Rob X Punzel ~ Thirteen!

Goldie's arms continually ached from the effort she put into improving her combat skills, but that didn't stop her from sprinting to the instructor’s house each morning as soon as the gates of the orphanage unlocked. Though she was always late, tired, and hungry, she stepped into the practice room ready to face the grueling exercises Cutter had in store for her.

Each day, she grew ever so slightly more adept, becoming quicker on her feet and more fluid with her motions. Her first goal had been to perfectly time when to squeeze the handle tighter so her fingers didn't slip down onto the sharpened blades. By the end of the first week, she no longer accidentally cut herself when she managed to land a blow.

There’d been plenty of incentive to figure that out. 

After a month of practice, Cutter hadn’t shown any indication that Goldie had improved. Not a comment, a surprised glance—nothing except his standard and concerning shifts between either insulting her existence or remaining completely apathetic to her presence. Each time she was tossed out the door, exhausted, sweaty, and often lightly bleeding, the lack of progress set heavier on her shoulders. 

One morning, as she limped out of the practice room with a fresh cut on her calf, Goldie broke down and decided to seek out Chay. Instead of simply getting on with her day of lifting coins from pockets as was her norm, she stomped through the slums until she found the person who she was supposed to be working with standing all innocently near his dead drop pot. 

“Chay.” She didn't quite bark the word, but there was plenty of heat in her tone. “I don't know if I'm just that terrible with my scissors, or if this is some kind of sick joke you've decided to play on me, but that man has to be the worst instructor anyone has ever had the misfortune of learning from.”

“Scissors…?” The flash of confusion on the older boy’s face melted away, replaced with a hand clamped over his mouth as he tried to hide his laugh. “Oh, right, so you are still using those? I was a little worried about putting so much coin behind making them, I'm glad to see-”

The weapon in question flashed into Goldie's hand, the sharpened blades slowly moving in the air like a snake about to strike. “I was furious as feces when I first saw them, but Cutter gave them a surprisingly good recommendation. Now I actually like the idea of them. Also. The next time you try to waste my time and money like this-”

“Easy, there! Don't make any threats you aren't willing to follow through on.” Though Chay was still being playful, a hint of steel appeared in his eyes. “How about you just tell me what's going on. You know, instead of just unloading on me?”

After taking a few deep breaths, Goldie deflated, sinking in on herself slightly as her anger drained away to reveal itself for what it truly was: frustration. “He's going out of his way to make it hard for me to practice, but even when I am there, I'm not getting anywhere. I do everything he teaches me, but still Cutter acts like I'm actively wasting his time.”

“Yeah, you're not going to impress him.” Chay shrugged from his comfortable position lounging against the wall when she gave him an incredulous glare, “What? You don't have combat skills. He has something like a Small Blades skill at level seven, so he's actually system recognized as Proficient with them. The difference between what he can do and what you’ll ever be able to do, is full-on insurmountable. That doesn't mean you aren't getting better.”

Letting out a low grumble, Goldie crossed her arms and swayed her head in a slow, resigned arc. “Sure doesn't feel like it. Every time I think I've figured something out, he shows me how I’m getting excited about learning the most basic version possible. I haven't even gotten to the point where he’ll let me use these as anything other than a regular knife, and it was his idea to use them as scissors in combat in the first place!”

“Sounds like Cutter.” A lazy grin directed toward Goldie nearly made her turn and leave, but Chay’s next words made her pause and perk up. “Maybe what you need is more practice, with someone closer to your level of skill? Tell you what, how about I introduce you to a few people from my crew? Practice with them, get a little perspective on what’s ‘normal’ for someone without combat skills. Abyss, it might even help you make some friends in the guild. These will be the people you go on jobs with in the future, after all.” 

“I admit the sound of extra practice is intriguing, but do you really think it’ll help?” Before he could respond, she amended her words slightly. “Don't get me wrong, I definitely want to try it out and get to know them, but at the end of the day, will it help me pass Cutter’s test?”

The noncommittal shrug did nothing to alleviate her frustrations, but Chay’s explanation helped to take the edge off. “Look, Goldie. We're thieves, not fighters. But all of them had to go through the same thing, or they’re doing it right now. They know how to move, and it might give you a better idea of where you stand. At worst, it just means someone other than Cutter criticizing you. Might even earn a compliment or two, and you definitely won't get that from him.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, she agreed to meet with him again later that afternoon, and finally got to work. With something unexpected and exciting to look forward to, the day passed in a flash, though the minutes seemed to stretch to twice their normal length. 

Just after the fifth afternoon bell tolled across the city, Goldie was being presented to a trio of individuals just a tish older than herself. As Chay made introductions, Goldie found herself being sized up by the others, even as she did the same with them.

Joss was a lanky young man who seemed to have limbs longer than what he was accustomed to, as he bumped into the others around him with what seemed to be every other motion. There was a smile on his face and energy practically pouring off him at getting to meet a ‘new friend’. After the first too-intense handshake, Goldie steadfastly refused to accept the second or third attempt. 

A malnourished face she recognized from the orphanage met her gaze when Goldie was introduced to Luca. She’d never spent time talking with him, as he was quiet and observant—she knew him as a slightly creepy young man who stared at anything that caught his attention. He had always had an uncanny ability to never blink, at least when she was surreptitiously waiting to see it happen. A simple nod between the two of them was enough, which was perfect because Goldie wasn't planning on offering her hand to anyone else after Joss’s overenthusiasm.

Lastly was Tauren, a bulky man who even towered over Chay. Practically everything—from the muscles on his body, to his high and defined cheekbones—screamed that this was a man who didn't belong in the slums. Goldie's jaw dropped when Chay slapped the man on the shoulder and announced, “Finally, the youngest of the crew at only fourteen, our good buddy here has been a part of the guild since he was six.”

“I'm basically the thieves’ guild mascot,” Tauren rumbled good-naturedly as Chay shook the pain out of his hand from where he’d slapped it against a dense lump of muscle. “Now that I'm old enough, they’re telling me I still need to do the work to be a full member. So, uh, I’m here because… I don't know about you guys… but Cutter is driving me absolutely crazy.”

“The man likes to see his students bleed before he teaches them anything.” Luca stated with quiet intensity. “Something about wanting to make sure they can handle frustration without starting to stab random people in a crowd.”

Joss heaved a sigh of relief, dramatically wiping his hand across his forehead. “When I was training with him, I thought it was just me who had problems like that! Everyone else told me he complimented them constantly, and I just was really bad with knife work. I believed them all the way up until he passed me before any of them got through it.”

“There's something about you that makes the rest of us want to rub some dirt in your face.” Chay threw a punch into Joss’s shoulder; and Goldie didn't miss the slight hint of relief on the older boy's face when the lanky young man winced and shifted away. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, certain Chay just needed to feel slightly more ‘manly’ after accidentally hurting himself on Tauren. “You're just too cheerful to be a proper thief.” 

“It's just such a beautiful day to be alive!” Joss shook his arm and stood in a heroic pose. “Why is that so hard for everyone else to be happy about, at all times, like I am?” 

Luca shifted uncomfortably before sneering slightly at the chipper group. “I'm not here to chat. Are we doing this, or should I go do something profitable?”

“On that note!” Chay clapped and looked around happily. “Shall we?”

“Let’s shall.” Goldie glanced around at the others, who had answered as one. Not knowing their habits, she obviously hadn't joined in, but nodded ever so slightly at Chay’s words.

As the others talked among themselves for a few moments longer, she and Luca faced off, each pulling out a blade and starting to circle each other. She called out an easy taunt, hoping to throw him off a little. “Nice knife… planning to sacrifice a goat on the system altar later?”

“You’re stupid to bring scissors to a knife fight,” Luca retorted, clearly uncomfortable with bantering or trash talk during a fight. He darted forward, knife flashing in the late afternoon sun. 

Goldie ducked under the wild slash, heart racing as her eyes went wide. Only at that moment did she realize how much skill Cutter truly had to be able to instruct, insult, attack, defend, and still pull his attacks back just enough to leave a thin cut without slicing her to the bone. “Hold on a minute, I don't know if this is such a good-”

Luca slashed back and forth wildly, as though he were warding off any thought of a return blow from the golden-haired girl. He darted in, knife pulling back slightly as he prepared to lunge at her, only to trip and fall on his face as Chay hooked a foot under Luca’s while yanking the knife-wielding hand to the side.

“We’re trying to learn how to fight, not kill each other!” Chay scolded the downed young man, who glared up with a strange combination of anger and surprise. “What are you doing right now? Is this how you spend your time with Cutter?”

Luca got back to his feet and brushed himself off, reaching out for his knife a moment later. Chay handed it over with no small amount of reluctance, and the dark haired boy mumbled, “He said I'm never going to get good enough to survive a fight, so I just have to either be flashy enough to scare them off, or stick ‘em and run.”

“Right, until you've got a handle on this, you're only going to spar with me,” Chay informed the young man, which allowed Goldie to heave a sigh of relief. “Abyss, no wonder Cutter told me he was going to be making a full gold offa’ you, Luca. Eh… Goldie, Tauren, Joss? Why don't you guys rotate between each other? Joss, you already passed, so give the others some pointers when you're not fighting them.”

Easily agreeing, Tauren motioned for Goldie to come fight him, and she stepped forward with some trepidation. The dagger in the huge young man's hands looked like a shiv, though it would likely look like a short sword in her own. They started slowly, clanging their blades together to signal the start of the practice spar.

Despite his size, Tauren had clearly been trained on how to move his whole life, and he was able to dart in and out of feints with unpredictable motions. With her attention fully focused on the blade in his hand, Goldie didn't see his other hand swinging up and around until he clobbered her with an open palm, sending her tumbling across the filthy alley. 

“By the system!” Tauren called as he rushed over and dropped down next to her, grabbing her hand and pulling Goldie into a sitting position. Even though she was upright, she just sat there staring at the pretty stars that followed her gaze no matter where she looked. “Goldie! I'm so sorry! Cutter moved me on from just blade work and into using more of my body for fighting. I should have asked what stage you were in-”

“Naw, izz good.” Goldie slurred slightly as she shifted her shoulders sideways, swiftly shuffling into a standing stance and unsteadily raising her blade. “Second round is mine. For sure.” 

With her vision rapidly clearing, Goldie tightened the grip on her battle scissors and rushed forward, instantly struggling to keep up with her more highly-trained opponent. Her grip was too tight, her footwork was sloppy, and her reactions too slow. After her turn came to an end, Goldie watched as Joss and Tauren danced around, blades flashing out with a sharp light, only for one of them to dodge, dip, duck, or dive out of the way. 

“Why do you guys put so much effort into avoiding the blade?” Goldie questioned as they disengaged and slowly stepped away from each other. “Can't you smack the other guy’s knife out of the way or something?”

The duo glanced at each other, then at her, the slight discomfort on their faces showing Goldie that she had just voiced a question which made them think less of her. Joss was the first to speak, and his gentle voice made her flush with embarrassment. “We aren’t wearing armor, not holding a shield, and we don't have the reach of a sword or a spear. If I try to block his knife, I might avoid the worst of it, but I'm definitely going to get cut. In a real knife fight, everyone gets stabbed.”

“I'm practicing attacking him, then getting away.” Tauren agreed quietly, though his deep voice made her teeth vibrate. “If you’re standing and exchanging blows, you're dead.”

Just like that, something *clicked* in Goldie's mind, and she replayed dozens of practice bouts with Cutter where he had looked at her with disdainful surprise. Every one of those instances had been just before he left a cut on her, something that would’ve been easily avoidable if she had tried to avoid it. Memory after memory solidified into an irrefutable pattern. Instead of further questions, all that came out of her mouth was a soft, “Oh.”

Next she was up against Joss, but as the fight started, her frustration and shame had fully faded away, allowing her to come to the spar with a new focus. She watched as Joss telegraphed his attacks, his eyes flicking toward the spot he was aiming just before he moved. 

Now that Goldie understood that not only could she dodge, but she was supposed to, her lessons finally started to make sense. When Joss lunged at her, Goldie sidestepped smoothly, pretending she was about to drop down a steeply angled rooftop. Her hair easily avoided the knife cutting through open air even as she countered, pushing forward and swinging her scissors in a wide arc at ankle height.

 The young man awkwardly hopped over the strike, even though it would have missed by an inch at least. Yet, the look of shock and surprise on his face was more satisfying than chopping into his flesh would’ve been.

“Whoa! Where was this when you were fighting Tauren? Don't tell me you were holding out to make yourself look better against little ol’ me?” Joss grinned at her, tossing his knife in the air once before settling into a more aggressive posture. “Alright, if you can handle that so easily… let's see how good you actually are!”