Having someone walk into the middle of your battle is the greatest insult, at least to Fuujin, if not every SeeD and cadet. That is why, when Quistis glides in and takes her place beside her, casually incoiling her whip, Fuujin grits her teeth, tightens her grip on her shuriken and slashes, hard enough to tear through lizard-skin and scale, opening an ugly gash at the T-rexsaur's side. The monster reels, then recovers, lunging at her with a growl. Fuujin jumps back, and there is hardly enough time to blink the sweat from her eyes and snarl at the newcomer, before Quistis throws out her arms in a summon, how typical how like Leonhart's lackeys to hide behind a Guardian Force spineless cowards and the world fades out and there is nothing but waves and water and music-

  Siren folds her wings and she is jarringly brought back, to see the beast throw back its head in song-sweet agony. But it is the sharp edge of a spoke that hooks and rips from eye to throat that brings it crashing to the ground.

  "Impressive," Quistis says, when the fight is over and Fuujin has collected her spoils. "Usually one-on-one fights with T-rexsaurs are barely managable. It's not safe to wander around the Training Centre alone, you know. Juniors often end up biting off more than they can chew."

  Fuujin stares. "Managed fine. Help unnecessary." She is still breathing deeply from her extertions, while Quistis is still immaculate and composed, not a single hair out of place. Maybe it's contempt for summoners and mages, detached killers, the backhanded compliment or merely annoyance at having the other woman see her in this bedraggled state, but all the anger that Fuujin had been trying to relieve with fighting comes rushing back. "Fight own battles, Instructor." With a flick of her wrist, wet reptilian blood splatters from her weapon to the floor between them.

  Quistis pauses, whip half-coiled, almost gaping. And there is something brittle and confused in her eyes that Fuujin ignores.

  Fuujin turns and stalks off, leaving the blood to congeal in the dirt behind her.

 

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