{004: Respite

[zerosuitjill]

Who: Jill (zerosuitjill) and you~
When: Present
Where: God of War's Lair, Tiffauges Castle (Neutral Territory)
What: Otherwise restless, Jill checks out one of the newer territories.
Type: Starting as a log, but either's fine.
Notes/Warnings: None.

Comments

CHRIS, ESPECIALLY, WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN I THINK

[lightning_fists]

It was only after coming face to face with the woman and registering the familiarity of her face that Tifa noticed the gun going pointed at her. No surprise, really. Given how she had come up behind the other and what the young barmaid knew of her - Jill, he had said was her name - she could only expect that a gun would be the first line of defense against a possible assailant. It was a safety net; a cushion of comfort for someone accustomed to using them. After all, both Barret and Vincent would have done the same, she supposed

HECK YEAH~ ...aaand assuming you have a Mannequin in mind already

[zerosuitjill]

The push caught Jill off guard, but she reacted instantly to check her momentum, ducking into a roll off of her left shoulder and righting herself in a tensed crouch. The attack fell silent and still as quickly as it had come, timing evenly with her as she lifted her gun, the end of the barrel following her eyes as she scanned the area--but that could've come from anywhere in here--

"Where?" she asked quickly, having seen in the corner of her eye that the other had made it safely out of range, as well.

I DIDN'T, ACTUALLY... but I can wrangle up someone...

[lightning_fists]

"I don't know, it keeps moving." Judging by the shape of the crater that was left behind and following the angle of the blast, Tifa had a general idea of where it had come from. But by the time her eyes zeroed in on the mannequin -- because, indeed, the monotone coloring indicated that it was one -- it had darted into another direction. And continued to do so with amazing speed and acrobatics before she could shout out a location for the other woman to focus on.

"If they're mannequin's like this, remind me never to go up against the real thing," the young barmaid murmured in frustration. And then moved to dodge again as another blast of energy was sent her way

...SOUNDS GOOD TO ME :D

[zerosuitjill]

Dodging, Jill could do. The Mannequin was fast, no doubt, but Jill had fought faster. Even if she'd never won against that breed of faster, the element of surprise wasn't here, at least--but she was still forced to haul ass to avoid more of those blasts, usually by quick sidestepping or ducking behind a pillar, occasionally by diving to the side, and once by a one-handed somersalt of sorts that was a too-narrow miss. All the while she was unable to get a visual lock on their opponent long enough to aim, forced to keep moving and hoping that Tifa would get a better idea of its movements.

And apparently she did. At the question, Jill didn't look over. "Fast enough!" she called back. This wasn't the time to be modest--if she got just a second of opportunity, she'd make the shot.

:Db

[lightning_fists]

[zerosuitjill]

When she heard the pillar crack, Jill peered out from behind her cover in time to see the Mannequin drop. Even as she swiftly stepped into the open to take aim, she didn't yet attempt the shot, instead watching the other woman in her peripheral vision, waiting for either a signal to act or a sign that the other was acting herself

[lightning_fists]

The use of the Time Materia, she realized afterwards, was probably unnecessary given how quick Jill had been to react to her quick command. But there was no room for taking chances or regret. And while the two of them did fight against each other in the last battle, there had been no opportunity to gauge the speed of the other's trigger finger. So Tifa had taken her chances. And with it, came the destroyed screeching of another Mannequin.

That part, Tifa decided, would never get easier to bear.

Hands held at her side, fisted and prepared to attack if need be, she let out the breath she had been holding before facing the other with a faint curve of her lips at the irony. They had fought long and hard against each other in their first meeting. And only a few days after speaking with and making a promise to Chris, they were battling alongside each other in their second. Life was certainly full of surprises, Tifa thought with a laugh. "I could say the same to you."

JSYK, Jill calling someone "partner" is a huge compliment by RE standards. |D & U CAN HAS SMILE!ICON

[zerosuitjill]

Jill couldn't help a good-natured chuckle at that. She'd learned to laugh in the oddest circumstances; it was a quirk, but a necessary one. Being able to laugh during some of the missions she'd had in the B.S.A.A. alone was a quality that had probably helped to keep her sane--and before arriving here, she hadn't laughed at all in the last few years. Doing so now didn't hurt; if anything, it felt good. A relief and a reminder.

This was probably one of those odd times, coming out of a neck-risking fight while working alongside someone who'd been her opponent only a brief time before.

"Looks like we make a pretty good team," she commented, finally lowering her weapon some when the silence went undisturbed. "I don't think I ever caught your name, though, partner."

I figured. 83 And yay, Smile!Icon~! ♥

[lightning_fists]

She hesitated for a second or two before realize that, yes, Jill was right. Tifa hadn't introduced herself. In having Chris reveal the other's name to her as well as the awkwardness of meeting up with the other woman so soon after they fought so hard against each other, the thought to do so hadn't crossed her mind. And then after the Mannequin appeared, all other thoughts or considerations to the usual customary etiquette had flown out the window in favor of surviving long enough to make them.

Well, no time like now to fix that, the younger thought with a small quirk of her lips.

"Tifa. Tifa Lockhart." And after another moment more, she held out her gloved hand to her. She had trusted her life to Jill in helping to destroy the Mannequin. Tifa could trust that a simple handshake would go without trouble. "And it looks like we do. Not bad for our second meeting, huh?"

Where, she couldn't help but wonder for a brief instance, would their third bring them?

\o/ ...and all the foreshadowing in this thread rocks.

[zerosuitjill]

Jill switched her gun to her left hand to offer her right. "Not bad at all," she agreed. "It's nice to have that power of yours working with me this time around."

fo'srs, foreshadowing is what i do~ and guess what? they're the same bloodtype too. donar buds! :D

[lightning_fists]

"Just like it's nice having that gun pointed at someone else, this time around," she quipped with a soft chuckle.

Indeed, the cut across her cheek had mostly faded by that time. But it still didn't take away from the memory of feeling the bullets whizzing around her while she tried to dart around and dodge them. All for the protection of the Crystal. Always in protection of the Crystal.

Smiling a bit wider, she gently pulled her hand away after the handshake. "Chris will be glad to hear that we fought together this time."

HA awesome XD Except...Jill doesn't trust her own blood after Wesker played with it for so long :|

[zerosuitjill]

Jill nodded. "He will be. It sounds like you two hit it off pretty well," she observed, pleased by the thought. Only natural, she figured; besides Chris' talent for making friends, he'd obviously earned some trust from Tifa when he'd said Jill and Billy were victims of circumstances--that trust might have been the only reason the two women, in turn, had hit it off themselves today. Chris had already done the hard part for both of them: establishing some understanding.

...Can has Tifa blood. They match. Sort of. 8|

[lightning_fists]

She tilted her head a fraction to one side, and after a short moment, shifted the other way. All the while, there was an expression of thought and consideration playing across her face while Tifa recalled the entirety of her conversation with him. Indeed, she had found that they held a lot more in common than their positions among Cosmos' ranks. Discussing the details, though, wasn't her place to say. "More or less. We're kinda in... similar situations. That usually give a good foundation for... making friends."

Whether intended or not, Tifa shifted her glance to the other woman, seeming to hold an untold question. Or perhaps even a quiet statement of where the two of them stood in all this. After all, with all the years she had spent living with someone like Cloud, the young barmaid had grown exceedingly good at having wordless conversations.

She appreciates it. :| & should she find that her own is NOT dangerous, she'll return the favor.

[zerosuitjill]

Jill's next smile was less polite and more personal, warm and friendly. "I can tell," she replied. "Overlooking the side I'm on--the fight we were in--it's something Chris would do in a heartbeat."

Simply put, she was used to unnatural acquaintances, both willing and no. Gaining one from the opposite side of a war no one wanted to be in? Primary circumstances aside, it wasn't the strangest prospect Jill had faced. "I guess there's a pattern to those Cosmos chooses, after all," she half-joked, keeping the warmth in her voice. "Either way... thanks." She didn't specify just what the gratitude was for, but maybe she didn't have to, going by Tifa's look.

np; and Tifa would not oppose to that, thx >>

[lightning_fists]

She smiled at that. And it was true, Tifa supposed. There seemed to be similarities between those of Cosmos, at least from what she had been able to see. But then, there had to be some linking factor for why the two sides were decided the way they were, right? Character traits could very well be one deciding factor.

"Yeah, I guess so." - A quick shift to meet the other's gaze. - "And you're welcome."

And at the thought of Chris, there was no helping to think about what the two of them had talked about. That he would confess such a thing to her after only having met minutes before was something Tifa could never have done. Or would've expected of anyone. Still, in applying what she knew of Jill and what she had been able to witness of her now, the barmaid couldn't help but see why he felt that way. "He's a good friend to have. You're lucky."

Good, good. ....Jill should probably get that checked out, really...

[zerosuitjill]

That actually earned a low laugh. Distracted, reminiscent, but genuine all the same. "That's an understatement," Jill admitted. She'd insisted before that she and Chris not keep track, but even if she'd tried, she would have lost count by now of all that she owed him. Her life more than once, and in more than one way.

"You're equally lucky to have him as a teammate; he's a real fighter. Hardest man to kill that I've ever known." More or less. Wesker was dead, after all. Technically. Her smile softened. "And he'll never leave someone behind. I can promise you that much."