ch.7: amaryllis, for pride

                                    

                                          
"Pick up your back foot!" Techno calls out to you as his axe slams into your shield, sending you off balance and flying back on your ass into the dirt. Tommy jeers from his seat next to Phil on the front porch, booing and giving you a thumbs-down. Phil elbows him in the shoulder and gives a polite clap as you flip Tommy off from the ground. Techno offers you a helping hand up that you gratefully take, dusting yourself off with the hand that normally held your sword. The two of you had been running shield drills all morning, with nary a sign of a break in sight. 
                          
He returned to his mark and waited for you. You crouched down, your shoulder angled to take the brunt of the hit with the tower shield as you heard him run at you. He hits the shield again, and again your back foot gets mired. Your ankle crumples, you fall, and pause as the axe stops an inch from your face. 
                          
"You're not listening," he huffs, knocking your shield aside as you let yourself go limp on the ground, staring up into the thick blanket of clouds above you. 
                          
"You know that I am," you grumble, rolling over and pushing yourself up after a moment of rest. You reset your shield, tighten the bracers, and ready yourself for another try. Weight hits the shield and your stance buckles. The axe slides off and across the back of your chestplate into the dirt. 
                          
You shake your head, saying nothing, looking at no one. You square your stance again and wait. Once more, the shield forces you back, even with your full weight behind it. Your heels create streaks in the hardened, packed dirt before you once more fall onto your back, being knocked off balance. The look in Techno's eyes as he watches you get up is nothing but focus. He zeroes in on you like a jungle cat chasing prey, waiting for a chance to pounce. You take your stance again. Head down, shoulder forward, pick up the back foot. 
                          
"Give the girl a break, Techno," Phil calls from the makeshift audience as he springs forward again, slams the blade of the axe deep into the shield. You're positioned wrong, it sends you into a crouch, the weight of the strike pressing you into the dirt. You expect to be told off, expect to be free when the pressure releases, only to be hit immediately with another strike. "Techno!" Phil calls out again, though you can't see him. You can't see anything except dirt and the wood of the shield cracking above you as more hits rain down. "Techno, stop!" The sound of boots, a scuffle, the blows keep raining until- "TECHNOBLADE. STOP." 
                          
Something deep within you, a part of your mind that hadn't been used for a very long time suddenly springs to life. You push up and forward with the shield, breaking Phil and Techno apart as your shield bears down on him, knocking the axe from his hand and sending it skittering across the clearing before landing at the feet of a terrified looking Tommy. You use the last of the shield's strength to slam him to the ground, and it cracks in half, useless and hanging from the straps around your forearm as you take a few shaky steps back. To your surprise, the almost predatory look in Techno's eye is gone, replaced by a strange sense of not regret, but anticipation. He's waiting for something, looking desperately to you for a reaction, an expression, anything. 
                          
You try to even out your breathing, fumbling with the leather shield straps as you stare down at him. Phil is crouched next to where he fell, still on the ground, speaking to him in a low voice. You tear your unblinking gaze away only when you feel a second pair of hands on your arm. You're surprised to see Tommy, usually jovial and loud, quietly undoing the remaining strap. You hadn't even noticed how much your hands were shaking until just now. 
                          
"It might be time for a break, huh?" he asks quietly, pulling you just slightly toward the house. You look back at Techno, still staring at you, and then follow after him wordlessly. He leads you through the house, up to his door, leaving you there as he jumps back onto his bed, hands behind his head. You stand there awkwardly for a moment before he raises his head back up, tilts it at you like a confused puppy. "You can come in, y'know," he laughs, and you try to humor him.