You and I are too wise to woo peaceably (closed)

[fiercestwarrior]

who: Lady Sif and Ragnar Lothbrok
what: Some sparring gets out of hand because Sif is having a really bad day
when: Soon after Angela's departure
where: Training area
warnings: Violence, will update if necessary



It quickly became a habit for Sif to spar with Ragnar. She enjoyed his company (more than she probably should) and while he was fragile compared to her she knew that if ever she misjudged her strength when they fought, he would only laugh it off if she accidentally hurt him more than what could be called reasonable for a sparring match.

It was a good way to practice her speed and technique, and usually they had much to talk about once they were done with their training. It was easy to be with him, and often it lifted some of the weight she seemed to carry around on her shoulders almost constantly.

On this day, however, there was murder in Sif's eyes when she readied herself to fight. What Ragnar faced once they begun was still not the full force of her fury, but there was definitely a far sharper edge to the way she fell upon him with a ferocious series of strikes that were powerful enough to send a rattle through his bones whenever she blocked.

Eventually she got a good hit in on his arm, and the moment his weapon fell to the ground would usually have been where she at least paused to let him pick it up.

Not this time. This time she kept at it, driving him back further and further until she shoved him so forcefully that he flew a short distance. She followed with a roar that would not have been amiss on a bloody field, but certainly did not fit the current situation, and the next blow she struck split his shield right in two.

With another scream, her sword splintered as well as she smashed it into the ground next to his head.

Comments

[fiercestwarrior]

Played up or not, Sif found the reaction quite satisfying, so she was smirking a little when he came back to her side, though her eyes turned to the heavens as if imploring them for help when he apparently was not even a little bit deterred.

"No, I did not get any others."

She gave him a shove, torn between laughing and scowling.

"But why do you not go ask some other woman you have never met before to show her underwear to you."

[storradr]

Again, he stumbled a few steps away, this time he simply kept walking along beside her, leaving the two or three foot gap between them, grinning away.

"Not her underwear. The underwear she claimed was somehow terrible," He corrected, eyes glinting with amusement, "I also do not think I specifically asked her to model them, just that they should be modeled before they could be properly judged by the rest of us. And she simply told me I was to buy her a drink first, so I offered. Naturally."

[fiercestwarrior]

"Naturally."

The layers of sarcasm in her voice were thick enough to keep a stomach full for a whole day.

"If you are truly so curious, the best way of finding out whether or not these garments are uncomfortable would surely be to try them on yourself."

[storradr]

"True. Too bad you already got rid of them, yes?"

He grinned. Would he actually wear them if it really came down to it? Who could say? At the moment, it wasn't a possibility in his mind.

"You and I may not fit into the same one, however."

[fiercestwarrior]

"I find it very unlikely that we would."

Considering he had a bit more to fit into the underwear than she did.

"Several people did say that they are more comfortable than one might think, so perhaps I will try some one day."

She thought that day to be rather far off, but it was still fun to tease Ragnar a little with the mental imagery he was probably conjuring up.

[storradr]

"See? Such a quick judgment. Perhaps you would very much like them," He shrugged, still grinning.

"But. More importantly. You are avoiding my offer to drink. Introduce me to your friend properly. Let us all get drinks together. As friends," He wanders back over in her direction to step behind her and put a hand on either shoulder, squeezing the tense muscles there, "It would be good."

[fiercestwarrior]

She lowered her head and uttered an appreciative little groan at the squeeze, she hadn't realised just how tense she was.

"I'll drink with you. And Val, if she's willing to put up with you."

[storradr]

He continued, though walking wasn't the most ideal situation in which to attempt a massage.

"You can convince her, yes?" He sounded confident. Hands still on her shoulders, he tugged her gently towards him, just enough so he could speak quietly into her ear, "Tell her I promise. I will not mention her underwear."

He grinned and gave Sif's shoulders one last squeeze before letting her go, chuckling.

[fiercestwarrior]

She briefly took hold of one of his hands, and gave it a light squeeze as a gesture of thanks.

"That still leaves so many other things for you to mention."

And Ragnar had quite a gift for finding exactly the right thing to say to make people want to punch him in the face.

[storradr]

"Are you saying that I cannot behave?" He gave her an impish smirk. "I am sure you will kick me under the table if I were to say anything I should not."

He fell back into step beside her when a thought hit him.

"Is she as strong as you? Should I bid farewell to my children before we go drink?"

[fiercestwarrior]

"I know you cannot behave."

The smile she gave him in return was quite impish as well, a glimpse of a Sif that belonged to a happier time.

"She is at least as strong as I am. Possibly stronger."

It stung her pride a little to admit it, but Val was the last of Odin's elite force of warrior women and it would not be outside the realm of possibility that Sif would find herself outmatched in a fight.

[storradr]

He did his best to look offended.

"When have I ever not behaved?" The look of innocence he was attempting came off as more roguish than anything else. And maybe a little smug.

"Is she? I am not sure whether you are trying to warn me... or excite me," A smirk.

[fiercestwarrior]

Sif had started to form the opinion that a large part of Ragnar's facial expressions were more or less variations on the theme 'smug'.

Her expression was currently somewhat disbelieving, even if she really shouldn't be surprised by anything that came out of his mouth anymore. Especially not when it came to the subject of women.

"You do realise that I am already in a poor mood, do you not? If your wish is to raise my hackles let me assure you that your mission was accomplished before you opened your mouth."

[storradr]

He took a moment, peered over at her, and actually cocked his head to the side, the wheels in his head almost visibly spinning. She looked jealous. She sounded jealous. But why would she be jealous?! But she looked and sounded jealous.

He followed this circular line of thought until he just had to blatantly ask, in complete disbelief.

"Are you... jealous?" It was obvious that his confusion and surprise was completely genuine.

It just made no sense. Val clearly had no interest whatsoever in him and had shot down his obligatory flirting and teasing.

[fiercestwarrior]

Unless the situation was life or death, Sif was an absolutely appalling liar. She was, however, also a very proud woman, and Ragnar's complete disbelief made her feel even more uncomfortable and ridiculous than she already did.

So, some wishful thinking was attempted.

"No."

She was probably about as convincing as someone trying to pass off a horse as a boat.

[storradr]

"....... No?" He gave her a pointed, knowing stare.

Yeah, he wasn't falling for that in the least bit.

"What do you have to be jealous of?"

[fiercestwarrior]

"Nothing."

Said with a shrug that was meant to be dismissive but mostly looked angry.

[storradr]

He sighed, looking annoyed, but it was mostly at himself. He wished he knew how to coax the truth out of her, but he simply didn't.

"It is obviously not nothing. But-" He shrugged, giving her a look like he was almost asking her what he should do, like there'd be some magical hint that would make him better at this.

"It was just a joke," He tried. It had been. He'd only been teasing her. It was obvious, at least to him, that she had no reason to be jealous of her friend.

[fiercestwarrior]

Sif was also far more annoyed at herself than she was at him, truth be told. Reason or no reason, it was stupid to be jealous. Had she not made a decision to not pursue anything beyond friendship? Not to mention the fact that he was married, for crying out loud.

She stopped walking and stepped up to him, leaning her forehead against his with a sigh.

"This time."

What happened between them had hardly been a joke, and she already knew Ragnar well enough to feel certain that it would happen again. But not with her.

[storradr]

He stopped as well, not entirely sure what she was about to do. He even tensed slightly as she stepped closer. Leaning her head forward to bump their foreheads together lightly had not been at all expected.

"What does that mean?" He really wasn't following.

[fiercestwarrior]

"It means that you will want to have sex with people here, and I will not like it."

She took hold of his chin for a moment, giving him a stern look.

"And you do not have to tell me how little sense that makes. I already know."

She let go of him and took a couple of steps back to create some distance between them again, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as the wind blew it across her face.

She looked past him rather than at him, trying to withdraw further into herself to protect herself from how uncomfortably exposed she was feeling.

[storradr]

He meets her gaze, refusing to look even the slightest bit guilty. She spoke the truth, but both of them already knew that and he wasn't going to deny it. Why should he?

And then she says she knows it makes no sense. That part made him stop and think. It was definitely unexpected. He rolled his eyes slightly as she let him go, exhaling audibly.

"I do not understand why you complicate things. But... We have already had this discussion. So," He shrugged, happy to move on, "Would you like to continue walking, or are you done?"

[fiercestwarrior]

That made her smirk a little, and she nodded her head in the direction they had been walking, and started moving again. She knew why she was "complicating" things, but it was a waste of breath to talk about it.

"So, another of your children has come here?"

Changing the subject seemed like a good idea, and she was curious, sinc he had spoken in plural and she had only met Ivar.

[storradr]

Alright. They were walking again, so that answered that question. Honestly, he was a little surprised, but happy with her decision none the less.

"Another?" He nearly tripped, "What do you mean? Who do you mean?"

Another child, at this point, meant a third one, one of his other sons.

[fiercestwarrior]

She would be glad to know that her choice pleased him, since she had momentarily wondered if his question had been a way to signal that he wanted them to part ways.

His reaction to her question actually made her laugh a little, and she tucked her less pleasant feelings into a corner of her heart where they wouldn't bother anyone but her.

"You said children, and I have only met your son, Ivar."