A slightly smaller Mess

Charles: Didn't take you for someone quite so closed minded.

Emma: He...he'd taken my canoness as his personal slave...but she was...older...she couldn't take as much torment as me. She was dead. so they...*downs her drink* They tied her nude corpse to my back, tied the rope around my shoulders, torso and thighs so tight I almost bled...then forced me to walk from the bottom of the spire to the top, and back down again...

Anne: *grin* you don't know that mute, I've killed astartes in single combat before, I'm sure you could do it.

Lucy: "Don't encourage him. He was going to try with his bare hands."

Hakken: "Do i look like a learned man?'

Akira: "Thone...bloody..." *looks at the ground* "Those sons of fuckers have a nasty time coming for them"

Anne: I'm just saying, killing them in close quarters is totally doable.

Charles: unlearned and closed minded aren't the same thing.

Emma: yeah...apparently he'd got some information about me out of her....after that he took a liking to me...took me off of the sybarite, made me his favorite. Dragged me around everywhere with him by a chain round my neck...everywhere he went....*she's staring at her empty glass*

Mute: *Triumphant sounds*

Hakken: "I have a certain way o seein things."

Akira: "You've seen some things noone should ever see..."

Lucy: "Thats a mighty fine toothpick you got there."

Hakken: "So how do you see things then, if ya so smart an open minded."

Akira: "next of them we see, i'm going to paint the walls of their ship in blood and ram it through a webway gate."

Anne: *eyebrow raise* Toothpick?

Charles: do you know what death is like, Hakken?

Emma: thanks.... *she's gone a bit quiet, just staring at her empty glass*

Hakken: "It's the end, innit? Maybe daemons tear yer soul appart, maybe you go ta live with the emperor for eternity. noone knows really."

Lucy: "I prefer something with a bit more range."

Akira: *Rests a hand on her shoulder*

Charles: I've felt what it's like to die. Been in someone's head when it happened. Felt everything they felt.

Anne: what, like those laser pointers the guard issue?

Emma: thanks...I'm fine, really. I am not at least.

Hakken: "Were they a coward?"

Lucy: "I lug a hotshot. mute here uses a stubber."

Akira: "Well, now its my turn for a sad story, nowhere near yours, mind."

Charles: no.

Anne: not bad. Need more than that to stop me getting up close, but not bad.

Emma: can I get a refill first? I think I'll need it.

Lucy: "We have bandit and jack for that."

Akira: *Pours her another glass, then just puts the decanter down within easy reach on the table* "Go wild."

Hakken: "Then they died well"

Anne: wouldn't mind sparring with jack from what I've heard of him.

Emma: thanks *drink* so...you were saying?

Charles: they died in pain and terror, hakken.

Lucy: "Sounds a good way to get your ass kicked."

Akira: "Yeah, so, i guess i could tell you how i lost my sister."

Hakken: "Better than dyin in your bed."

Anne: we'll see *grins* I've fought against harder odds. 

Emma: oh...okay.

Charles: the pain was not from his wounds. It was from the death itself.

Hakken: "Aye, daemons, right?"

Lucy: "Well... not sure ye have... but i'll pass your desire on to him."

Akira: "She's a psyker, you see, and, my parents left us when we were quite young, still being chased by the inquisition. She was sixteen when they took her, i was eighteen."

Charles: No. Every part of their body shutting down permanently, failing.

Anne: You doubt my claim? I killed a traitor astartes dark apostle in single combat.

Emma: damn...,I'm sorry

Hakken: "Weird way to go."

Lucy: "You aint seen jack."

Akira: "I tried to protect her, grabbed dad's old lasgun and his pistol, hit a few, but they had carapace, didn't do much. They shot me in the abdomen, then my sister, hera, lost it. she was a bloody powerful psyker, completely untrained. Turned the house into matchsticks and cinders."

Charles: no. He just died slowly enough to feel it.

Anne: doubt he's much harder than that.

Emma:....wow....*drink*

Hakken: "Well i plan to go in a blaze 'o glory. so."

Lucy: "Well, tell you what, lets go chat to 'im, right?"

Akira: "So there i was, pinned under a beam, watching my sister, my precious little sister, breathe fire and set people alight by lookin at em. Then, one of there psykers walks up, and its like a light goes off, she just, stops, and falls over. I thought she was dead."

Charles: most men plan to remain alive.

Anne: *shrug* why not.

Emma:...she lived though right?

Akira: "Yeah, she's alive... somewhere out there."

Hakken: "Noone lives forever."

Lucy: *Time skipperoo?*

Emma: you'll find her again... I'm sure you will.

Charles: doesn't mean you welcome the end.

*sure*

Hakken: "O' course not. I dont wanna die, but i know i will. an i wanna go down fightin."

Akira: "I found her again a while ago, along with my parents, in fact... miracle that."

*They walk into the gym to find jack going through an incredibly elaborate, incredibly fast sword drill*

Charles: fair enough.

A smile creeps across emma's lips "I'm happy for you"

Anne watches quietly. Studying his moves.

*He lunges low, then whips the blade back up high, lashes out with a kick, parries an imaginary opponent, catches another imaginary blade on the crossguard of his sword, then with a twist and a flick, that anne knows would either break their wrist or force them to drop their sword, he transitions into a strong thrust, turns, palms a knife from his belt, and hurls it, with barely a second to aim, striking a piece of paper taped to the wall, with the word "De'laney" Written on it.* 

Hakken: "No point to being afraid of death, its gonna happen."

Akira: "You have any siblings?"

Anne still just watches.

Charles: on the contrary. It's only natural.

Emma: three sisters. never met one, she wasn't sent to the order like the rest of us. other two I barely new. Shipped off to helsreach hive on armageddon. The one that got nearly levelled. KIA.

Akira: "I'm... sorry to hear that..."

Hakken: "if ye listen to the church theres a land of tits an booze waiting for us after death, somethin to look forwards to."

Jack: *Walks over to collect his knife* "Are you three just going to watch, or did you want something?"

Emma: its fine...maybe I'll find my eldest sister one day... all I really know is on our homeworld, all females except the firstborn have to be sent to the sisterhood. It's law.

Charles: do we 'know' that?

Anne: not bad. Very aggressive fighting style.

Akira: "Sounds a great way to decimate population growth."

Jack: "Aye, that it is. And you are?"

Hakken: "Fuck no, i'm bettin on there bein fuck all for ya normal bloke. Course you psykers get ta be tormented by daemons for eternity."

Emma: its punishment for...some past 'crime'. Didn't say it made sense.

Anne: Anne. bodyguard to hera and the inquisitor, and person who wants to challenge you to a sparring match.

Charles: There is no fear more ingrained in the human psyche than the fear of the unknown. And death is the antithesis of all things known.

Jack: "well well well... I'm not usually into fair fights, but i'll oblige."

Akira: "Hm, Imperial law..." *Shakes her head* 

Hakken: *shrugs* "Not so afraid of what i don't know. *toothy grin* Its what i do know that scares me."

she grins as she draws her weapon. he notes it's clearly far larger than any normal power sword, astartes scale...but she wields it like it were a damn shortsword.

Emma: yeah...its kinda bullshit. As a result, I haven't seen my home or family since i was four years old.

Charles: on the contrary. You do fear it, even if you don't know it. Because your imagination fills in the unknown, with the most terrifying things you actually can imagine.

Jack: *Squares of against her, a wry smile spreading across his face as he draws a knife in his off hand.* 

Hakken: "I don't run from anythin 'quisitor. Not a damn thing."

Akira: "Yeah, it lost my my parents when i was ten."

Anne snaps her fingers and a compartment opens up on a nearby wall, a servo arm emerging and handing her her storm shield.

Charles: Everyone has fears. Some men are just better at shoving it far down in their minds. Downside to that is, when it finally emerges, it hits them even harder.

Emma: we...seem to have a lot in common.

Hakken: "Nah, nah nah nah. You take your fears, grab em by the fuckin throat and beat it to death. Don't fear death, don't fear pain." 

Jack: *Smiles even wider. then launches a flurry of blows, high, low, left, low, right, high, low.* 

Akira: "So does most of every underhiver."

Charles: *looks him in the eyes. Hakken suddenly does feel a tinge of actual fear...no matter how alien that might be to him* Everyone fears something. *grins*

She expertly parries every single one with the shield, being sure to use as little movement as possible, making it look like the shield needs more effort to use than it does.

Emma: ...look akira...thanks again. For everything. I've known you for a couple of days, at most, and already you've proven yourself a damn good friend.

Hakken: *His muscles tighten up, and he looks ready to bash charles's head in.* "Keep out of my head. fucking psyker, jus' pressin buttons in my mind." *stands up, dropping the weight.* 

jack: *backs off, slowly circling her. sword held in a low guard. knife palmed, ready to be thrown or used to block* 

Akira: "Not got many friends out here." *Smiles* "Thanks, i'm glad we found you."

Charles: *not even the slightest inkling of being phased* did I touch a nerve? 

she keeps the shield facing him as he circles

 Emma: Likewise *smile*

Hakken: "Thats not fear, there's nothin to be afraid of, you're just fuckin with my head."

*he rolls to the left, testing her reaction speed in the turn.*

Akira: "If nothing else, you'll be a damn fine addition to the boarding team."

Charles: Is that what you're afraid of? poking around in that skull?

*she keeps up with him almost perfectly*

Emma: I hope I don't dissapoint.

Hakken: *Angry silence* "I can't fight it. I don't like threats i cant fight."

Jack: *A bigger smile creeps across his face, and he goes to roll to his right, then at the last moment lunges forwards instead with a long thrust.* 

Akira: "If anything you need to impress kerak."

Charles: fair enough. Oh calm down, I was only ribbing. 

*the moment he comes forward her sword swings to the side, catching his thrust and throwing it off course, followed up by a quick bash with the edge of her shield, faster than she's shown she can move with it previously. she immediately returns to her defensive stance after that.*

Emma: any tips there, or would the whole angel thing solve that?

Jack: *He takes the edge of her shield with he blade of his knife in his off hand, using the momentum to roll backwards, and spring back to his feet.* 

Akira: *Chuckles* "Kroot respect strength and skill. I'm not sure they even have the concept of angels in their culture."

Hakken: "Right, fucking with the warp an my head is a joke to you."

Anne still just holds her ground for now, shield facing him

Emma: still, surviving death might help.

Charles: If you're trying to be intimidating it won't work.

Hakken: "You're fucking crazier than we all are..." *look of genuine disgust on his face.*

Akira: "That it might, but, he's done that too." *Chuckles*

Jack: *He circles around to her left side, keeping her shield between himself and her sword.*

Charles: more than a slight overreaction on your part. 

Emma: and I thought I was special *also chuckles*

Anne steps forward

Hakken: "Hera uses the warp, but not as a joke. That shit could backfire on all of us, she knows it, Why the fuck dont you?"

Akira: "well, he did it with immediate medical attention and a lot of cybernetics. not the will of the emperor."

Jack: *he throws the knife, then juggles his sword to his left hand, and grabs the rim of her shield with his right, and wrenches it clockwise, twisting her arm, while keeping his sword ready to parry hers.*

*Max walks in*
"It was also my fault"

Charles: *deadpan* because I acheived a complete and full mastery of my abilities before you were even a sperm in your father's ballsack. Because I have complete and full control over my abilities, to a degree matched by almost no other human alive. Does that answer your question?

To Jack's surprise, the moment he grabs her shield, she springs forwards, her shield smashing into his torso and knocking him back.

Emma: admittedly...yeah. Stabbed me right through the damn heart.