tushanshu | [audio]

[audio]

[Her tone is blunt, sharp, faintly accented. No preamble.]

We are here to fight a war. How many of you are remotely prepared?

[She's guessing like three. But then again, she has high standards for preparedness.]

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[Oh, he knows. It's one of the things he likes about her. Sigh.]

Mm, well, good luck. Some of them might surprise you.

Do you think me capable of surprise?

[Srsly tho, bro?]

I do, as it happens. Whether anyone will manage it is another matter entirely.

You are ever the optimist, Dorian.

[She tilts her head a little.]

How have you been?

[Showing casual interest in his life? She does it occasionally.]

[Dorian presses his lips together so as to not smile. He never quite expects anything from Aisha, which he supposes makes this kind of thing a pleasant surprise.]

Not so terribly. Still bemoaning a lack of a good tailor, especially as I lost three outfits dealing with whatever those were. [Someone stuck their hand into his stomach, Aisha! No tailor can fix that kind of damage!] At least only one of them was a very good one.

And you?

You are an intolerable dandy.

[Well, not intolerable, since she does. Tolerate him. Somewhat.]

I am well. The conflict with the spectres was a welcome break in the monotony of this place.

I've heard that, now and then.

[He isn't remotely offended.]

They didn't strike me as your preferred type of opponent, between the possession and the incorporeality.

They weren't. But it was entertainment of a sort that's been sorely lacking lately.

[oh Aisha] Ever thought about getting a sparring partner?

Are you volunteering?

I said sparring partner, not punching bag.

You know how to fight.

[Come now, don't be coy.]

I know what sailors taught me in Whitechapel dens, and I know how to kill someone who is attacking me; I consider those two separate things. [There is the unaffectedness of a shrug in his voice.] If that is what you want in a sparring partner, I'm yours.

You may teach me a thing or two.

[She's not too proud to learn. One survives by honing their skills.]

[For some reason, he finds himself smiling.]

Pick a time and a place, then.

Two days from now. There is an abandoned dojo in the Earth Sector. I will meet you there at-- [A calculating pause.]

Is 'dawn' suitable?

[Yes, she's actually asking.]

[She is! It's like all kinds of Christmas miracles today.]

Dawn will be fine.

Then I will see you there.

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