Awkward Youth

Full access. Lore quickly downloaded a map of the facility to their Breacher before they began their search properly. While doing so they also scanned the local register for Alodrass. Not surprisingly, her name wasn’t mentioned anywhere leaving their best chance of finding her to simply searching the facility. Two lefts and a right brought them to one of the three training grounds. The walls and floors constantly dragging Lore back to their earliest memories. The hall was big enough to seat a hundred personnel, surrounding the main sparring arena but was currently empty. Lore breathed a relieved breath but it soon dawned on them that there were still two more halls to check. They moved on quickly and followed the corridors straight to their next hall. A red light was illuminated above the door indicating that the room was in use. Lore stepped away from the door allowing Char to slowly turn the handle. Quietly, the three of them slipped into the back of the arena. They were about twenty five metres away from the central ring but the couple sparring there were easily identifiable. Char lowered herself into one of the nearby chairs as she watched a young Loren, barely seventeen, ducking and weaving against another child of a similar age. Blood dried against his face, he continued to bob and slide as he narrowly avoided his opponents fists.
“You’ll have to hit me some time ‘Ren.” His partner laughed as they wiped the sweat from their brow.
Loren’s sickly thin form faltered leading him to stagger backwards. His heel had reached the edge of the arena and he was about to fall when his opponents glove wrapped around his. The body connected to it was in prime physical condition and nearly unmarked save for a scar that appeared to run unbroken below its breast.
Out of the darkness, by the side of the ring, a figure emerged, her head shaking. “Wrong.” She separated the two. “You obviously are yet to learn this lesson. No matter who you’re fighting, you can never show the enemy mercy.”
“Well, this will be the only enemy I do.” They continued to help Loren up.
“Is that…?” Tay pointed to the ring. It was immediately obvious that her half question had caught everyone’s attention.
“Excuse me, we booked this room from seven hundred to nineteen hundred hours so could you perhaps go elsewhere?”
“Alodrass.” Tay began to walk towards the ring. “It’s probably been a while.” To her surprise, Alodrass was braced as she approached.
Tay climbed into the ring, smiled to Loren then waited for a reaction. “No? I thought you were going to ‘slap me to Saturn’ or something to that effect?”
“It’s been a while.” Tay reached around her. Alodrass remained on guard but played along with the hug.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered in Tay’s ear. She broke away from the hug as she saw Lore and Char coming from the stands. “We have a bigger audience than I thought.”
“Hi.” Char nodded awkwardly at her.
“You two, form up!” She pointed to the opposite corner of the arena where her two trainees dashed before solidifying themselves. “It appears I have some personal business to deal with, you two keep training. This won’t take long.” She gestured to a side room.
Lore watched as their teenage self resumed sparring with his partner. The room Alodrass had taken them to opened with an avalanche of weights and boxing mitts. The equipment storage area had barely enough room for the four of them but they managed.
“Why are you here and what’s with the hipsters?” Alodrass smirked as she finished her sentence but it wasn’t long for this world as, with a strong glance, Tay swiftly bat it off her face. “What was that for?”
“Alodrass, I would like you to meet my mother and Lore.”
“Hi…” An observant ear could hear her confidence shatter to the floor. “Tay told me all about you.” She looked as though she was standing before the gods. “How can I be of service?”
“Death’s Paragons.” Tay took out a tablet. “We’ve had the misfortune to meet two of the four and see three of them in action.” She shook her head. “We need your help cleaning up their bloody mess. It’s going to start seriously screwing with time soon.”
“Ah.” Alodrass gave a sheepish glance to either side. “I can help but I’ll need a favour.”
“We’re talking the end of the universe itself and you want to send us on a side quest?”
“I need your help finding the other Paragon of Life.” Stunned silence. “I met a guy a bit after we broke up and well, one thing led to another and I named him my other half.” All they could do was stare. “Don’t look at me like that. No one batted an eyelid when space did it but ooh its weird that Life gave immortality to her partner. He was supposed to be here but I must be a touch early.”
Tay stood with her eyes closed for a moment. “I can’t believe it.” She tapped at her Breacher. “Brian. When and where are you?”
“I’m on The Razor in low Earth orbit… and the year is Twenty four seventy.” Tay went to thank him but was cut off.
“Brian! Well, that was easy.” Tay looked at her with intense judgement in her eyes. “I don’t have to explain myself but I will come with you.” Tay continued staring. “I won’t. But I do want to talk to you in private. It has been a while.”
Entering the storage room had been an ordeal, exiting was surprisingly simple. Sliding on the avalanche of falling equipment, they were ejected from the room in no time leaving them with the two pint sized problems that should have been pummelling one another.
“Maybe the next time we get some free time I’ll show you.” The bulkier child leant over and kissed Loren’s neck.
“I didn’t need to see that.” Tay and Lore said in unison. The two fighters bolted to attention.
“Get showered and return to your studies. Perhaps you’ll learn something.” Alodrass waved them away. “Can’t keep their hands off of each other.” She then looked to a red faced Lore. “Awkward…”
“I would really like to forget this again please.” Lore lead the pack towards the exit at a breakneck pace.
After being waved out of the complex, they were heading back to their temporary accommodations. With Breaching being an impossibility within The Guild’s training facilities, their safehouse seemed the only secure place to conceal their disappearance. It was almost a shame to leave but they had all they needed. With a flash of white light they were back on The Destiny’s bridge. Occam’s orbit.

“You’ll have to hit me some time ‘Ren.” His partner laughed as they wiped the sweat from their brow.
Loren’s sickly thin form faltered leading him to stagger backwards. His heel had reached the edge of the arena and he was about to fall when his opponents glove wrapped around his. The body connected to it was in prime physical condition and nearly unmarked save for a scar that appeared to run unbroken below its breast.
Out of the darkness, by the side of the ring, a figure emerged, her head shaking. “Wrong.” She separated the two. “You obviously are yet to learn this lesson. No matter who you’re fighting, you can never show the enemy mercy.”
“Well, this will be the only enemy I do.” They continued to help Loren up.
“Is that…?” Tay pointed to the ring. It was immediately obvious that her half question had caught everyone’s attention.
“Excuse me, we booked this room from seven hundred to nineteen hundred hours so could you perhaps go elsewhere?”
“Alodrass.” Tay began to walk towards the ring. “It’s probably been a while.” To her surprise, Alodrass was braced as she approached.
Tay climbed into the ring, smiled to Loren then waited for a reaction. “No? I thought you were going to ‘slap me to Saturn’ or something to that effect?”
“It’s been a while.” Tay reached around her. Alodrass remained on guard but played along with the hug.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered in Tay’s ear. She broke away from the hug as she saw Lore and Char coming from the stands. “We have a bigger audience than I thought.”
“Hi.” Char nodded awkwardly at her.
“You two, form up!” She pointed to the opposite corner of the arena where her two trainees dashed before solidifying themselves. “It appears I have some personal business to deal with, you two keep training. This won’t take long.” She gestured to a side room.
Lore watched as their teenage self resumed sparring with his partner. The room Alodrass had taken them to opened with an avalanche of weights and boxing mitts. The equipment storage area with barely enough room for the four of them but they managed.
“Why are you here and what’s with the hipsters?” Alodrass smirked as she finished her sentence but it wasn’t long for this world as Tay swiftly bat it off her face. “What was that for?”
“Alodrass, I would like you to meet my mother and Lore.”
“Hi…” An observant ear could hear her confidence shatter to the floor. “Tay told me all about you.” She looked as though she was standing before the gods. “How can I be of service?”
“Death’s Paragons.” Tay took out a tablet. “We’ve had the misfortune to meet two of the four and see three of them in action.” She shook her head. “We need your help cleaning up their bloody mess. It’s going to start seriously screwing with time soon.”
“Ah.” Alodrass gave a sheepish glance to either side. “I can help but I’ll need a favour.”
“We’re talking the end of the universe itself and you want to send us on a side quest?”
“I need your help finding the other Paragon of Life.” Stunned silence. “I met a guy a bit after we broke up and well, one thing led to another and I named him my other half.” All they could do was stare. “Don’t look at me like that. No one batted an eyelid when space did it but oooh its weird that Life gave immortality to her partner. He was supposed to be here but I must be a touch early.”
Tay stood with her eyes closed for a moment. “I can’t believe it.” She tapped at her Breacher. “Brian. When and where are you?”
“I’m on The Razor in low Earth orbit… and the year is Twenty four seventy.” Tay went to thank him but was cut off.
“Brian! Well, that was easy.” Tay looked at her with intense judgement in her eyes. “I don’t have to explain myself but I will come with you.” Tay continued staring. “I won’t. But I do want to talk to you in private.”
Entering the storage room had been an ordeal, exiting was surprisingly simple. Sliding on the avalanche of falling equipment, they were ejected from the room in no time leaving them with the two pint sized problems that should have been pummelling one another.
“Maybe the next time we get some free time I’ll show you.” The bulkier child leant over and kissed Loren’s neck.
“I didn’t need to see that.” Tay and Lore said in unison. The two fighters bolted to attention.
“Get showered and return to your studies. Perhaps you’ll learn something.” Alodrass waved them away. “Can’t keep their hands off of each other.” She then looked to a red faced Lore. “Awkward…”
“I would really like to forget this again please.” Lore lead the pack towards the exit at a breakneck pace.
After being waved out of the complex, they were heading back to their temporary accommodations. With Breaching being an impossibility within The Guild’s training facilities, their safehouse seemed the only secure place to conceal their disappearance. It was almost a shame to leave but they had all they needed. With a flash of white light they were back on The Destiny’s bridge. Occam’s orbit.