[PRP / BATT] Securely Lost [Byakko/Stryke] [FIN]

[melona-pan]

Where: the outskirts of Salamire Outpost
When: several weeks after the initial discovery of their new home

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke had promised to come back soon. He'd had a hard time approaching Byakko initially to tell her he would be sneaking into Chittentown in order to retrieve his lusus. That was nearly a week ago. The events in the desert town were still fresh on his mind, but that for now would have to be behind him. The journey of there and back again would be a dangerous one, but with his leg injury healed he didn’t have that much to worry about. He'd taken off his symbol, not feeling safe in wearing the hourglass save perhaps in the safety and refuge of the Salamire Outpost. There was no way in hell he could simply run around with his given bloodhue and symbol plastered to his jacket. Instead of cog wheel of a mechanical time telling mechanism would serve as his new symbol. The hue of yellow while still within the cast of trolls, was altered several shades and nearly read as a green-yellowish tint. His outfit comprised of a few familiar pieces, but wanted to avoid being recognized while in his once hometown.

Thoughts like these had swirled in his mind as he rushed to pack his things and pull his lusus aside. The paranoid feeling of being watched was so much that he'd fled before he could actually try to grab for a few more things. It just wasn't safe, he wanted his lusus more than anything on Alternia, and no troll would stop him from retrieving Skinkdad. The relief of having him was short lived as they fled, racing back to the tangle of swamp to the makeshift village the rebellion now called home. Stryke took a different route back, nervous to have anytroll follow him. Once he'd finally made it back to the Outpost some 13 days later, he'd crashed into the recupracoon fully dressed. He'd been wide eyed and bewildered...exhausted and beyond all his limits. Even his newly acquired strange powers had trouble responding near the end. He was finally able to just relax. He could only hope that this life would not be short lived.

Long into the early night hours he finally woke, slowly pulling himself out of his new hive. His lusus was outside draped across his porch. The lizard seemed to adore the bog-like atmosphere while Stryke felt like he was breathing water for air. He'd changed into trousers, and a button down with the sleeved pushed up and suspenders to keep his bottoms up. His boots made mud trekking easy enough. Poking his head out of his hive, he fumbled around for a hair tie to pull his hair back. He'd have to let someone know he was back. Stryke didnt have the energy for it when he'd gotten in.

Peering over the edge, he sat himself down legs dangling as he sighed letting his legs swing as he contemplated what to do first.  

[melona-pan]

"Greetings, Stryke." Byakko's firm voice cut through the lazy midnight air with precision. One hand rested on the fresh railing of the walkway that bridged their hives. She had selected a spacious, but humble home; mostly carved into the hollow of a gnarled tree rooted beside Stryke's. It's thick wooden trunk offered a warm, muffled feeling similar enough to living underground, which was comfortable- but more importantly, it had several respiteblocks and enough room to house both her and her growing adopted child. That, and Zeffer; who despite having his own hive in the swamp offshooting her own, decided to settle down in hers and make himself comfortable.

It had been chance that Stryke had selected to move into the structure adjacent to her own; Akko had absolutely no qualms. After what had happened in the tangles of the swamp outgrowths, how he had re-professed his dedication to her in the wake of their second betrayal that sweep, expressing how he wanting to understand her better... well, she felt... closer to Stryke? Was that it? More comfortable, at any rate. It had been so long since Byakko had a friend that didn't simultaneously, to be frankly put, infuriate her from time to time, she almost forgot how to identify it. Not that she was rolling around in them, but even Aprife had his moments, when in the company of Zeffer. Byakko liked the other rebels well enough, but they were more, well, co-workers than companions.

Then again, maybe she was reading much too deeply into the situation. He was a member of the Initiative, and any member who truly held their ideals would be accepting of her; but something with how he had responded to her blood hue struck a chord. The word 'mutant' had never once slithered from his lips.

"I'm pleased to see you finally made it back." Akko's voice was robotic and monotone, but she was genuine.

Obviously the other rebels needed to disperse and return to the swamp with their lusi and whatever belongings they could grab in tow, and in time, Byakko figured she would need to do the same. That didn't help settle her anxieties, though, as the days and nights trickled past, and with them, few trolls. Nerve wrecking, that was the word; there was simply nothing else she could do but sit and wait. There were no forces to send to assist those who needed it- everyone was spent, no one was at a real advantage to help. Most of them had to stay back and help with rebuilding Salamire Outpost to a liveable condition in the first place. Stryke's empty hive had been a constant reminder of that.

She had spent a good chunk of the early night puttering around her hive, staring out the large window in the main room at Skinkdad, waiting for Stryke to appear. Maneki was in Zeffer's care for the night- training, although surely they'd be just goofing off- and Byakko had the night to herself. Convenient timing, it seemed.

"It seems like you managed to get... everything." Casting a long sideward glance at his lusus, Byakko cleared her throat and closed some of the distance between them, avoiding Skinkdad as best she could. "How are you faring?"  

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke turned his head when he heard the familiar voice of his pinkblooded companion. A seriousness that had been there seemed to fade away as he shifted at his seated position to face her. The tree had provided a sense of security he hadn't felt in most of the other hives..although there were other ones like this one. He liked that it was connected to a few other respriteblocks, namely that he had his own little space to put things..it made making transitions like this one easier. He'd told himself he would be prepared should something happen, he'd had to relocate once before as a result of his challenging the way things were meant to be.

Despite the odds, and the adversity he was here and would return to whatever place it was that they needed to go to in order to move along. Like clockwork. "evening byakko, it's good to see you." He spoke genuinely, pulling himself up to stand up and place a hand on the railing as he offered her a smile. Knowing the leader of the P.I was well and up and moving about, despite her blunt manner of speaking was a relief. She was caring in her own way, even if she was stern most of the time if not downright feral when provoked, but to him she was a Leader, and trying her damnest to make things right. Knowingly leaving behind the few remaining rebels had weighed heavily on his mind, and had him walking a little faster all the while for it.

How was he? Stryke was still afraid of whatever the hell it was that seemed to be happening to him. A heightened sense of awareness, it always seemed to come when he felt as if there was some kind of danger. Frowning he glanced away for a moment unsure how to answer. Fine was so...lacking and an obvious lie. His gaze went back to her, sweeping over Akko, taking in details about the pinkblooded troll, looking to see if she was alright. At her comment, Stryke nodded to his lusus who lifted his head up at one point. "yesss, i found him and got out fairly quickly." Stryke left out the details about the conversation with Sarcel. For now it wasn't relevant, it had been a small side stop, even if it had been an important one to him.

He stood beside her now, and while silent for a moment he rubbed the back of his neck as he considered the question again. "well enough, glad to be back." He confessed, with a furrow of his brow The expression he wore was a fleeting one, a more neutral expression following. "and you? are you faring well enough as to be expected i'd imagine...?" Stryke inquired, and while it was a bit of a reach there was a moment where he clasped her shoulder, giving it a squeeze before letting go. Stryke loosely crossed his arms over his chest as they continued to speak, but was otherwise attentive to the conversation.

"ssspeaking of managing to get everything, i know where your weapon is if you haven't already located it i forgot to tell you when i left..i wasss pressed for time." The troll felt it ironic then that he could now stop an object in motion briefly in a given space. He'd experimented with it a bit while he'd been away, but the powers scared the s**t out of him truthfully. He was just a normal, average troll who'd fought hard for what he wanted to protect. Becoming a psionic had never crossed the yellowbloods wildest dreams, and while he trusted Byakko he was hesitant to touch on the subject just yet.  

[melona-pan]

"Mhm." Nodding in acknowledgement when Stryke rose, Byakko shifted her weight to one leg. She hummed politely at his pleasantries, but in contrast sharply narrowed her eyes down on him- returning his scrutinizing stare with one of her own. He broke eye contact at her query as to how he was holding up. Hesitation? A lie? Had his leg not healed properly? Noting his slight twinges, Akko mentally carded them for later. They had been through a lot to get to this point, but Stryke always seemed to keep a cool composure under life-or-death pressure that even she struggled to keep a grasp on. What was weighing on him now? Then there were Aprife's reports. Something about seeing sparks of yellow light surround Stryke after a confrontation with that punky tealblooded girl, Forera. Aprife had been adamant about what he saw, but Stryke didn't have powers... not as far as Byakko was aware- and she had fought alongside him several times. If he had been a psionic all along, Stryke was potentially a better keeper of secrets than she was. Then again, maybe not- he practically read like a book right now.

"Excellent. We can always use more hands around here," there it was again, another slight twinge of a frown from the yellowblood. If there was one thing Byakko could recognize and empathize with, it was the faint cracks in a troll's outward mask.

"Me?" Byakko almost look startled at the question, in actuality prickling when Stryke reached out to pat her. She made no other movements, but threw a glance down at his hand. "Everything is satisfactory. It's been a struggle, but- we always rise from the ashes." She immediately regretted those last few words, now feeling gauche at the dramatic flair she usually kept in reserve for those there's-a-crisis-let's-rally-together speeches. Byakko cleared her throat.

"Aah- my kanabō!" Her voice actually rose with glee. "I figured it had been lost to the swamp. You actually know where it is?" Byakko leaned down to peer closer at Stryke, eager for details. Her weapon- her preciously familiar, battered, treasured weapon. "Can you show me? Now? The night is still fairly young." She came on strongly demanding, eager to be reunited with her trusty kanabō. The last time she had been parted from it had been during her time in the Queen's cell, and it was a feeling she was all too eager to shake.  

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke was glad she didn’t try pressing him for details, he'd try and explain later after he decided how best to approach the subject. While psionics weren't outlawed by Alternia standards, to say he was uncomfortable with his newly acquired abilities was a gross understatement. As much as he'd confirmed his suspicions he was still actively trying to deny them just as quickly. He was glad the topic of conversation shifted, easy enough to push aside his mental scrambling in his thinkpan for the now.

Noting how she prickled, he partially regretted the contact; it wasn't like he reacted much better. It had just seemed natural to reach out for her; she was a wild fire of a troll temper wise. It was just good to know sometroll was there and indeed real and not some wild figment after all.

His expression was a set one as he listened to her mention that it had been a struggle. It was too be expected. He nodded in understanding, and even didn't seem to mind her dramatic undertones, it was true after all. The Outpost was testament enough to that. A lighter look about the yellowbloods face was returned at Akko's sudden cheerful inflection. The emotional shift was a bit of a head rush, which Ryk found slightly distracting. "hm. i am fairly certain. i remember well enough where from i ran from after being hunted by sa..the blueblood." He replied finally a smile of his own finally lightening his expression. Between running around the dangerous swamp, and traveling across the three day trek he'd gotten gradually more familiar with the territory.

"i would not be opposed to showing you now, i'm fit to travel." They could make the journey in half the time if they skipped the wild thorns further north, even if that put them in swimming snapping smilingparent territory, or daywalkers. He inclined his head before side eyeing his lusus. "dad, i'll be back keep the place sssafe?" Stryke gave the white lizard a curious look, engaging with him sounding more like a series of hisses and animal like sounds as the two spoke.

The lizard had been rather rudely staring nearly the entire time. Finally blinking, it slowly stretched and gave some kind of a nod before resuming lounging as if nothing had happened. of courssse. thisss is home now. Stryke heard Skinkdad mention, more a mutter really.

His grey eyes traveled back to Byakko. "one moment." Stryke vanished inside his hive, returning with his jacket and traveling cloak and daggers strapped to his sides. "ready when you are." He offered, with a curious look of his brow as he went to descend one of the newly re-made ladders to the grounds below the tree-hives.  

[melona-pan]

"The blueblood..." She dryly echoed the last of Stryke's sentiment about the location of her weapon, raising a brow when he stumbled to change his words. Byakko's expression temporarily darkened as his own lit up, peering down her nose to stare suspiciously at Stryke. "I see." She trusted, or rather, wanted to trust Stryke- even if he was acting questionable in the moment. He had proven himself repeatedly. But something had shifted the introspective yellowblood's thoughts enough for it to bubble to the surface and manifest in those small, telltale ticks; did something happen on his journey home? Maybe even earlier? Reclaiming the swamp had been hectic, to say the least, and Byakko had been spread thin and hadn't much time to speak with Stryke before he left. Aprife's low voice replayed in the back of her thinkpan.

Still, the promise of getting back her weapon overpowered her hesitation about the full honesty behind Stryke's words.

When the yellowblood disappeared back into his hive, she took the chance to dart back to her own home and collect her to-go bag. Throwing on a frayed cloak herself, Byakko retrieved a sheathed dagger and turned it over in her hands contemplatively. It wasn't ideal- a small, lightweight blade for her fighting style- but it was better than nothing. Her spare kanabo was back in her hive at Busthind, which neither her nor Maneki had the chance to return to yet. She left a note for him and Zeffer about her absence; Zeff wouldn't mind. And if he did, she didn't really care. Maneki would think it a game or a sleepover or something if it was only for a night or so. Tucking the dagger under her obi, Akko slipped back outside and was patiently waiting for Stryke's return, locked in an intense staring contest with Skinkdad.

After some brief chatter as to which direction to head in, the pair made their way off back into the wilds of the swamp. Byakko stuck to walking on whatever rotting wood she could find, favouring the cracked fallen trees and rough foliage to treading through mud. She would have taken to the treetops altogether, if not in the company of Stryke.

"How far out do you think it is?" Breaking the monotony of their padding footsteps, Akko shot a question over her shoulder. Stepping over a gnarled root, she slowed, waiting for Stryke to close the gap between them.  

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke decided that while they had a long walk ahead of him, he'd retell at least some of his accounts. When they got going he glanced at Byakko for a moment before pursing his lips. "the blueblood in question chasssed me for nearly two nights straight, and was why i wasss injured. however she and i reached a mutual understanding of one another, and she let me go. i also ran into her in chittentown briefly...beyond that i want to protect her in return for her letting me go free even with the blast." He shook his head dismissively. Vremea had healed it well enough, although there had been a few bullets remaining that had to be extracted despite Zindel's best efforts. That was behind him, he didn't even really have a limp of any kind thankfully he'd noticed.

With a brief bit more of chatter, then came to a halt, and he studied the landscape and it's rugged terrain. He studied the direction they were traveling in verse the surroundings in relation to the Outpost. "we should be there soon; cutting this way avoids the swamp waters, and high branches and thorns. I want to keep away from the mud.." His grey eyes traveled to the wetlands beyond the dark forest. In it lied certain death from the swimming creatures and grasping undead.

A dim faint glow had unwittingly begun to travel around him; his heighten state of awareness in relation to the danger was enough to make him rub at his temples idly. "let'sss see. up ahead should be a downed tree, past the point you and i broke apart since the narrowing of the passage way..i dropped it when i thought a phantom was chasing me. we might need to find refuge if it gets too close to dawn." He unaware of the difference in the black of his pupils for that brief moment in time.

Stryke's power vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

He joined her, gesturing ahead as he moved, this time to go first as last time...he still felt like he'd been responsible for her getting caught after all. Wiggling through the high wall, he waited on the other side before venturing deeper, namely so they could resume traveling together.

Just ahead was what Byakko was after. While coated in mud, it was still stuck in the ground where the yellowblood had dropped it. He'd carried it as far as he dared until the weight ment the difference between capture and escape. A small smile lit up the pre-teens face as he gestured further along the passage way as if to say 'see!'.  

[melona-pan]

Stopping dead in her tracks, Byakko turned at the hips to face the yellowblood the moment he said 'two nights'. She delivered a long, blank stare, head cocked as Stryke went on to explain himself, offering no words to add to the conversation on his encounters with this blueblooded girl. This 'Sa'. Continuing with her pace once Styke had caught up, she remained silent. He casually moved on with their conversation, but Byakko's face subtely darkened, sheilded now by her hood that she had yanked up. Her eventual responses to their idle chatter as they pushed through the swamp seemed short and distracted, often one worded.

As Stryke slowed and studied the marsh ahead, Byakko was preoccupied studying him, mouth half agape. The fluttering glow began to materalize and swirl around his sillouette- it was reminiscent of Vremmy's healing touch. It was no trick of the moonlight. This must have been what Aprife saw. Clamping her jaw shut when Stryke returned his attention to her, she threw a glance towards the direction he gestured in, nonchalantly nodding. Stryke seemed none the wiser to his slight psionic slip- it was subconcious? So what, was this a recent development? Byakko was finding it increasingly doubtful that he had been covert enough to keep this from the other rebels this long.

"Right. With any luck, it's still there." Akko almost questioned the phantom he mentioned, but... she had more pressing concerns on her mind. "If we need to make camp, so be it. I brought supplies," she patted the bag tied to her obi. Crawling through the swamp, staying out here a day, or two, even- whatever it took.

After hoisting herself through the wall of branches (and struggling a bit with her snagged robes), Akko brushed herself off and straightened up. Stryke was radiating a different sort of glow now. Trailing his eager gesturing with her eyes, she blinked profusely at what laid in the mud mere yards from her.

The mutantblood practically lit up.

Byakko wasted no time on retrieving her weapon, striding quickly to meet it with large, purposeful steps. The club of wood and steel shone ever so slightly under the moonlight between the smears of mud, as if to beckon her.

Reunited at last. A rare, genuine smile spread across Akko's face.

Plucking her kanabo from the mud, she tapped it against a nearby tree, attempting to knock off some of the caked mud. Honestly, it had still seen worse nights. It felt so good, having that familiar, comforting weight back in her arms.

"Thank you, Stryke." Her voice rang with a veritable appreciation. Yet, she hadn't made eye contact with him since. She fell silent, as she often did, absorbed in thought as she stared down at her weapon.  

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke moved away from Byakko for the moment, trusting her at his backside. He'd taken note of how she'd regarded him after mentioning his encounter with Sarcel. Not to mention besides her gratitude, she was short and clip with him. The feeling he'd done poorly resonated in her closed off manner and for it he did not try to make much small talk. Stryke was aware he perhaps could have done things different. For what it was worth, he'd fought before and could defend himself but he'd truly believed he'd run into something beyond which he could handle.

The yellowblood was superstitious enough to believe in things that weren't explainable; it was part of what bothered him about the whole thing to begin with.

If he couldn't reason it, it made it harder to understand and respond too. All the memories that surrounded him were like a chain of events that had ushered him forward since the destruction of Old Hemisect, and the days of his once upon a time hive. Skinkdad had first brought him up there, up until he'd gotten himself involved on the opposing side’s forces.

In truth, it was more or less like he'd never looked back. He just did what was asked and expected of him, and kept the flow of things in order the best he could. Rubbing his neck he stopped by a particular spot..as if looking for something. Glancing back he nodded as she thanked him. "hm? it's no problem, it's something that's valuable too you..it's the least i could do." He offered as he himself, seemed lost in thought going silent.

Most any foot prints surely would be gone his eyes noted, but he found the spot he'd first noticed the anomaly that had sent him running. Squatting down he lifted one of the spent shotgun pelts and quickly pocketed it. "the army hasss powered trolls too...they meant business when they sent out trolls who could go invisible." He frowned as he stared out across the swamps reaches, a blank look on his face. "of courssse...i had no idea until it was too late..which was the point i guess." Stryke looked around, remembering how he'd dropped Byakko's now-required weapon as he fled in terror. The flashes of images in his mind was almost like a slow motion picture, he half wished he could somehow convey this without it sounding like he was a giant wiggler.

Stryke adjusted the straps to his daggers, wondering what it would feel like to be without them. He decided very quickly uncomfortable aptly described the feeling.

His eyes glanced down at his arms he still had scars from the thorns, and one on his face. Stryke had never panicked completely and utterly as he'd done in that moment. Looking back on it now, it had been because the pinkblood had vanished...and he could feel a presence. It didn't matter now of course, but the situation had been chaotic. Shaking his head he looked skyward past the trees, trying to make out the moon's position in the sky. They would need to get back to the Outpost, she'd said she had supplies, the closer home would mean they got in sooner he figured.  

[melona-pan]

The rest of Stryke's words seemed to fall to deaf ears. "Two nights being hunted is two nights far too long," Akko spoke lowly now, barely more than a whisper, but it carried perfectly over the silence of the swamp. It wasn't clear if she was talking to Stryke, or muttering to herself. What had he meant earlier by a 'a mutual understanding', exactly? What, did he talk his way free? After the military's attempt to cull them all? He could have easily been pursued by someone far less sympathetic- would he still have been standing in front of her? Her stomach twisted. Akko herself had been caught and let go by her captor on two seperate occasions; and yet, it seemed surreal still. This was war. Even if she was to give him credit for getting away, running into the blueblood again... where was his damn vigilance? Stryke was a ******** rebel. An enemy of the nation. He couldn't charm and logic his way out of confrontation forever. Regardless of what had happened, or why- Byakko was confident of one thing. Stryke, ultimately, was weak. There was no point having a strongly convicted bloodpusher if you couldn't stop someone from ramming a knife through it.

Akko turned to him, eyes hooded. She shifted her weapon into both fists. It seemed obvious to her that the military would have mixed powered trolls into their ambush. Admittedly, facing a foe you couldn't even see sounded daunting- but she couldn't help but suspect that their chase had been dragged out needlessly.

"You said earlier you wanted to protect that blueblood." Venom dripped. She'd need to press for details later. Byakko was advancing now, slow, slinking steps towards Stryke. "Even if you weren't on opposing sides of this war- you don't get to protect anyone when you're barely capable of protecting yourself. You literally lack the capacity." The glare on her face was as sharp as her words. But it wasn't malicious; rather, her expression was tinged with concern, sternness aside.

"Or do you just hold yourself back?" Byakko rose her spiked weapon at Stryke and held still, making her intent clear, allowing him a few scrambling moments to prepare for her impromptu test. "What if you were ambushed right now? Show me!"

She lunged, intent on hitting Stryke with a lone decisive and well aimed blow.



20/20
+1 military kanabō
dealt 3 damage

leon_a_darkangel

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke heard the whisper, without fail in fact. It made his bloodpusher stop, and the realization dawned on him, this was war. All along, he'd told himself it was because he'd wanted to protect those who were less fortunate than himself. It was more than that. If he actually wanted to produce results...wouldn't he need to act? Even gathering intel had required him to fight along. He recalled the time he'd had to cut down a defector to the rebellion, he'd been younger then than he was now.

As the troll went to crush his lusus's head, he'd lunged himself at the adult troll, and stabbed them repeatedly until he took the troll down. It was then he'd learned one of his hardest lessons, Alternia was not kind to those who were weak. Wearing you're bloodpusher on your sleeves was a recipe for disaster and ruin, why else would the leader of the rebellion speak to him in such a manner. Her tone said it all, as did the emotion behind her words.

The venom in her tone made him visible cringe. He leveled a stare, even if it meant looking up to the older troll. "i am not completely hel---" His words were cut off as she lunged for him. He had a few precious moments to scramble, her lunging came unexpectedly. He sucked in a sharp breath, hyper aware of the situation for what it was worth. The yellowblood used the tension in her frame against her. His boot swung out and kicked at her legs. He then pushed the other back, giving himself time to back off.

Stryke readied himself for combat, and bared his teeth at the other. The daggers he used weren't reached for, despite Byakko's command to show how he would 'defend himself in an ambush.' "w..what? i'd defend you and i clearly?!" Stryke snapped at her narrowing his gaze on the rebel leader. If she was looking to test him in battle however, he wouldn't turn her down.

Although Byakko had hit a sore note, Stryke did hold himself back. He doubted his own abilities, and was still young. Stryke had spent a life hoarding books, and information. Not running out in the woods, fighting and tussling around. That didn't mean he hadn't been practicing, or trying to learn along the way. The real problem was he lacked finesse, and practical experience. "is this some sort of impromptu training then?" He blurted pointedly, looking to confirm that this was in fact the nature of her intentions.

There was an edge to his posture as he watched her. Despite her wanting to come swinging at him, Stryke felt like her intentions were well meant. even if it was extreme. This was a wake up call, and a reminder how very dangerous their lives were.

HP: 17/20
ARMS: military grade dagger +1
DMG: 7

melona-pan

 

[melona-pan]

Byakko didn't think Stryke was helpless. She had seen him fight, tooth and nail, for his survival on multiple occasions. But there was a difference between having your hand forced, and acting on your own accord; fighting only when your very life depended on it wasn't the road to victory. It was the path to cowardice, to isolation and retreat, the same one the trolls who had lived in the the Outpost before them had chosen. That wasn't what she wanted of the Initiative. No; they needed to be so much stronger than that, if they wanted to pave the way for any sort of change in the world. All of them. Byakko would drill that into them with her own fists, if she had to.

She had hoped her first swing would elicit more of the shimmering glow she had witnessed earlier; but Stryke instead parried Byakko's attack with an ease she hadn't expected, sending her propelling backwards with her own force. Akko lowered and braced herself, sinking the heels of her geta into the mud. With a graceful sweeping arc of her kanabō behind her back, she redirected the momentum to her forearms, slamming the end of her weapon into the mud with a squelch.

"Isn't that obvious? What are you doing?!" Her growled retort ripped from her throat, frustrated that he hadn't actually struck back in retaliation. "Draw your weapon, for gog's sake. I attacked you!" His hesitancy was mortifying, as in tune as his reflexes may have been.

"This is your final warning," Byakko drew her club back from the swamp, and brandished it towards Stryke, granting him a few more seconds to collect his bearings.

13/20
+1 military kanabō
dealt 3 damage

leon_a_darkangel

 

[leon_a_darkangel]

Stryke clenched his teeth as he reached down and grabbed for the holster of either of his daggers and pulled them free. Byakko's tone wasn't leaving him any choice, and this wasn't about proving a point. He actually needed to practice fighting, talking was cheap in this instance. The strap that kept them secure unlatched with a quite click. Raising his weapons, he realized he had a few choices. "i underssstand.." He spoke in a low tone, inhaling a sharp breath as he made a split second decision. Her weapon could all but crush him if she got in a good couple of swings.

Gripping the hilts of his daggers, he took a risk in rushing in. Darting forward as he took a swing at the other with is dominant left hand.

Her growling was evidence enough he couldn't keep from his weapons. Although he didn't want to hurt the other troll was there any real choice? If he didn't figure out how to actually fight outside of desperation wouldn't that make things that much easier on him, and everyone around him? Perhaps. Stryke wasn't really certain. He'd gathered himself and was prepared for battle, or whatever might come his way.

While he'd been uncomfortable to attack the other troll at least the context of it being a sparring match made it easier to stomach.

HP: 14/20
ARMS: military grade dagger +1
DMG: 2

melona-pan

 

[melona-pan]

A slight, but steadied smirk had spread over Byakko's face when Stryke drew his daggers and submitted to her will. She hadn't been confident he'd take her bait- the rebel leader wouldn't really keep relentlessly striking one of her own who refused to return her attacks. Then again, she had never sparred a troll who wouldn't.

Either way, Akko had still meant every utterance that left her lips.

"Come on!" She barked, smashing his lone swipe down with the hilt of her kanabo with ease. Her smile faded. "You aren't even trying." What was that stance? Pathetic. And one hit? He was a dual wielder, for crying out loud. Wasn't half the strategy in that using them in tandem?

In a fluid motion, she swiped at the back of Stryke's knees, twisting and sidestepping out of his limited range.

"Don't even bother drawing your weapon unless you intend to draw blood."

11/20
+1 military kanabō
dealt 2 damage

leon_a_darkangel