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 Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:38 pm
 
Sometimes, you just gotta let of some steam.
Setting:
In the City's back alleys. In the rain. And mud.
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:49 pm
• [ THE OUTCOME OF THIS BATTLE: ] •
YUE LAO.
BAAW SAKN WRY YOU ALWAYS PICK FIGHTS WITH PEOPLE BIGGER THEN YOU? o A o
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:51 pm
It began as a brisk walk- some time away from his mother, who seemed far more frail then she used to be; a break from Xiu(visiting from the city), who had suddenly found something in himself that Sakn had yet to, like a very familiar stranger-, and down to the docks had been his first thought. The ocean would sooth his sore feet and clear his head of the heavy thoughts that plagued him today. But at the edge of the dock, with his feet dangling over; the waves lapping rhythmically at his toes, where there should have been nothing but peace and comfort and calm, he only found silence and discomfort, the chill of the wind in his bones and the water biting his skin.
He didn’t bother to notice the storm clouds that swallowed the dusk, the way the deep reds and pinks disappeared in blotches and brushstrokes of greys and greens, clouds fat with rain. Of course he didn’t, not until he was far within the city walls(deep in his thoughts), far away from his village, from his home and from the people that were always there for him. And yet, even though he was trying to escape from them, they ran circles in his mind, tortured his thoughts.
Like his mother, who knew all his secrets, who he had opened up to the minute he stumbled home after the healing with Xiu. She didn’t have to ask, and perhaps she would have wished not to know, but he couldn’t keep it from her, he knew she would love him even with the blood and the nightmares and the hundreds of sorry’s and tears. She looked so tired now, like she was a ghost of what she used to be.
Or maybe she was the same, and he had changed(would that make more sense, that he was no longer a little boy and his mother the strongest, bravest woman, but instead a world-weary mother and her tattered son). Either way, he couldn’t stand her searching eyes any more, those eyes that always ask ‘Where is my little boy in there?’.
The ones he could see every time he closed his own, as if the images was burned into his eye lids.
Or his father, who still worked him to the bone and pretended things were fine. His father, who dodged Sakngea’s pleas to talk, dodging them with stories that would have distracted him as a boy but now only served to frustrated the redhead. His father, who stayed sane and functioning by ignoring the simple reality of...well, reality. A certain jealousy and frustration boiled inside him; how he wished he could just flip a switch and turn off the world like Noreaskey often did.
And Xiu, who usual soothed any of Sakn’s worries with his calming presence, with his eyes that wanted to know everything. And Sakn couldn’t tell him, he feared above all else loosing Xiu to the truths he kept bottled up inside. But he could feel Xiu’s patience straining, could feel the question in every sentence Xiu spoke, every look he gave, every touch. Tell me, tell me tell me tellmetellme. Over and over, in his mind.
Would he never get away from it, he just needed a moment to breath. What happened to the days of freedom? The times with his friends, back before it was complicated and confusing.
Before Hyun and Sothy and the anger. He rubbed his hands together subconciously at this point, running his fingers over his knuckles, remembering smiles, magenta hair, Yue's eagerness; Jianyu scowling half-heartedly across the table, eating fruit; running from an angry mob with Kiran, trading jewelry on the rooftops and laughing at people.
Just one moment of peace.
It was when the first fat drop landed on the tip of his head that Sakn came back from the thoughts of the family he was trying to get away from. He took a deep breath, as if he had been holding it for a long time, and his body shuddered as the coolness of the wet air filled his lungs, the water soaking his back and quickly drenching his thin shirt. And as the rain covered him, the thoughts drained away. Of course, now Sakngea was deep within the city, and while free of thought, he was not enjoying the rain(oh, how comical to see him be so upset over something so small).
It had a bite to it that only spring rain could have, mixed with a sharp wind that whistled down the narrow streets of the city and burned his joints. And the puddles he stepped in were unpleasantly chilled, soaking the wrappings on his feet, the backs of his leggings soaked from splashing.
Sakngea hunkered over, displeased not only with the night storm but also that he had been so distracted by uncomforting thoughts that he hadn't bothered to pay attention to something as simple as a huge, ugly storm front.
The wind screamed past him again, and the redhead scowled, his mood going from slightly downtrodden and displeased to down-right frustrated. This only served to make him even more uncomfortable, he tried hard now adays to not get so angry. His temper was off-kilter, ever since Hyun, and Sakn disliked the warmth of his blood and the pump of his heart when his temper rose, afraid of himself perhaps.
"Stupid wind 'n' stupid head 'n' stupid rain," he growled, hunching more in an attempt to become less of a target for the bitter downpour(and failing miserably, if his water-logged braid slapping him square in the face said anything) before nudging his anger back into place. How he would love nothing more then to scream at the sky right now, call the clouds every dirty name he could think of, and maybe punch a door or two. He wanted to throw a fit and kick and scream and hit and his teeth started to pop as he clenched, subconsciously already tensed for the release, the unleashing, the moment when his control would break and he would just screa--
Sakn inhaled sharply, pulling himself away from what he wanted to do and back to what he should do (which was stay quiet, inconspicuous and out of anyones way until he got home, or at least out of the city), and ruffled his hair, feeling the strands slide soothingly through his hands, slick from the rain and cool between his fingers. He let his hands then run down to his left braid, where he played with it for a moment, unbinding it and rebraiding the bottom as he walked; the motion calmed him, helped him to tuck away his temper and keep it cool. His eyes drifted down as he now lulled himself, watching and following the dark rivlets of rain water rush down the winding streets as the rain washed away the city’s debris; a collection of leaves, papers and petals that all meshed together like a cluster of shadows in the dark and dim streets. It was so calming that Sakn didn’t even notice someone coming upon him from the opposite direction.
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 7:53 pm
Stupid. Fluffy. Abomination. Yue trudged through the muddy ground and tried to warm her hands inside her coat. Thankfully, her Othermother had insisted upon Yue taking an oiled skin with her before going out; it was rare that Yue wore more clothing than absolutely necessary, but on this night, the poor weather was so atrocious that she was grateful for the shelter. Hime-san had escaped through the window again, climbed on the roof, leapt onto the stone carvings and darted down the alleyways. And thus began a chase lasting over the sun setting and several hours' worth of Yue Lao's precious time.
She pulled the hood lower over her face, shielding it from the cold rain. Mostly, Yue Lao was doing okay. And she did love her Mister-Princess, it was just that when she was in such a foul mood from slinking around in the rain and the mud like she had no home to return to, she really couldn't find that love in her heart. In fact, she just kept muttering darkly under her breath. "I hope the nobles catch you and eat you, hairy jerk," Yue scowled, scuffing her feet against the ground. She was also, contrary to her usual style, wearing wooden sandals. Her feet were still cold and wet, but nothing like they would have been if it was just her bandages.
Somewhere between this alley and the last, she had misplaced Hime-san. She stood at an intersection and sighed, trying to get her bearings. Where was she?... Was she near the docks? With a pang, she remembered Sakn vividly. She missed her fiesty friend. Fiesty friend... She would have to call him that, if he came back. Yue winced. After their fight... she didn't understand what was wrong with him, but he clearly wasn't well. Yue seemed to have alienated a lot of those she cared about, being selfish. That was her nature after all, right? She tucked the coat layers over herself more tightly, and began to head home. No sense wandering around in the dark and the rain if that damn monkey wanted to freeze its butt off.
She didn't want him to get hurt, though. So she paused one more time, mumbled: "If you don't want to die out here, monkey, then I hope you'll join me on this lovely walk home," she said, imitating the accent of a stuck up Noble she had heard speak at the marketplace the other day.
She walked, and every few roads, she'd turn back to look again. Maybe Hime-san would appear suddenly, a sodden beacon of light... or maybe not at all. At one point, as she was walking, she turned and smacked straight into someone on her way. "Hey, wanna watch where you're headed a little better?" she asked. Normally she would have done so with a smile and a wink, but she was tired, wet, sore and nostalgic. Instead, she moved to shove past the stranger.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:21 am
Playing with his hair and watching the shadowy water blink in and out between the spots of light spilling from open windows in a few sparse homes(he had heard singing at one window, slow and quiet and aged; a lullaby maybe, to a child perhaps or to a memory) had put Sakn in a sort of catatonic state as he walked. His back was numb from the rain, and while he might have grouched earlier about how he shouldn’t have forgotten his rain coat (made of smooth, flexible reeds tied together with oiled leather straps, hanging in his room back in the village), now he barely noticed. It was pleasant to know he could control his anger, could push it down and lock it up with something as simple as playing with his hair. He face flushed slightly as a stray thought of Xiu crossed his mind.
(Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to go home to Xiu, and his warm arms and--!!)
It seemed Sakn’s natural awareness was also off-kilter today, and the young man with his soddy hair and soaking clothing didn't even see Yue until their bodies collided in a moment of pure shock for the redhead, who stiffened under the rough shove of a stranger. Tightening his muscles was all the young man could do to keep from shoving the cloaked figure back, or yelling rudely in return. And as the person slipped by, snapping so rudely as she(definitely she, with a voice...it was familiar, but not) passed, Sakn snarled silently, taking only a single, rare and shining moment, to think out his next move.
Of course, he was still just Sakngea, loud, obtrusive and hot-tempered, and no matter how hard he tried to stop his anger-to control- the part of him that hungered for fights and adrenaline and the rush of life wouldn’t be contained. Not completely at least, and his lips curled into a frown before he spat out in a barely constrained, less then whisper but not quiet room volume, voice, "I's you tha' sh'uld be watchin' where y'u're goin'."
The next logical move, if one wish to avoid a fight, would be to leave. Sakngea knew this, and was aware of the fact that he was neither leaving quickly, or even facing the right way now. In fact, he was staring at the witch’s back, his body language screaming ‘FIGHT ME’, his hair sticking to the sides of his cheeks, and waiting for her response. He could feel her voice, the strain and the frustration, and the fire that used to burn in his heart, the eagerness for a good clean fight (not blood, not death, but a true fight) burned hot now, ignoring the wicked chill of the wind and rain.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:46 am
Instinctively, Yue Lao reached up to her shoulder to unravel the meteor hammer from where she had it coiled, but as her fingers met the cord she realized why the voice sounded so familiar. Or was it...? The Lunarian standing before her hardly resembled her old friend, so perhaps she was mistaken. The accent seemed so similar. But he still wanted to fight... Yue exhaled heavily, left the meteor hammer coiled up around her shoulder. She didn't want to shed blood tonight. Still... She could use the cord to immobilize, if that became necessary. Yue Lao shrugged deeper into her coat and turned to face the Lunarian who had retorted at her. In the heat of the moment, she didn't realize how rude her initial warning had seemed; to her, she was just tired and sick of walking through the mud.
"My eyes work just fine," Yue said, frowning. She slicked her damp bangs back away from her face with her gloved hands, though her fingers were uncovered. She hated the feeling of her hands all closed in, so fingerless leather gloves were perfect for handling the tough cord of the meteor hammer. If that cord was to break, to send those spiked balls hurtling in any direction, her safety could be severely compromised.
She took a step towards the Lunarian and crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you doing out in this weather? You've gotta be up to no good," she said. Yue couldn't help the hint of a smile that snuck into her voice, but then the frown replaced it. It couldn't be Sakn. It was just a ghost of her own guilt, etched on this stranger's face. His muscles seemed taught, as though he was ready to fight. Yue's feet, in turn, shifted into a firm position. Her knees were slightly bent, and her face cold, hidden within the shadows of her hood.
Of course she'd end up in a fight, all because of Hime-san. As if that was anything new.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:55 am
Sakn gave a bark of laughter as the cloaked woman corrected him, informing him that her eyes were perfectly fine. Obviously, they weren’t if she couldn’t even see him walking in front of her. But he didn’t bother to respond, because when she lifted a hand to brush hair from her face, he swore he caught a glimpse of a face that was far to familiar.
His stomach twisted, and he opened his mouth, curious to find an answer to the question knowing burning inside him, “Yu--” he started, but already she was talking, and her words stopped his question, because it sounded like she was teasing him, accusing him and most of all questioning him like he was some damn child. The redhead’s frown deepened and he huffed, ignoring the water rolling down his cheeks, tickling his neck(he kept his arms crossed instead, because that’s just how he rolled).
“Oh yes, loads’a trouble,” he snarked, rolling his head, his neck cracking, “C’urse, I c’udda gone back t’being up t’no good, iffin y’hadn’t run right straight inta me,” he watched her now, as she moved, noting the way her legs shifted, her weight adjusting for an oncoming fight. The fire inside him burned hot now, and his frown became a rather snotty smirk as he shifted his own feet and raised his fists. There was a pause then, a moment when all he could hear was the patter of rain on rooftops and the bubbling of water rushing down the cobbled streets.
Then, “I’ll let ya hit me first, seein’ as y’u’re a girl ‘n’ all,” a twist at the corner of his smile, a drop of taunting in his voice, evidence that he craved a fight above all else, a release for all the pent up emotions filling him, the anger he had feared to unleash, “Or are y’too scared?”
Xiu would not be happy if he knew Sakn was out harassing random city folk in look of a fight, but Sakn figured what his friend didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right?
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:56 am
Before she started talking, it seemed as though Sa-- no, this stranger, not Sakn... seemed to be saying something. It sounded familiar, but that couldn't be it. Yue Lao locked up her disappointment and flattened her mood, until she was her usual over-confident, cocky self. It was hard to be pleased with the rain and the mud coating her, though. In fact, it had made her rather irritable, and while she may have just avoided conflict another day, today was not that time. Instead, she was all too eager to fight this stranger, whoever he was. If he was slinking around at night, ready to fight any stranger, better it be one that could defend herself.
Yue didn't find it offensive, the suggestion that she could hit him first since she was a girl. In fact, she laughed, a short and harsh sound. She had done this all before, proved that a woman was just as strong as a man. She had proven again and again that to underestimate her was dangerous. She would gladly do it again. Why not? It wasn't her weight that she fought with; her muscles weren't the bulk of a weightlifter and her frame wasn't the heavy house style of hefty men. She couldn't grapple, but she could lash out with blows that snapped bone. It was about the pressure, the speed, the momentum, the angle. Although she was a little rusty since she had been practicing so thoroughly with her meteor hammer, she still knew her old tricks. "I don't mind hitting you first," Yue replied, "Since you seem so eager to lose."
Yue secured her meteor hammer and instead of starting with that, she swaggered in towards the stranger and aimed a punch squarely for his gut. Nothing fancy or overpowered. She then snapped her hand forward and thrust her palm towards his windpipe; he would surely avoid at least one of those, protect his throat. It wouldn't do to get winded so fast. It was hard for Yue to understand, but it was true: All that training at the Academy had turned her into a capable fighter. A lot of the fear she had once felt was gone. it wasn't like that innocent girl who had been ambushed when walking with Jianyu. She still wasn't anywhere comparable to the Captain, but she had definitely grown up.
Sometimes that was lost on her, though. She still felt the same. She handled the meteor hammer differently, though; less like it was a snake about to bite her, more like it was an extension of her own arms. Regardless of how she felt, this fight was on, and she wasn’t going to let it go so easily.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:59 am
Sakn made a face when she mentioned him losing. He wouldn’t lose, he had learned many things, and this stranger didn’t know that. She sounded confident, assured of herself, and that attitude resonated within him, again reminding him of old memories. But the redhead shook himself of those thoughts, because they would only serve to distract him during this fight. No time to think of lost friends, not when the rain was half-blinding him and he was picking fights with strangers.
When she stepped in, her legs carrying her in a way that almost reminded him of a dance, the redhead knew he was in for a real fight. He had noticed the way the she had fingered and touched the cord wrapped around her, and knew she was a fighter as soon as he saw her body shift and move into position. All of these things would normally make someone insecure, but Sakn was hardened. He had learned from Yue, from Xiu, from so many others, that sometimes a battle was not won with pure power and strength alone. Sometimes it was won with intuitiveness, with slights and slides, with swiftness of feet and hand. He had been trained now, even if his teacher was less then acceptable in the end, and when the woman swung her fist out to his gut, the redhead hardened his abdomen, moving back with her punch to cause minimal damage (though the bite of her knuckles still burned his stomach). And when her hand shot up towards his windpipe, it was as if the world had come to a crawl. He could hear his breath in his ears, a deep sharp breath as he threw himself backward, bending at the knees and arching his back to duck the move. He could feel her hand skim his chin, forcing his head to tilt as he dodged her.
But there was a smile on his face as he moved, because how long it had been since he fought, since he himself fought, and the blood pumping through him now was his and he was alive, more alive then ever.
“My turn,” he said in excitement, though he knew there were no turns in fights, no me-you-me, just two people moving in a complicated and dangerous dance that changes on the flip of a coin. He brought himself back up, knees still bent as he swung his left fist wide, distracting her with an obvious punch, aiming for her ribs, before sending a sweeping kick at her right knee, hoping to get her down.
He had given up weapons, refused to use them since Hyun, refused to touch them, and instead he aimed to practice his grappling, his punches and kicks would defeat anyone, his ability to bring someone down and hold them would make him the winner, the best of the best. The rain was at it’s worst now, like someone was dumping buckets off the tops of roofs, and his braids felt heavy, slapping him in the back as he moved with agility he had gained from training, refined now. No longer a teen swinging over-powered punches, but a young man trying to calculate his moves and aim his hits for maximum effect.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:59 am
The face the stranger made was lost on Yue. She failed to glimpse it. He seemed like no matter how confident she may be, his own confidence didn't falter. Maybe the fight would be worthwhile. It was nice to fight without being angry, or really fearing for her life. Kind of like a release. Yue wasn't much of a dancer, but when it came to fighting, the motions made sense. It was in fighting that bodies became weapons, every movement a contribution to the art. Preserving energy in order to fight as long as possible, keeping from exhaustion, but using enough to wear your opponent out... Yue wasn't exactly good at balancing all this information yet. She was just not as clumsy as she used to be, and stronger after all the training the Academy had put her through.
Part of her stung. She remembered how much trouble being useless had caused her. Even when she was much stronger, she had still let Iseul die. Not let, but... well, he was dead. She had buried him, had to explain to his boyfriend what had happened. It wasn't just the death that had caused trouble, but the mourning afterwards. Watching the Lunarians that loved him fall apart with grief was painful, and not all of them got put back together in the end. She herself was doing alright; she was a fighter now, made for these kinds of things. The war would mean many died, and many were wounded. Her only aim was to lose as few as possible, and hopefully not let anyone break any of her limbs.
Yue was pleased to note that whoever he was, he knew to tense his stomach, he knew to avoid her palm thrust. He did all of this, and she was satisfied. Winding him this soon would have been unfortunate. Yue Lao marvelled at the strange way he did so, bending and arching to avoid it. It made sense, though, in the limited fighting space they had. It was only a back alley, after all.
Yue was still puzzled by his smile, though. Was it a game to him? Perhaps he was a little mad, and that would explain why he would pick a fight so readily and enjoy it. However it was true that she herself also loved to fight like this, so it made sense that someone else would too, didn't it?
Although she was focusing on his punch as he swept a kick towards her knees, that was Yue Lao's favourite move, so it didn't go unnoticed. She was best at sweeping an opponent's legs out from under them while they were distracted, and she'd done it to many a student. Except she didn't remember how tight the space was, and how muddy and slick the ground could be; as she avoided his kick and punch, she lost her footing and fell anyway, bracing herself for the fall. Silently she scolded herself, but it was not such a big deal-- Yue had learned how to fight from the ground, too. It paid to know what to do when someone did knock your feet out from under you. She made sure to always face the stranger, and shot an emphatic kick out towards his shins, waiting until she could find a handhold to push herself back up. The meteor hammer scraped against the ground.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:03 am
When her body tensed, responding almost preemptive to his sweep, Sakn scrunched his brows together, quickly trying to get out of her way in case the strange woman showed to be capable of some sort of special skill(he had learned that not all lunarians fought with weapons and fists), only to let slip a sharp bark of laughter as she slipped in the water that covered the little backstreet. It was nearly enough to keep him from fighting, watching her splutter and fall. But his moment of gaiety was ended by an abrupt kick to his shins.
Now, usually, he could keep his footing, stiffen his legs and hold out, but when the woman kicked him, his lightly wrapped feet slide backwards across the water-smoothed cobblestone, and he felt a moment of intense vertigo as he fell forward(along with a sharp throbbing pain just below his knees).
It would seem that both of them were incapable of keeping standing in the downpour. The redhead bit back a growl and a curse as his knees cracked on the stone beneath him, his attention going to the scrape of metal against the ground. Yet, when he squinted at his opponent in the rain, he could barely make out the pattern of his cloak, let alone find out where the scraping had come from.
Though the sound did alert him to a possible weapon, and he quickly moved to attempt pinning the stranger-hands going for her upper arms, legs scrabbling to hold hers down- figuring that if she had a weapon, she might be keen to use it if the time came. With the war going on around them, one could never be sure when a simple fistfight could turn ugly. Sakn would much prefer not getting stabbed or cut again any time soon. His gut still twinged with pain when he stretched the wrong way, an unpleasant reminder of his arc of violence.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:05 am
At least she wasn't the only one having trouble keeping her purchase on the slick ground; her swift kick to his shins had send him tumbling, and she was relieved she wouldn't have to keep fighting him at such a disadvantage. However, she was still on her back, and what he did next made her balk like a caged animal. Without really understanding why he had moved so quickly to try and pin her, she started to panic when he succeeded in pinning her legs down with his and her arms pinned back too. However, she emphatically pushed her pelvis up to unbalance him and hopefully throw him off, and in the mean time twisted her wrists to free them. Even if she couldn't get her legs back, she could get her hands, and that was half the fight for her.
She barely avoided throwing her elbow into the meteor hammer's pointed metal, which had nestled somewhere beside her into the cobblestones. Yue tried to avoid killing or maiming if she could... usually, she knocked unconscious. Without her monkey fist, it was harder to be so merciful, but the shift was necessary; with this meteor hammer, she could finish the fight if she needed.
Still, something about the way this stranger fought... it reminded her of the emphatic way in which Sakn had fought her in that ring, the way he just didn't seem to give up. Yue Lao felt a pang as she missed the way they had been, her good friend and her... He was just right for someone like Yue Lao, a valuable friendship she could count on. Especially knowing that Sakn felt for Xiu what he did; Yue would protect that quite happily.
Although her fingers grazed the meteor hammer, and she thought about picking it up, she couldn't bring herself to do it: he reminded her so much of Sakn. Still, she tried to roll on top so that it was her pinning him, her fist aiming for his jaw regardless.
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:07 am
Sakn was not prepared for some cityslick, let alone a woman, to know anything about wrestling, yet when he pinned her, she didn’t squirm pointlessly. No, she threw her weight, aimming to dislodge herself, and doing a very good job of it. The redhead held tight to his pin on her legs, but her hands slipped from his.
The next few moments passed in slow motion. The first was when he raised his hands as her arms moved, his first instinct to protect himself if she swung out. His face tensed, muscles readying for the hit. The next moment was the realization. Sakn had expected her to do what any average person would do; swing a hit at him, but that opening he had left her was over now, and as the world started to spin, the ground disappearing from view; traded instead with the rainy clouds above, Sakngea realized he had just been pinned himself.
Now, this would normally cause him much embarrassment, and his ego would have nothing to do with it, but for some reason, all the red head could do was think about how strange it was to fight this cloaked woman. Her moves were almost familiar, in a distant sort of way, and if they weren’t fighting at the moment, he was certain he could put his finger on who she reminded him of.
The last moment was the one where she was hovering over him, and in the light reflecting off the water that rolled past them (soaking into him as he lay in the mucky street), Sakn caught a glimpse of deep red, nearly purple in the dark. He wasn’t sure if it was her hair or a ribbon, but the color sparked a memory in his head, and he opened his mouth to voice a question, only to have an explosion of pain ricochet through his mind as the woman’s fist connected with his jaw.
He could feel a pulse in his face now, a separate heart beat in his bruising jaw, but the redhead was certain now of why this woman seemed so familiar. The frustration in her voice(he’d heard it before, especially around that monkey of hers), the way she moved when she fought, the confidence in her kicks and the spark of creativity and thoughtfulness of her blows, all so familiar and yet he hadn’t recognized it till now. How could he have not recognized it till now? The redhead squinted up at his opponent, trying to look at her face in the minimal light.
Yue had changed, he realized then, as he lay out in the rain. Physically, at least. She seemed more grown, more filled out. This surprised the redhead, who stared for a moment more before he spat out, “Y’gotta win every fight we have, dont’cha?”
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:08 am
She couldn't unpin herself, despite her attempts. But she had freed her wrists, and that was all it took. As she fought the stranger, she felt removed from herself. Probably because of how odd it felt, trying to understand that it wasn't Sakn she was fighting. It couldn't be. But surely he'd be proud of her, if he was here to see her fight? Yue Lao bit her lip as the struggled, though she managed to avoid piercing the skin. Her arm had grazed the meteor hammer as she flipped to pin the stranger, and the long gashes stung in the rain and mud. It was all she could do to bite the inside of her cheek and prevent herself from crying out.
It was stupid that she'd managed to wound herself on her own weapon, again. But part of her thought it was a good thing she had done so: now she fully understood what she was doing when she wielded that weapon. Not what it felt like to die, but what it felt like to have those spikes rake across skin. Now she knew. It hurt like hell.
She relished the satisfying connection as her strike hit the stranger, but as she raised her fist again she heard him speak. "It--" She started to protest that it couldn't be him, but then she realized: he was soaking wet, he looked tired and strained, he seemed to have been through a lot... but that dead look that had been in his eyes, the foreign glint, was gone. "Sakn. You're back." Yue relaxed her hand to pull her hood aside in the rain and get a better look at him.
A slow smile spread across her face, tainted by the pain in her arm. "Maybe you should stop picking fights with me, huh? You keep getting more skilled, though. Maybe if we keep fighting, you'll hand my a** to me one day." Yue grinned, but that made rain water and dirt run into her mouth, which she spat out into the street.
She realized she was still pinning Sakn, but she didn't move, her wiry limbs set. "Now if I get up, are you going to try to fight me again?"
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