then it is the will of the gods," he whispered softly. "I do not believe in violence...which is why I am a yeoman."

Gabriel shook his head, looking down as he let out a long, shaking breath. "It's not the will of the gods. Some people are just bastards and will take advantage of people who are too trusting," he met his eyes, arching an eyebrow seriously. "You should be careful."

He watched him for a long moment, his eyes gentle before he touched his arm. "I am trusting. I am not a believer of violence...but I am not stupid either..." he teased.

Gabriel frowned, shaking his head. "I didn't mean - I wasn't - " he shook his head hard with a sigh at himself. "Yeah."

Victarion watched him before pulling him close, rubbing the back of his neck soothingly. "You are worried about me..."

Gabriel looked to him with surprise, letting out a long breath. "When you said you were good at massages..." he teased.

"I did not lie," he said as he smiled, his eyes shining at being able to give some relief.

"Sorry if I sounded patronising," Gabriel said quietly, shaking his head with a frown. "Just, you're not from around our parts."

Victarion smiled gently as he took his time to rub. "So you are protective toward me. I appreciate that."

"I'm not sure I'd leave a place like you came from," Gabriel admitted, chuckling as he shook his head.

"There was not much left," he whispered softly as he moved to rub his back, properly. "Not for me, not with the stars out here."

Gabriel sighed, breathing slowly with the warmth of the feeling. He smiled at how it eased his body having just done so much training, and with his not having stretched out after. "Yeah. It's always the stars' fault."

"They trap you..." Victarion leant closer to whisper in his ear. "They suck you in and cast a spell on you."

Gabriel swallowed hard, frowning as he let out a long breath at the words. "At least something does."

[OFF]

PO2 Victarion Jaqen
Yeoman
USS Galileo
(PNPC - Lt. JG Amynta Markos)

PO2 Gabriel Stark
Security/Tactical
USS Galileo
(PNPC - Lt. JG Scarlet Blake)

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