Chapter 4: Page 21
One Vision: Page 21
NOTES FROM JASON
As this brouhaha wages on, it seems the one taking the biggest beating is this poor house. Time, abandonment, and erosion have already done a number on it, and now this. It’s a wonder the place is still standing. A bigger wonder is how our two characters here are still going, but they’re just built different. Or rather, their items make them built different. But it looks like fatigue is finally setting in, as Penny here resorts to some rather uncouth strategies to level the playing field again. With her mysterious ailment taking its toll on her, not to mention fatigue from weeks of running, she can’t rely on melee combat for much longer. One thing should be apparent of Miss Fortescue: she’s a survivor and will do whatever she has to in order to keep that status quo going, with whatever skills or tools at her disposal. In this case, feminine wiles.
The idea for this actually comes from childhood memories, specifically a trip to the PA Renaissance Fair. Couldn’t give you the specific year, so suffice it to say it was a long time ago. One of my parents got discounted tickets from their job, allowing us to go there on a particular summer day. The theme at the Fair that year was England vs. Ireland, and the storyline unfolded throughout all the different events during the day. One such event was the human chess match, where the two sides did combat on a giant chess board. One of the key players on the Irish side was the infamous pirate Grace O’Malley. At one point in the chess match, she’s engaged in a sword battle with one of the English players. The English chap seemingly has her pinned and beaten, until she throws him off guard by locking lips with him, allowing her to escape her predicament and gain the upper hand. It was quite the show, as were all the other events at the Fair. Fun day all around.
That specific memory of O’Malley at the chess match came back to me when writing this fight scene. It seemed like something Penny would do as well, particularly if her back was against the wall, or in this case the floor. Seemed to work for her just as well as it did that crafty Irish lass all those years ago. Anyway, that’s the story behind that. I hope you didn’t get any other ideas from this page. This isn’t that kind of story. No way.