It's toime fer a discussion, mate

[bye_to_yer_head]

Characters: RED Sniper (hasstandards) and BLU Sniper (bye_to_yer_head)
When: Immediately after this.
Where: The forest
Rating: PG-13 most likely
Summary: BLU comes back from making sure Pyro is okay, and discovers something missing.

Comments

[hasstandards]

RED tightened another screw into place before hearing something behind him- though faint, the sound of grass being pressed into the ground by footsteps was distinctive enough. He'd been out there for hours and had yet to see any sign of big game; he reasoned the chances were whatever was stalking him was likely human. He had a feeling who it would be, given his limited options.

He gave no obvious tell he'd heard anything for a moment, instead continuing to work on the weapon before him. He picked up a piece of the stock, its metallic surface giving him enough of a reflective surface to see behind him. Pushing another piece into place with it, he turned it in his hand, taking a look behind him. Though he couldn't make out the figure, the fact there was indeed a figure approaching was evident enough. He was closer than the hunter would have liked, as well.

There was a calmness in his motions as he bit back the pounding in his head again, putting the pieces on the ground before reaching into his vest a second time- his hand trailed to his belt this time rather than the pocket, taking hold of the kukri attached there. He took a breath, waiting, listening.

[bye_to_yer_head]

BLU had gotten close, closer than he thought he would have been able to against another Sniper. It didn't seem as though the other man had spotted him but he was wary, he would have tried to play it off if he was in RED's shoes. For a moment he paused, listening to the sounds of the other man fiddling with the gun, with his gun. His grip on the kukri tightened and he almost rushed him. But that was acting without thinking, and even as angry as he was right now, he could see that it would get him nowhere to just launch himself into an attack right away. Especially since he was injured and the RED was not. The BLU's only advantage right now was that the other man hadn't noticed him.

He opted to get even closer before he made his move. He got within lunging distance before he stopped and waited. Either the RED really was absorbed in his work and actually hadn't noticed him, or he was just waiting for him to get even closer before he made a move to strike. The sounds of repairs to the Machina had stopped, and BLU eyed the mans back warily, from his position he couldn't see where the RED's gun was. He reasoned he was close enough now that he could rush and stab him before the RED was able to turn, aim and shoot. At this position he couldn't get any closer without making himself known and he was pretty sure the Sniper knew he was there anyway.

"Yer move, mate."

BLU stood and waited, a look of cold fury painting his features.

[hasstandards]

And there was the voice RED had expected to hear. Pyro was in no condition to come after him, and had hopefully learned his- correction, her- lesson, and he didn't figure anyone else, on the team or otherwise, would have bothered to come looking for him, save for the other Sniper. Even though BLU's health wasn't fair, RED knew he'd have done the same if in his position.

With slow, deliberate movements, he pulled his kukri from its holding and got to his feet, staving off that feeling of disorientation as he turned to face his opponent. His own face bore an impassive look as he eyed the other man, gauging just how injured he was. Still had the hole in his shoulder; it was hard to tell if the limp remained when he was standing still. As for RED himself, he was fighting what he suspected was a concussion. At least the odds weren't terribly slanted one way or the other.

Judging by the expression on his face and the knife in his hand, BLU wasn't there for idle chatter. While explaining his actions might have helped, RED didn't reckon it would do much. He'd thought BLU might take some time to recover before coming to look for his gun, giving him time to do some work on it and possibly return it- and do a better job of hiding, while he was at it. Clearly, he hadn't been thinking well enough to realize how bad the scene looked until it was too late. He'd blame that on the knock to his head this time. There wasn't much to be done about it now.

"Ya might have asked our Medic for help before comin' out here, mate," he said flatly, not even trying to be friendly in spite of the worsening situation. "He might've given you a band-aid if you were nice about it."

[bye_to_yer_head]

Eying him up and down for any sign of weakness BLU found himself slightly disappointed that the other man didn't even seem to have been injured from falling out of a tree or possibly having it land on him. Well that blood had to have come from somewhere, BLU didn't care where since he was planning on adding some more injuries before this little conversation was over.

"I don't need th' help t' take down a skulking coward loike you." True his injured shoulder was the hand holding the knife, but that didn't matter to the BLU. He'd fought with worse injuries than this before, he could deal with the pain and the fact he'd made it worse by fighting injured when he was done with the enemy in front of him. He was still standing in a defensive pose, he knew his knee wasn't up to him charging at anything and was hoping that the other man would make the first move.

[hasstandards]

RED gritted his teeth as BLU described him aptly; though appropriate, the statement was no less irritating. The words burned into his ears, causing the grip on his knife to tighten in reflex.

However, despite the apparent anger he stifled, RED made no move against his foe. He knew there was a chance BLU's injuries weren't as bad as they seemed, given how close he'd managed to get before his presence had been noticed- it may have simply been the head injury impeding his senses, but RED though it better not to take the risk. He took a few steps, circling clear of the tree; his gait felt as unsteady as it had only a short while before, though his headache was now fueled by the same adrenaline that pushed him to action, toward the fight. His judgment knew better, but just barely.

"Right," he retorted, coming to a stop and taking a similarly defensive stance. "We'll see if you can take me down before Pyro comes out here to stop me again. D'you always need a RED to save you when you're caught unprepared?"

[bye_to_yer_head]

He can see he hit a nerve with that one. Good. He hadn't come out there to politely ask for his things back, he'd come out there to take them by force. He watches the RED move, noting something a bit off about the way he was placing his feet. Maybe he too was more injured than he was letting on. Well there was something finally going his way today. BLU tore his eyes away from the other Sniper for just a fraction of a second to look towards where his gun was lying on the grass. RED had actually made some progress towards getting it in working order.

Somehow that infuriated the BLU even more. Not only had the other Sniper stolen his weapon, but he'd managed to fix it better than he had been able to. The thought ate at him even as he turned his glare back on the man in front of him. But his ammo pouch... he didn't see it. If RED had somehow managed to lose it, or had destroyed it or who know what else, then BLU had no qualms about skinning the man alive or tearing him to pieces with his bare hands. Everything from his life before BLU was in that leather pouch. And he wanted it back.

"If anythin' she'd come t' 'elp me burn yer remains. Don't want your corpse stinkin' up the place afterall." He shifted his weight onto his uninjured leg and raised his knife in a warning. "You brought this on yerself, mate." And with that he made the first move, rushing towards him and slicing towards his abdomen, even as he twisted slightly to avoid the other mans knife that he knew would be coming in retaliation.

[hasstandards]

His grip tightened again as his opponent tensed, making a rush for him. He avoided BLU's swing, immediately making one of his own- it missed, as it seemed BLU knew his behavior well enough to dodge preemptively. He took two steps back, then a third as the second had landed unevenly on the ground, nearly causing him to lose his footing. The distance was needed for now, as he realized any attacks he'd make would only worsen that dizzying feeling that pushed from his head into the pit of his stomach, making his movements sluggish.

"I s'ppose you think I want that bungled piece of garbage you call a gun," he quipped. Despite his tone, he inched closer to the truth. "Thought I might put it back together for ya. Give ya a fightin' chance next time."

[bye_to_yer_head]

"You ain't neither." If the RED thought he could talk his way out of this he would find himself grievously mistaken. The idea that the Sniper could have been telling the truth didn't even cross his mind. Though he might have done the same thing had he been in RED's place.

He let the man put the distance between them, that was just as well as BLU was more concerned with circling around slightly so he'd be closer to the tree where the remains of his gun were laying. His eyes darted over to the Machina, but more importantly he was looking for his ammo pouch. He still didn't see it. Tearing his eyes away from the ground he looked back over at RED. "What'd you do with my ammo?" He tried hard to keep any sort of concern off his face, but that cold dread was spreading through him again.. If that bag had been lost ...

He never should have taken it off when he was working.

[hasstandards]

Though his vision was still occasionally spinning, every lightheaded moment reminding RED of the danger he faced from not only his foe, but his own injury. He took another breath, keeping it in check. Concentration would be a key factor in his survival, especially when the BLU looked ready to end him.

He watched the other Sniper carefully, BLU's eyes hidden by the glare across his glasses. It didn't matter: RED knew what he was looking for as he neared the tree; it became all the more obvious when the question was asked. RED snorted in response, his hand trailing to his own ammo pouch on instinct- the bag was more weighted than before. "Wouldn't you like to know? There was nothin' useful in there, anyway."

Attachment, sentimentality; they were weaknesses, distractions from the job. They were unfortunate ways to control someone's actions- he'd realized that from his time with RED, with his contract. They weren't to talk about the details of what they did, or certain things would be used against them.

And what was that certain thing for RED? His parents. Though he argued with them over his job and the choices he'd made in his life, he ultimately cared more for them than anyone in the world. After all, they were his folks. They'd never quite understand him, but they were as close as anyone got. Anyone alive, anyway.

Thinking of them only served to renew RED's frustration at all that had happened, at his lack of control, at the fact that no matter how hard he worked, nothing could be done to make things go back to the way they were. He could feel the anger seep onto his face. He'd have to change, to adapt- it was the forcing of his hand he was unwilling to accept. If he moved, it'd be on his own terms.

[bye_to_yer_head]

Nothing useful.

The BLU grimaced, it was more true than he'd like to admit. But right now he didn't care. That was all he had from before BLU and more importantly from before he ended up here, it was stupid to be attached to an item like this, and he knew it, but right now it seemed so important. He was coldly furious with the other man, it was one thing to shoot at him, it was quite another to go and steal his things. It wasn't respectable and it certainly wasn't professional. The fact that RED had stooped that low was a telling sign for the other Sniper. He was grimly certain that neither of them were going to walk away from this.

BLU knew his knee wasn't going to hold up much longer at this point, he couldn't keep ignoring that pain forever. His shoulder had gone from a dull ache to a fierce throbbing, he could almost feel the tendons snapping as he moved his arm in ways that strained the joint. But he wasn't about to back off just because he was injured. In fact the RED in front of him looked pretty unsturdy, he had to be injured somehow. BLU tightened his grip on the knife and took a step forward swinging at the other man's shoulder, maybe he could make him drop that knife of his, and then this fight would start going in his favor.

[hasstandards]

RED had closed his eyes only for a second, trying to stop everything from turning around him- the more he was on his feet, his body pushing itself to its limit in the face of the dire circumstances, the worse his condition got. BLU had to be feeling his wounds as well, but at least he seemed to be thinking straight.

Straight enough to attack when the time was right. RED opened his eyes as he heard the BLU step toward him, but his movement wasn't quick enough to dodge the attack entirely. He stepped backward, the blade grazing his shirt, cutting through both fabric and the skin beneath. Blood trailed from the slice, running down his arm. His hand held its grip on the knife; his feet didn't handle themselves nearly as well. One foot caught on the other, sending RED to the ground.

Despite the tumble, his reflexes kicked in: he rolled and was on his feet again in an instant, though far unsteadier than he had been before. He kept his knife before him, taking a blind swing as he backed up again. His hat had been lost in the fall and was lying in the space between them, the telling crimson stain on the inside. Just as revealing was that impulse to grab at the back of his head- he did so, attempting to stifle the accompanying groan.

[bye_to_yer_head]

BLU smirked a little as he watched his opponent fall. In that instant he attempted to slam the blade down through the other man's torso, but he was caught off guard when RED rolled and regained his feet. Instead BLU was sent sprawling, his knife still embedded in the ground between them.

Snarling he returned to his feet, his knee giving out in protest before he wrestled himself under control and managed to stand again. That blind swing of RED's caught only air, but it had come far closer than BLU was comfortable with. He backed away as well, that limp far more pronounced now, and try as he might he couldn't stop the hiss of pain that escaped as he tried to put weight on his leg.

On the bright side RED didn't seem to be faring much better. He could see the blood inside the other man's hat, and that coupled with the groan and rubbing of his head let Sniper know exactly what was going on. No wonder he was so unsteady on his feet. But at least he was still conscious, unlike Pyro who seemed to have taken the brunt of the fall from the tree.

"Yer not lookin' so good there mate. Hows about you give me back what's mine, and I might find it in myself t' let you go so we can finish this another day." They both needed the break to nurse their wounds, and he knew that RED knew that. But he would rather end up dead from this fight than admit that sort of weakness.

[hasstandards]

Unfortunately, RED was just as stubborn when it came to admitting weaknesses. "You keep talkin'. You're in no better shape than I am." He wasn't entirely sure of that, but it was apparent BLU's limp was worse than it had been moments before. Both men had their injuries revealed- there was no hiding their conditions now.

He kept his kukri at the ready, his glare steeled. Taking another step, he felt his leg shake and decided against any more after the first one. He needed to stall, try to recover from the fall before pushing himself again. The blood trailed to his fingers, running between them to the handle of his blade- it wasn't anything that would ruin him, but it didn't make matters any better. The worst blow had been to his pride, knowing he hadn't gotten the first strike.

"I told you already I had every intention of givin' your things back," he said, allowing himself that much of a confession. "Felt right sorry for you, not havin' a gun."

[bye_to_yer_head]

"Sure that'll be keepin' you up at nights." Behind his glasses his eyes narrowed in calculation. They were both badly injured, and they were at a point where any major attack on either of their parts would wind up being their last. RED didn't look like he was going to be making any sudden sprints forward and BLU didn't trust his knee to not give out if he made a move towards the other man.

There was enough space between them that BLU felt comfortable enough to lean down and pull his kukri out of ground, idly flicking pieces of dirt off the blade instead of looking at RED. "Foine. You back away, leave my things, an' we'll continue this little discussion later."

[hasstandards]

As much as RED wanted to return with a snide remark, he managed to hold his tongue- they were clearly in a stalemate, with either man on the verge of falling to the other's blade if he made any sudden moves. His own head ached painfully, the throbbing starting to make him nauseated. Though he took steps to stifle the signs of pain, they manifested themselves regardless- his hands trembled, his stance wobbling momentarily as he felt a pang pushed through him.

He was reluctant, but knew when it was best to run away. After all, cowardice was one of his finer skills. "Right. We'll continue this when you're ready."

Without taking his eyes off BLU, he sidestepped to the tree, picking up his own rifle and sliding it over his shoulder with a quiet hiss through his teeth. He retrieved his hat next, his movements a little slower. He almost stumbled as he stooped to pick it up, but his instincts held out, his kukri remaining in front of him in warning; the knife shook as he took a few short breaths, his cold gaze still locked on the man before him.

Lastly, he reached into his ammo pouch; BLU's had been rolled carefully and tucked into it for safe-keeping. RED held it up for a second before tossing it to him.

[bye_to_yer_head]

BLU nodded and backed up even further to give RED some room. He lowered his knife slightly as well, just to prove he was serious about letting him go. Honestly he was a bit surprised RED had agreed to this, being too stubborn for their own good was one of the hallmarks of a good Sniper. The BLU wobbled a bit himself, on the verge of passing out again, but he managed to stay upright and keep his eyes fixed on the enemy Sniper as the man retrieved his gun.

Sniper caught the ammo bag with his off hand, surprised any of his reflexes even worked right now. As much as he wanted to tear it open and make sure nothing was missing he refused to do that where RED could see him. He already looked weak enough without a gun, the last thing he wanted was for the man to think he was a sentimental sap. Instead he slowly and deliberately sheathed his knife at his side and tied the pouch to his belt, feeling the comforting weight of it against his thigh. Something was still in it anyway.

His eyes flicked to the Machina on the ground and then over at RED. It was going to be a long painful process kneeling down to collect the pieces. He wanted to do that once the other sniper was far away from here. Sniper hated to admit it, but the combination of leaning over and flexing his injured knee was probably going to make him pass out.