Lion Sin of Pride (Ban x OC)

Games

When the first light of dawn hit the tops of the trees, Leo stretched and dropped down from the limb she had slept on, landing silently among the dewy grass below. She straightened Megil on her back and walked out from the line of the trees, glancing toward the Boar's Hat. Diane was sitting beside a fire, laughing at something that King was telling her, and Elizabeth sat with them, Hawk at her feet, a steaming cup of tea in her hands. There was no sign of the captain to be seen.

Leo approached the fire, and when Diane noticed her she said cheerfully, "Hey Leo!" King gave her a small flick of his fingers in greeting and Elizabeth gave her a brilliant smile as she said brightly, "Hello, Leonora."

Leo nodded in response to their greetings and then said, "Have any of you seen Ban? We need to get some practice in before we hit the road for the day."

Diane flicked a large, dark pigtail over her shoulder and said, "He should be out any minute. I heard he and the captain yelling at each other just a second ago about cooking or something."

Leo unsheathed the rapier on her back in one smooth movement and held the blade in her hands, testing the strength. She noticed Elizabeth studying her and then the girl said hesitantly, "Is that your relic, Leonora?"

Leo raised the rapier to eye height and looked up and down the blade, checking the sharp edges before she answered. "Yes. This is Megil." She ran a hand over the finely carved pommel of the rapier and then re sheathed the blade, turning her gaze to Elizabeth. "She's the finest Elven blade that was ever made. And only I can wield her power."

Diane fingered her hammer, which sat on the ground beside her, and then said, "It's like my hammer, Elizabeth. Only the chosen sin can wield their relic with full capability. And when we have them, they allow us to access our full mana and we're much more powerful."

Just then, the door to the Boar's Hat flew open and Ban stepped out into the morning sunlight, covering his eyes with his hand as he did so. He groaned as he walked over to them. "Damn this sun. Why does it have to be so bright so early?"

Leo rolled her eyes at him as Diane and Elizabeth laughed. "Come on, Foxy. Don't be such a baby." She met his eyes with a determined stare as he lowered his hand. "And besides, we don't have time for you to complain. We have too many games to make up for."

Ban sneered at her as he cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. "You think you can win this time, L? Or are you out of practice?"

Diane spoke up from behind her. "Shut up, Ban. Everyone knows that the only reason you've won the few times you have is because you used Snatch as a last resort."

Leo gave him a smirk in return. "Yeah, Foxy. You have to steal my power before you even stand a chance against me. Everyone knows that."

The smile dropped from Ban's face and a fierce scowl dropped over his face as he took a few steps back from her. "All right, if that's how it is. Let's play." He motioned to her with his fingers. "You can go first, L. I'll be nice this once."

Leo scoffed. "I don't need you to be nice, Foxy. I need you to step up your game. Make it hard for me this once, would you?"

They stood, staring at each other for a few moments, and Leo heard Elizabeth ask Diane behind her, "What's the point of the game? Isn't Ban immortal? So she can't win by killing or injuring him."

"The point of the game, princess, is to lay the first scratch on your opponent." Leo called over her shoulder, her eyes still on Ban. "Whoever draws first blood, wins the game. We stop there. Nothing more, nothing less."