[Li had never really thought of herself as young. Some of the others are younger, and were taken far earlier. She's not even that young, in her own opinion. Fifteen is plenty old. Practically an adult, really.
While she wouldn't mean anything rude by it, Li didn't particularly think of Padmé as capable of long-term survival in this situation. Someone unwilling to kill even in self-defense is at risk of being overwhelmed by this numbers more than someone who is. It's best to keep civilians out of combat. Some of the tension leaves Li's shoulders once Padmé takes the knife.]
We have to do what we can to survive.
[Clearly, Li had no such reservations. Or if she did at some point, they've long since been trained out of her. She honestly can't remember enough from that far back to be sure. She gives a nod in return to Padmé's statement, a sort of 'likewise' without words, but isn't great at pleasantries, clearly. Or maybe it's just that she's not really prepared to combine combat zones and smalltalk; those are separate things for her most of the time.
They make it to the end of the alley without incident, but getting to the next block over requires crossing the street. The second one of the crazed infected spots Li, he charges at her, some kind of bludgeon in his hand. Instead of dodging out of the way, she moves forward and uses the speed he's moving at against him, grabbing him by the arm and throwing him forward into the wall behind her. There's a sickening crunch as he makes contact. Something might've just gotten broken. The important thing is that he goes still and doesn't get up, so they're free to dart across the street into the relative safety of the next alley.
That safety is something she manufactured herself in advance. Three dead bodies lay on the ground between them and the fire escape, small puddles of blood under their throats or stomachs. Clearly she hadn't been aiming for the joints even though experience has started teaching her that works for them; old instincts die hard. The fire escape is locked in place four feet above them, but Li takes a running start and easily makes the jump, climbing up the metal as easily as breathing, scrambling up and on it to undo the latches that keep the ladder in place. It creaks down into place with more noise than she'd like. At least that keeps Padmé from having to climb any walls, though. That's one less thing to worry about.]
Climb up. [She effortlessly jumps down from the steps, landing silently.] I'll keep anyone from sneaking up on you down here. The roofs are always clear. There's no other access unless you know how to climb. [Which is clearly a skill she's got going for her.]
no subject
While she wouldn't mean anything rude by it, Li didn't particularly think of Padmé as capable of long-term survival in this situation. Someone unwilling to kill even in self-defense is at risk of being overwhelmed by this numbers more than someone who is. It's best to keep civilians out of combat. Some of the tension leaves Li's shoulders once Padmé takes the knife.]
We have to do what we can to survive.
[Clearly, Li had no such reservations. Or if she did at some point, they've long since been trained out of her. She honestly can't remember enough from that far back to be sure. She gives a nod in return to Padmé's statement, a sort of 'likewise' without words, but isn't great at pleasantries, clearly. Or maybe it's just that she's not really prepared to combine combat zones and smalltalk; those are separate things for her most of the time.
They make it to the end of the alley without incident, but getting to the next block over requires crossing the street. The second one of the crazed infected spots Li, he charges at her, some kind of bludgeon in his hand. Instead of dodging out of the way, she moves forward and uses the speed he's moving at against him, grabbing him by the arm and throwing him forward into the wall behind her. There's a sickening crunch as he makes contact. Something might've just gotten broken. The important thing is that he goes still and doesn't get up, so they're free to dart across the street into the relative safety of the next alley.
That safety is something she manufactured herself in advance. Three dead bodies lay on the ground between them and the fire escape, small puddles of blood under their throats or stomachs. Clearly she hadn't been aiming for the joints even though experience has started teaching her that works for them; old instincts die hard. The fire escape is locked in place four feet above them, but Li takes a running start and easily makes the jump, climbing up the metal as easily as breathing, scrambling up and on it to undo the latches that keep the ladder in place. It creaks down into place with more noise than she'd like. At least that keeps Padmé from having to climb any walls, though. That's one less thing to worry about.]
Climb up. [She effortlessly jumps down from the steps, landing silently.] I'll keep anyone from sneaking up on you down here. The roofs are always clear. There's no other access unless you know how to climb. [Which is clearly a skill she's got going for her.]