log; complete;

[lefeufollet.livejournal.com]

When; Today, afternoon/evening!
Rating; PG? PG-13? Whatever the rating is for possible language.
Characters; Astaroth Aslan [kievduchess]; Esther Blanchett [lefeufollet]
Summary; Training begins.
Log;

The sun was just beginning to set as Esther reached the entrance to the Underground of the City, a pistol strapped to her thigh and a shotgun slung over her back, starkly contrasting with the clean, white color of her habit--it was enough to draw more than a few glances to her as she hurried through the busier areas of the City. Fortunately, Esther didn't have all that much time to be self-conscious, mind preoccupied with thoughts of the new arrival to the City, and of the task ahead of her, training with the Duchess of Kiev.

In the long run, of course, Esther wasn't sure what good physical training would really do in terms of helping Father Abel. The Crusnik, from what Esther had personally witnessed, were far more powerful than a mere human could ever hope to be, and without a conniving spirit like Dietrich's, without a strong battle instinct, Esther probably wouldn't even be able to land a scratch on Cain. Not to mention that the City's dynamics were such that causing damage wouldn't serve her any purpose, given that people came back in the City. Came back from the dead.

It wasn't right. It made the blood which stained her hands less weighty. Less permanent.

But perhaps the training was more to fortify her mind, than anything else. That was an area in which Esther certainly looked up to Astaroth; the latter always seemed so strong-willed, never gave up on a goal until it had been completed. Whereas Esther, well. She'd been tempted to do just the opposite a fair number of times since she'd arrived.

Hopefully, spending time with Astaroth would change that. Esther smiled to herself, remembering some of the duchess' words. If what she said about them being similar was true... maybe Esther had hope, yet.

Comments

[lefeufollet.livejournal.com]

It certainly wasn't the first time Esther had killed, and the act of killing alone wasn't quite enough to set the nun back in the way it might have for most of her peers. She'd watched Abel take up the proverbial sword many times without batting an eye. As much as Esther might have liked to preach against violence--a little questionable in of itself--there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that there were situations that she was frequently presented with which required action. Required picking up a weapon and taking the initiative to get the first hit in.

She did no one any good dead.

Of course, killing wasn't exactly enjoyable, and it was certainly something to be avoided if possible. Esther approached the dead beast, a slight tightness in her chest as she wondered--would there have been any way around killing it? Probably not.

The shotgun was momentarily returned to her back as she brushed the scaly hide with her fingers.

Probably no other way, from what she would tell.

"Seems like it," Esther nodded. "Are we to venture further into the Underground, Duchess?"

[kievduchess.livejournal.com]

Astaroth looked up, into the dark, seemingly infinite ceiling in this part of the Underground. Night vision was no problem for her, and she could see in to that darkness.

"We'll end here today." She had kept track of the time, and did not wish to leave the Fortunas alone long, though she would never admit it, how afraid she was for their wellbeing now, in this place. Of course, they were Methuselah, much stronger than a normal human, but- Mirka Fortuna was not a fighter, and her grandson was still young and inexperienced in most areas.

"We will continue in the future, however." There was absolutely no room for disagreement in her voice.

[lefeufollet.livejournal.com]

After hearing Astaroth's words, Esther let out a small sigh of relief, shoulders relaxing as she got to her feet, feeling much more energized, somehow. No longer running on that last bit of adrenaline, at any rate. Of course, she wouldn't relax completely, not when she could hardly see a few feet in front of her, and so Esther's hand reached behind to her back again, resting on the trigger of her shotgun, ready to pull it out if any suspicious noises approached.

"Of course," Esther nodded. "After that kind of performance... I'm quite certain that that was only the beginning, for me."

She grinned in what she hoped was Astaroth's direction.

"But I'm looking forward to more."