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That? Felt ******** good. Giving for what he was getting.

Red limned grin that ate his face as he watched her features morph into something that meant she was taking him seriously. Really taking him in. Flicker fast how her smile dropped and gaze focused like a cameras lens; that little dilation of pupil, being close enough to watch it happen in slow motion.

It was always nice being seen. Being 'felt'. To have confirmation of his existence in ways that involved bleeding because that made the existing mean something. Some Nietzsche bullshit about embracing struggle and strife to make life worth it.

Like his fight with the Knight, except it was infinitely better. She was infinitely better, because she had teeth she was unafraid to use. She appreciated living enough to fight for it, to kick his a** for so much as hinting at being a threat to something so precious.

He knew it, as she twisted snake quick beneath him. He let the writhe break his grip before her kick broke his ribs. Grunted for the fresh twinge of pain he felt there as it landed center mass.

Vicious little deer.

All the desperate power he felt in it as he hit the rocks and dirt; sprawled and clutched at himself briefly for the sting of that. The mess of boot-prints and bruises he'd end up being the morning after it all would be a story to tell.

His blurred gaze tracked her bright pastel form scrabbling over earth - hissed his magics words like a summons - "Binding Retribution!" - a guttered, pained noise; that had the painted shadows leaping from his form. Inky trails that seemed to crawl down off his leg - off his ankle - sought to tether the other Senshi's ankle to his own like a silk toothed snare.

'Oh ********' A singular surprised thought as her magic glowed into formation in her hands. Of course her manifestation would be a hunters bow and arrow. The antlers made so much more sense now; tracked with his initial perceptions of her, not as a deer, not prey, but a huntress.

As the arrow fired, his eyes tracked the glow. Like watching fireworks bloom into the sky, dumbly entranced by the arc - flinched initially - mistaking the goal of her aim. Confused that she'd target herself of all things when he was laying right there, easy pickings for her ire.

Fast-fast-fast - and Albite cussed aloud as she was on him. He felt clumsy and slow in comparison. Stunned by how she'd gone from being sprawled there; clawing away from him, to hyper focused and moving faster then he could blink. She didn't need a damn weapon when she threw elbows like a piledriver. <********> a gasped whine for that the feel of something giving, an echoing *snap* accompanied blinding, radiating pain; that stole his breath and had him fighting back like a b***h. Kicking out and scrabbling to rip at her antler adorned hair. The magic fizzled as quickly as it'd formed, dissolved with the shock of it all. As if he'd only now realized that snaring her in close to him had any true consequences.

Where his thoughts had before been to *keep* - keep her there - keep her fighting.

Now he fought for space.

He would've admired it. How still, poised, and focused she was. Would take the time later to smile at the pain filtered memory of the encounter as a whole. Marvel over how absolutely fantastic she was. All controlled power and terrifying calm bearing down on him like an ocean. All the things he aspired to be, someday.

In the moment though?

He was all animal panic and scrabble. Wild eyed as he snarled in the face of her focused serenity. Frantic as he sipped breaths of air over the twinge of cracked bone and choked on the pain that bled through like fire. Too little oxygen, and his vision fuzzed for it.

Everything blurry at the edges, except her words were distantly clear. Like a bell chiming off - a little lightbulb of 'oh' - for how very right she was. How she'd given him chance after chance to <******** right off', and he'd solemnly refused every offer, petulant and childish; like it was a game.

For him maybe, but not for her.

The new pain behind her fist colliding with his flesh blinded him, and for a terrifying moment, Albite saw only blackness. Kicked out like a mule at her under the flare of fear because he felt like he was drowning. Curled over himself and wheezed; clutched around his weakness while digging at the earth in a writhe.

Errantly Albite grabbed a handful it. Clawed up mulched dirt, and pebbles - tossed it at his best approximation of where her face would be. Anything to get her off.

"Quit - it!" a petulant snap of teeth and growl. He shoved himself away from her flailing arm as he felt it connect again, and cursed her for making him have to, because moving was the opposite of fun in that moment.

"Ow - oh just - Ow." hissed and hitched and Albite snarled the words into the dirt, rubbed his face in it and didn't care for the mess because 'ow'. All thoughts, that word, that utterance. Single reverberating thing that consumed his very being - everything was pain - and he was just glad he could see. Fear abated as he blinked and saw stars, sparks, cute little floaties and the wash of her pastels in his vision that would've been amusing if it were any other situation than this.

"You're good - you win!" concession of a wounded ego and spike of pride for being wounded by her - that she wouldn't let the ******** up. How he wished he had that sort of determination. Maybe if she'd been trying to kill him....wait....was she trying to kill him?

Oh, ********, was she actually, really, going to try to kill him?! A blip of a concern, that made him flinch a little further away, take space in inches dragged out through the dirt. <******** - oww." and he wanted to laugh for the thought, all the ways the pain radiated, and how his eyes watered for every new little breath he took. Except nope, because he'd need air to manage that, and air was on short supply at the moment.

<********> - words spat into the dirt in a quiet gasp of relief, and he uncoiled slightly from where he lay panting in the soil. Rolled his head to stare at her - curiosity, amazement, and pain. All sorts of pain.

"Thank you....mercifully violent deer girl....I gottit.." he wheezed and would've told her anything, true, though all those things he would've told her would've fallen along the lines of whatever he believed in. How to explain to her that he was too dumb to pull off elaborate lies while writhing in the dirt, even to save his own skin? He almost wanted to ask what she would've made him promise; just to say the exact opposite and be a nuisance.

"Chose violence - get beat." A message received loud and clear, and he liked her wording of it, being bound to his own fate by his choices. Poetic s**t. Man how he wanted, so badly, to be on her level. To be good enough for that, and not the white lace and lilac fabreez scented trimmings good - but the 'kick your a** with focus unwavering' kind of good. Wanted to know what'd done it for her, that she was so well put together.

His grin seemed more like a wince, and even winded, wounded, and dying, he would've had things to say. He imagined his dying breaths would've been a dying diatribe instead, a monologue of things; if ever it came down to it. "Holy ******** bow 'n arrow thing was cool tho..." had to breathlessly compliment her for it, because it'd been so unexpectedly beautiful.

"Be safe..don' get hit by a car..." he was just gonna stay there, sprawl on his back until he figured out how to stand again; because, <******** it all, he knew full well there wasn't a damned thing to be done for broken ribs except to tough it out. He'd go to a hospital later...maybe...just to see how bad the fracture was..or how many..or a full break? Would not poke at it, or make sudden movements, or do anything other than 'lay', maybe even with his eyes closed, just for a second. Easy thing to do, he was great on his back...