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 Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 12:04 pm
Lailah rose, standing over her demon comrade with an expression, not of disappointment, because honestly, she hadn't been expecting much; but something like weary resignation. This was exactly the problem. She hadn't even been trying hard.
Kayta's tone may have earned pity from their peers, but from Lailah, she'd receive only scorn in response. With a sneer, she glared down at the demon. "Why? Because you obviously aren't taking this seriously! You're lucky it's just me here. What if you'd been ambushed by some heretic out here? You could have been killed and no one would have ever known what happened." She leaned over the fallen demon, her eyes seeming to flash with the fervor in her voice.
Then, she paused, taking a deep breath and seeming to calm somewhat. "Look, you're little and haven't got the power that some have, I get that. But you're quick and you gotta' use that. I've seen it, I know it's there," she argued. If the kid didn't have potential, she wouldn't be bothering with her at all. She'd just let her get herself killed and be done with it. But, if they were going to have to work together and ever be expected to depend on each other in the future, then she wanted to know that the ones she had to work with were capable.
Even if that meant taking matters into her own hands.
"Only thing I can figure is that you hesitate," she quipped. "You can't do that. You gotta' react when something's coming for you. You may not always have time to think. The only way to do that is to practice until it becomes second nature." She paused, seeming to think of something that might be easier to relate to. "You know what? It's kinda' like Diveball. If you're not a hitter, then you're a diver. If you don't have the strength, then you make up for it with speed and agility. If you can avoid being hit, then there's less worry about if you can TAKE a hit, got it? Now, get up. We're not starting with you already on the ground." She kicked the other's foot lightly, only a prompt for her to move. "I ain't got all day, so let's do this."
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Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 5:46 pm
Katya's cheeks puffed out slightly as she bit back a retort. Lailah, as always, was right- if a sufficiently powerful heretic or group of them had come for her, yes, she would not stand a chance. That was, however, a very big 'if', as they were miles from the Heretics' homes, and technically not in open conflict. When out in public, Katya refused to identify herself as a warrior- a devout servant of the Guardians, certainly, but she never openly acted as though she was preparing for a war. If the Guardians truly willed it, then she would fight. Even in that case though, she wouldn't behave like some sort of warmongering beast. Knights were ambassadors as well, after all.
Lailah, on the other hand...
If there was one thing Katya found more vexing about her comrade than her ability to terrify and intimidate her, it was her perpetual intensity. The angel seemed to see every shadow as a potential hiding place, every corner a potential ambush. Every moment not thinking about a way to overcome an enemy as a moment when an enemy was taking the opportunity to train themselves to overcome them. Sometimes Katya wondered what spurred her comrade on more, love for the Guardians and their creation or hatred for the Heretics. Was she just waiting, hoping for the chance to spill heretic blood? The demon felt in her heart there had to be more to their lives than that.
Katya picked herself off the ground, golden eyes fixed on Lailah's, but she was watching for any sudden movements in her peripheral vision. "Lailah, I suck at that game." Diveball? That game where pae with overly broad shoulders slammed into each other in midair? She wouldn't have survived the first half of any match. "And I don't have to fight you, not right now." She was clearly flustered, and bent to pick up her things before she intended to fly back to the City.
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Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:40 am
Groaning and rolling her eyes, Lailah gave in to exasperation. "Seriously? You suck at that too? For your size and speed..." the angel grumbled, rubbing her forehead. Was the demon truly so hopeless? She sincerely prayed she wasn't, else this would all be a waste of time and effort. Lailah hated waste. But if this 'hopeless' trainee was going to be a future comrade in arms that she'd have to depend on, well...she had a lot of work to do.
And apparently, an unwilling student on top of that.
Thinking quickly as the other turned to go, also more than a bit peeved by the 'I don't have to fight you' comment, Lailah dived for the fallen weapon. Her hand closed around the slender bow and she rolled, landing in a crouch with the weapon in hand with a grin. "Don't you? Come on then if you think so...come and get it."
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Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:57 pm
For a moment, Katya wasn't quite sure what had happened to her bow, as her hand closed around empty air where it had just been. Had Lailah just... Yes, of course she had. If the angel had done it to anyone else, she might have been impressed. Now, she was somewhat annoyed, and more than a little nervous. Without even looking at the angel that had rolled past her, Katya spoke clearly. "Give it back, Lailah." She did her best to sound assertive, before looking her comrade in the eye. "Please, this is getting ridiculous." She turned to face Lailah directly, her heart just about ready to burst out of her chest.
That bow wasn't really hers- it was just another one out of the armoury that she had been using. Unlike the other squires who seemed to have their own weapons, Katya had been borrowing hers from the castle stores. It might have been enough that she didn't want to get in trouble for losing one of Master Hania's weapons, but in truth, she had begun to take a particular liking to that one bow. It was tensioned just right, balanced perfectly, but most importantly, the way the wind flowed around it while in flight just felt... Right.
She needed that bow back.
The little demon cautiously approached her angel comrade, knowing in extreme detail just how overmatched she was, knowing what the outcome was likely to be. And it didn't matter. She wasn't sure if it was resignation or desperation, but it certainly didn't feel like bravado. Katya didn't want to do this with the taller angel- she liked her limbs arranged the way they were, thankyouverymuch.
"Fine, I'll play your game." She said, just managing to hide the uncertainty in her voice. She lunged forward, right arm outstretched for the bow, her form fully overextended to the point it looked like she would throw herself off balance.
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:51 pm
Perhaps Katya had misinterpreted Lailah's intentions with her weapon. She had no idea it was borrowed, that she was concerned about it's condition, or any of that. Her intention was just to play 'keep away' with the weapon to goad the little one into trying to take it back. Whatever it took to make her fight.
Course, Lailah would never harm a weapon. That would be true sacrilege.
Teammates, however? Well, all in the name of making them better...
"That's it! Let's play a game!" Lailah crowed, already feeling victorious just by getting Katya to come after her. She grinned, eyes alight with excitement now that action was the game. "Your move!" She was a gracious player, she'd let the other have first move...
...strange move. She raised an eyebrow, shifting her stance so that the hand with the bow remained furthest from Katya. She'd turned, aligning her stance with Katya's, face-to-face with the bow held out and back a bit behind her. Her free hand reached out for the demon's outstretched arm, aiming to grab hold and pull the smaller female in close. Her strengths were clearly at distance fighting. Lailah's were at close range.
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 3:33 pm
Katya's heart was pounding long before the first moves had been played. Guardians' Light, was she really about to do this? Lailah would wipe the dirt with her. She knew it would happen, and yet there she was, arm outstretched, off balance, overextended, pushing her luck, baiting another trip to the infirmary.
Baiting her opponent.
She was the weakest hand-to-hand fighter in the group. Everyone knew it, especially Master Hania and Lailah, whose familiarity with the glaring weaknesses in her technique were frequently proven in painful clarity. This reputation was exactly what Katya was counting on. She didn't have the speed, strength, resilience, reach or technique of her opponent, all of which drove her chance of winning close to zero.
She also didn't have the respect of her opponent in ground combat, and that, she decided, might actually work in her favour. Anyone else amongst the squires would have seen the extended arm as a feint; too obvious, too easy- they were all better than to try something like that. Weak, little Katya, on the other hand?
She staked everything on that lack of respect. The instant she saw Lailah's hand move towards her arm, she suddenly folded her wings in, an act that served a number of purposes; by pulling her wings in close, it brought more of her mass closer to her centre of gravity, making it easier to move quickly. It also pushed against the air, gaining purchase on something that beings without wings would not be able to make use of. Her forward movement halted completely, and her hand shot back out of Lailah's reach, while her legs found a wide stance under her that brought her back into balance. The final purpose of the maneuver was that her left wingtip hid her left hand from the angel's sight; a left hand that was now drawn back and clenched in a fist.
Lailah had been correct in her assumption that Katya was better at distance fighting and not brawling so much. But when either situation was likely to lead to defeat, the red demon knew it was time to get a little bit crazy. Pulling her right arm back had twisted her left side towards her angel opponent, inside of where her reaching arm was, and well out of danger from the other hand that was grasping the bow. As the demon pulled her wing out of the way she used it to try to block Lailah's free hand from drawing in for defence, hopefully allowing for a clear line for her fist to reach her opponent's head. There was less than a foot between Katya's shoulder and Lailah's chest at this point; very close indeed, but not so close as to impede the shorter girl's uppercut, aimed squarely at the angel's chin.
Her body twisted as she threw herself into the punch. Katya was putting all her meagre strength behind it. If this 'sparring match' drew out, she would lose for sure.
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 7:14 pm
Lailah's eyes widened just a fraction as Katya not only evaded her grasp, but pulled away from her reach. It was too late to avoid the strike from the other direction.
Well, she hadn't seen that coming.
The other's fist connected solidly with her jaw, Lailah's head snapping up and to the left from the force. She was driven back a couple steps, staggered...but remained on her feet. Reaching up reflexively, she rubbed her jaw, working it slowly, experimentally. "...ow." She gave her head a shake, then turned a glare on Katya that turned into a slow grin. "...are we done warming up then? Let's do this."
Alright, so the kid got a lucky shot. She wouldn't be getting any more of those. Lailah was sure of that. She tucked her own wings tightly against her back before darting forward. The angel drew back her right fist, as if about to throw a punch...but threw a feint, quickly shifting her weight to her back leg and launching a snap kick forward with her closest foot. It wasn't a strike meant for power, but for speed, to break through the defenses by surprise to land a hit, rather than having to force its way through a block first.
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 8:45 pm
The smack from her fist hitting Lailah's jaw sent a shockwave down the bones of her arm. Katya had never hit anyone that hard, and her hand stung from the impact. Regaining her balance and bouncing back, the demon felt a surge of exhilaration at having succeeded- perhaps for the first time- in landing a hit on Lailah.
That exhilaration died as quickly as it came, when she saw Lailah recover from her stun, work her jaw, and grin in her direction. That was it? That was all her punch had done? Lailah wasn't even the physically toughest of the squires- and that punch had carried everything she had behind it. Katya backed up uncertainly as the angel opposite her casually remarked about 'warm-up' being over. If only she had followed through with more hits, while her opponent was stunned, perhaps she might have been able to take the bow and fly off, but she was both so certain of the solidness of the hit, and so reluctant to actually become fully involved in the fight that she had simply stepped back and let her chance at success slip away. She just didn't have the stomach to fight her comrade.
Although Katya's hands went back up to her face, the kick that came was lightning fast- as Lailah's kicks always were. It landed solidly across her midsection, staggering her back even though it was more of speed kick than a power kick. A little higher and the little demon might have been nursing a couple of broken ribs- was that mercy? Or was it just part of the angel's tactics? Katya knew she wouldn't have the time to think about it- a followup attack was likely on its way, the same sort of followup that she herself had failed to execute just moments before. Keeping her posture despite the new soreness on the side of her belly, Katya made her best attempt at backing up while keeping herself protected. She knew she needed to get in close to contend with Lailah's greater reach, but right now the angel was sure to be expecting it, and Katya needed another opening before she felt like she could just charge in. She went fully defensive and kept her guard in close to prevent grabs on her hands and wrists, and prayed that her opponent might make another uncharacteristic mistake.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 8:30 am
The fight was on, and even if it wasn't a proper challenge, the excitement of combat had Lailah's blood heated, her eyes glittering eagerly. She had to remind herself that this wasn't class...she wasn't trying to defeat her opponent as quickly or stylishly as possible. She wasn't trying to impress Master Hania. She was actually trying to teach someone something.
It was a strange new concept.
However, it was not in Lailah's nature to hold back. Turned out it was kinda' hard.
"Come on, block!" she goaded, seeing the other take only a light tap as far as she was concerned and stumbling. She bounced lightly on her toes, shifting her weight subtly from one foot to the other and back again. "Watch my stance, look for the weight shift, then block!" With that, she whirled, throwing a roundhouse kick with her right leg, this kick less a feint than the previous, but stronger and aimed higher for the other's shoulder.
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:26 am
Although still slightly staggered from Lailah's opening kick, Katya saw the second one coming, a powerful strike aimed high. She didn't need to hear Lailah's words; the instruction was the same as she'd received in class. Were she a little sturdier she might have blocked and stood her ground or even closed in a little, but with the size and weight difference it simply wasn't an option. The little demon bounced back as best she could while off balance, throwing both her arms up to ward off the kick coming at her shoulder. The way she angled her forearms, and the backwards movement combined allowed her to take the hit without too much pain, but now she was even more staggered than before, her feet dancing under her to try and regain balance before the next strike. Katya felt like she needed to attack, but her block and attempted dodge backwards carried her even farther out of her own reach than she was before. For a moment Katya considered taking wing and abandoning her footing on the ground entirely, maybe even flying away, her bow and practice target be damned.
She didn't, though. Her hand stung, her midsection throbbed, and now her forearms smarted from the hits. She was not staying because she enjoyed it. She was staying because a tiny, irrational part of her mind clung to that feeling of her fist connecting with Lailah's chin.
And it wanted to do that again.
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 9:49 am
The roundhouse kick had landed, but not with the original force intended. Well, a block and deflection was improvement at least, even if all the demon was doing was flailing and scrambling backwards at the moment. Adopting a cocky grin, Lailah crowed, "That's all ya' got? Come on, stop running! Hit me!"
Admittedly, she'd not expected the little one to land a hit on her earlier at all. Just when she thought Katya might be a hopeless case...she did something to surprise her. It hadn't been that bad a hit either...she'd just held back afterwards and not followed through; her first real mistake. The potential was there...if she could just tap into it and channel it correctly. Maybe that meant making her mad so that she'd take this seriously.
Worth a shot at least.
Lailah wasn't typically a vocal fighter. It felt odd to be continuously tossing taunts and instructions at an opponent...but if it meant that at some point in the future, it made a difference and this little Squire proved herself a capable ally, well...it'd be worth the effort.
Time to get in close again.
Dropping the bow on the ground behind her so that Katya would still have to get through her to get it, but freeing her hands up for fighting, Lailah pursued the fleeing demon with a smirk. "Come on! Can't stay completely on the defensive! Look for an opening and strike! Use that speed! Hit me! You know you want to," she taunted, rushing Katya and throwing a quick jab-cross combo.
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 2:38 pm
As if to confirm exactly what she was thinking, her opponent seemed to be trying to goad her into an attack. But with the two kicks that had just come, Katya was well out of her own range and quite unable to retaliate, not without dangerously unbalancing herself at any rate. Still, she wasn't winded or dazed in any way, just continually staggered and on the defensive.
When Lailah suddenly switched to a couple of flashing punches, however, that distance closed significantly. Odd; the taller angel had been controlling the fight with her kicks, keeping it calculated and decidedly in her favour. The change in tactics did catch Katya off guard- the jab came in so quickly that it slipped past her guard and she barely had time to move her head, catching a glancing blow on her cheekbone- but the damage done was minimal, and after successfully deflecting the cross, they were once more toe-to-toe, in close range combat. That wasn't to say that the wiry demon was better at it, but at least she could fight back.
Katya suspected a trap. She was close enough to place a kick of her own, and could probably connect easily with the angel's legs or midsection on either side. The obvious choice, and possibly the wrong one. She feinted a kick with her right leg at Lailah's knee, but instead swayed left, not attacking at all but closing the distance even more, trying to stay inside those deadly kicks. Without waiting for an opening, she began to throw hooks at her opponent's sides, keeping an eye out for the angel's quick hands- they could strike, block or grab and immobilize her without much warning.
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 5:51 pm
It was an interesting reversal. The little one was the quiet one, not wasting breath on talking, and Lailah, by comparison, seemed to be running off at the mouth. Heh. Was she going easy on her? Or just luring her in with false confidence?
"That's it! Dodge and strike back! Use that speed!" she laughed, adrenaline pulsing, and well aware this wasn't a truly dangerous fight, she was actually starting to...Guardians help her...enjoy herself. A kick coming for her knee...a strike at a weak point, good, but there wasn't much force behind it...ah, a feint. Noting the subtle weight shift, Lailah turned to follow. They were well within each other's reach now, arms raised defensively, ready to shift to offensive at the first sign of an opening.
In came the first hook, Lailah moving swiftly to block with her arm. Her shoulder dropped slightly, her arm still bent and elbow near her hip. She could block most of her exposed side this way, but it left her front open. The first blow was glancing, nearly got through, the next few hitting her arms on either side...but her front was wide open.
As was Katya's.
They were very close now, Lailah lifted her head, a single strand of hair had escaped her bun and was hanging in her face. Her gold eyes met those of her comrade's, so similar...and yet not. Hers flashed with triumph as she raised her arms, taking a couple of hook shots to the ribs as she opened up her defense. At the same time, she grabbed hold of Katya's shoulders firmly, bringing her knee up solidly into the other's exposed midsection.
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 10:08 pm
The shorter demon didn't even see the knee coming, as she was in mid-hook when it happened. Katya's eyes snapped wide open, losing focus and watering profusely, while her jaw hung slack, even though the only sound out of it was a long, pained grunt as the wind was forced out of her. The girl's belly was caved inwards, and her punching arm's strength disappeared in mid-swing, her right hand flopping uselessly against Lailah's hip. There it remained as Katya's knees buckled, and her lungs tried to suck in some air, only managing a weak, gasping wheeze with the way her diaphragm was convulsing. Her left arm wrapped itself around her midsection, and she rocked forward, leaning through her other hand on Lailah's waist, making pitiful retching noises as she knelt before the angel.
Her eyes were teared up from the pain and the inability to breathe, but while she might have played the pity card with some, Katya knew that seeing tears would only serve to earn her opponent's contempt. The fight was over; of that there was no doubt, but she needed to be able to leave the impression in the angel's mind that this would have to be a satisfactory end for now. She gritted her teeth, blinked back the tears and removed her hand from Lailah's waist, trying to stand, but settling for managing to get on one knee and looking up at her opponent. "You've proven your point..." She wheezed, pain radiating from her gut. "I yield." She winced. "Again."
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid, was what went through Katya's mind. She should have just left the damn bow and flown away. She was no match for the angel, never was, never would be, and she was a fool for thinking this encounter would be any different.
Damn, why can't I get up?
Lailah had never hit her that hard before. Not in training, not even to impress Master Hania. What was up with that? She looked down at the grass and coughed weakly. "Have you taken to hating me more than usual today, Lailah?" A hint of bitterness crept into her voice, as she privately wondered what she had done for the Guardians to deem this punishment necessary. "You've never hurt me like that before."
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 7:48 am
Lailah had dropped back into a defensive stance, even as Katya wilted like a cut flower. Could still be a feint. No? No, she was down. Relaxing only slightly, the angel lowered her hands and slumped a bit, bent over with hands on her knees catching her breath. Ow. A slight twinge beneath her left arm. She took a moment to lift the arm and glance at the ribs underneath. At least one of Katya's hooks had resulted in her knuckles striking between two ribs. Was that going to bruise? Possibly.
She glanced back to the demon kneeling before her, a ghost of a grin playing on her face. 'Course she'd proven her point. She was right, even if she'd had to drill that into the other's head the hard way. Still, perhaps the most recent point could use a little elaboration. "You realize what happened there, right? Avoiding being hit is ideal, sure. But, sometimes you have to take a risk, opening yourself up to sacrifice a couple hits in order to make the killing blow. Ya' got it?"
When the other was silent except for her attempts to recover, Lailah took stock of her own state again. Looking her ribs over, she frowned, figuring if nothing else, maybe she could keep the bruising from getting too obvious. She held one hand over the affected sore ribs, muttering a soft prayer with eyes closed until a golden light shone from beneath her hand. The ache started to lessen, so she stopped. Good enough.
Besides, she'd been distracted from her attempt by the feeble cough and the words that followed. Frowning, she stared down at Katya before crouching, perched on her toes with wings shifting to aid her balance, and leaning down to attempt to peer under the other's hair at her face. "Whatever gave you the impression that I hated you?"
She narrowed her eyes dangerously with a somewhat creepy grin. "If I hated you, I wouldn't hold back. If I REALLY hated you...there'd be knives involved." Perhaps even more disturbing, she laughed as she leaned back again. Settling on the ground for the moment, she figured she could catch her breath as well. "'Course, I wouldn't be wasting my time here at all if I really hated you, you know. I'd just sit back and watch, let you get yourself killed instead. Save me the trouble." She shrugged, leaning back on her hands, as if she'd just said the most ordinary thing in the world.
"To be quite honest, I didn't actually expect you would manage to hit me," she admitted. "And then you opened with that jaw shot...ha! Well, it was pretty hard to hold back so much, so I figured at that point you could handle a bit more. Course, I still had to hold back some...wasn't trying to destroy you," she said airily. She was cocky, but she had the skills to back it up. Turning a grin on the demon, she added, "You actually started fighting back there. You pushed me to amp up my game as well. You earned that hit; you should be proud. I didn't think I'd get you mad enough to really fight me on my first attempt..." she mused to herself. She'd figured, honestly, the little demon would just run if pushed far enough.
Noting that Katya was still doubled over on the ground, she looked her over appraisingly. "Hmm...don't suppose you're gonna' be up for round two though any time soon?" she asked with an air of disappointment. That had actually been...somewhat fun.
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