Ch 1.36: Reunion

Prisma cast her gaze to the side as Brink walked off, leaving Elaina speechless and alone in the center of the ring. “Prisma,” she said, meaning to continue her sentence, but the words wouldn't come out. Even after everything, Elaina was entranced by the girl. Carline was cute and had a great body, Tira was sexy and cool, even Ranlit was prettier than most girls in Elaina’s village, but Prisma had that long, platinum blonde hair, that fair, unblemished skin, and those enchanting blue eyes.

“Congratulations on winning your first match. Let’s get this over with.” Prisma raised her rapier, eyes meeting Elaina’s once more. “Start?”

“Wha— no!” Elaina said, throwing her hands into the air. “Can we talk?”

Prisma closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and lowering her weapon before opening them again. “Elaina, we need to do this and move on. It’s for your—” She squinted, then her eyes widened as she blushed and went to cover her chest with her hands. “Are you not wearing a bra?”

Elaina covered her own torso with one arm as she stared Prisma down. “Don’t change the subject!”

Prisma bit her lip, looking away from Elaina once more. “Listen, Elaina… I said I was sorry, and I really meant it. I dragged you into a world you weren’t ready for, and you got eaten alive.”

Elaina’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the rapier’s hilt. “Are you serious? You say that like I got eaten by wild animals, like you weren’t the one that ate me!” She sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes with her free hand, completely ignoring her attempts to keep her semblance of modesty. “You did horrible things to me. Why? I know you weren’t just messing with me at first. I know you actually wanted to be friends, so why did you do it?”

Prisma stared at the dirt, grip on her weapon weakening as the tip fell to the ground. “I’m glad you won your duel with Waine, more than glad. I felt awful after what we did to you, and…” She clutched her chest, shaking her head. “I didn’t want to do it. Please believe that.”

“Then why?” Elaina said, stomping her foot into the sand. “Do you know how scared I was? When he started walking towards me—”

Prisma’s head shot back towards Elaina. “I would never let him touch you. Never.” Her eyes were cold, the normally gentle blue irises boring into Elaina like icy daggers. “Come on. We’ll get in trouble if we don’t spar. Start!” Prisma raised her sword again, turning sideways, torso falling forward over her hips as she glared.

Elaina huffed, falling into her stance as well. “Fine, have it your way. But when we’re done, I want answers. Start!”

Prisma moved, her sword a snake darting towards Elaina. Elaina swatted it away, jumping back as she did. What the hell! It wasn’t any faster than Brink’s, and there shouldn’t have been a reason for it to seem so ominous, but Prisma’s blade was something else, striking terror in Elaina as it raced after her. [Fear Response] took care of some of that sensation, but the feeling was too overpowering to be suppressed entirely. It was all she could do to retreat and bat the weapon away from her.

“Point,” Prisma said, falling out of her stance and walking back to her starting position.

“What? You never hit me!”

“Your foot.”

Elaina looked down, seeing her back leg sticking out over the white line. I backed up that far? The rings weren’t huge, but she’d had a good few steps from where she started to the edge. Against Brink, she hadn’t even thought about the line at all, each point having been over before it was even close to mattering.

“Start,” Prisma said.

Elaina stepped back into the ring. She was still faster than Prisma, stronger too, surely. She just couldn’t get caught off guard again. “Start!”

Prisma’s arm was coming at her again. That’s what her sword was, not a tool, but an extension of her body, spearing towards Elaina. She dodged, stepping aside and going to attack Prisma’s wrist, the same trick Brink had done on her.

“Point,” Prisma said at the same instant her blade tip struck Elaina’s breast. She even managed to twist her hand so that her sword’s guard caught Elaina’s blade, but even if Elaina had connected, it would have been too late. She was having trouble reconciling what happened in her mind. The blade had been coming at her, and she had tried to dodge, but it just followed her, started moving with her dodge before Elaina had even committed to the movement fully herself. “Start.”

No time to figure anything out. There was clearly a skill gap that was larger than Elaina had realized was possible, but she just had to do her best. I can’t lose to her. I’m going to win, and she’s going to talk!

“Start,” Elaina said, herself on the move this time. She dashed in, swinging her sword towards her opponent’s before Prisma had time to strike, knocking the damned thing out of Prisma’s hand and tapping her on the stomach. “Point.” Prisma stared down at the weapon on her shirt in disbelief before bending over and grabbing her weapon again as Elaina backed up. “Start.”

“Start,” Prisma said. Elaina was already rushing again. She’d found her in, her one way to win. Prisma had a lifetime of training on her side, but she still wouldn’t be a match for Elaina’s newfound physical abilities. Elaina struck towards Prisma’s weapon again, going to knock it out of her hand just like before.

Prisma’s blade twirled around Elaina’s as they collided, her wrist twisting as Elaina tried to push her sword out of her hand again. Elaina could only watch as the point of the weapon swirled around hers, creeping towards her. She tried to pull back, knock the sword the other direction, but the force of her swing was too strong. Her attack carried through, hitting nothing  as Prisma tilted her hand forward, striking Elaina on the finger.

“Point, and match.” Prisma drew her sword back and sheathed it on her belt, turning around. “You’re good, a natural even. If you had the training I’ve had, you’d probably be the best in our class. But you’re too predictable. Even when you disarmed me I knew what you were doing, I just didn’t expect the amount of force you could put out.”

Elaina threw her sword into the sand, holding back the water in her eyes as she stared at the back of Prisma’s stupid platinum blonde hair. “I don’t want fencing advice, Prisma!” She stormed over, grabbing Prisma by the shoulder and spinning her around.

Tears. They were falling down Prisma’s eyes as she stared back in shock, only visible for a moment before she pushed Elaina’s hand off and turned away again. “Just— Just leave me alone!”

“But why? I’m not a dud! I understood back then, but why now? I have an aspect! I’m good with it, so why am I not good enough for you?” Prisma stood there, back turned, as tears started streaming down Elaina’s face too. She didn’t care about her thin shirt anymore. People could stare at her chest, stare at her outburst, stare at whatever. Right now, the only thing she cared about was answers. “I thought we were going to be friends… More than friends, maybe. Was I wrong?”

“Yes.” Prisma looked back, face red and puffed, but the tears dried. “Friends, we could have been, if things were different, but we never could have been more than that, no matter what happened. I apologize if I led you to believe otherwise.”

Those words hung over the sand, pushing at Elaina so much that she started to step back backwards. “Oh…” For all Prisma was, Elaina could tell she still wasn’t a liar, that she meant every word. We never could have been like that, no matter what.

“Elaina, please leave. People are starting to stare, and I don’t want any more trouble with Waine.”

“Right.” Elaina grabbed her training sword off the ground. “One more thing… I— I need to know. That night, after you took that portrait of me—”

“Don’t. Just leave.”

A deep pain in Elaina’s chest pushed back at her, unmitigated by her skill, making her feel like she was going to vomit. She couldn't leave though, not yet. She needed to know why Prisma took that last picture, why she said that last thing. “Prisma, you called me…”

But the pain only grew, mounting an unbearable attack on the core of her soul. She ran away, stomach lurching as she ignored the crowd watching her.