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 Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 4:56 pm
((You don't happen to have a picture of this Tiger Claw stance, do you? I'm having a difficult time visualizing))
"You want me to attack?" Owle asked incredulously. His hints weren't quite that subtle. I dunno, going forward into a knee didn't seem like such a good idea...
She wished those crystals weren't anywhere nearby. It would be so much easier to figure out what she could do as a cat if she could turn into one and then ask him to try it.
Lessee...if she was a cat, and someone was coming at her like this...
Get the hell out of there, and strike. Then run like hell.
She decided to scratch the running like hell part, since it wasn't likely to do any good in an arena fight.
She sprung sideways, to the right and a little forwards...or she tried to. She landed off balance, wobbly, too clumsy to strike at the same time. For now.
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:08 pm
// Not the particular stance, but a deviation of it. // "Use one hand after such a leap to keep balance, using the other to strike and be sure not to jump towards the side with the incoming leg."
Jumping to the right and forwards could have brought her straight into Jack's leg had he snapped his left forward. It likely would have caught her mid leap to, making her go sprawling through the air. In which case, a fighter could advance and take advantage of.
Jack instead had planted his left foot, rotating counter clockwise and bringing his right foot forward. This woud cause him to turn and follow Owle's movements.
All the while, his left hand would come back up and his knees would still be bent slightly more so as he bounced on the balls of his feet he could drop a hand to her level before she could reach.
"Be careful when striking though, you don't want your oppenant bashing your knuckles or that could run a paw. So to speak."
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:23 pm
((Coolness. I'm just going to warn you though...Owle's a weak physical combatant under most circumstances, and I like her that way. You might be able to train her from "abyssmal" to "mediocre", but I don't ever see her becoming "average" or even "good." Cause then I'd have to get rid of some of her other powers, and basically redesign the character. And that's not what I want.
And gah I need to stop this directional confusion. Why did I think you were striking with the right?))
"Um..."
She stared uncertainly for a moment, started bringing one hand forward, then stopped.
"How am I supposed to strike?"
The sweatdrop was almost visible. Owle was being hopeless and she knew it. She just didn't see what in the world she was supposed to do with her hands held like this...fists you bash people with, and claws you scratch people with, but she didn't have either at the moment.
It seemed sort of like a weird hybrid of both, maybe like a hand pretending to have claws, and it just wasn't working for Owle. She simply couldn't figure out how she could do any real damage like that.
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:30 pm
// Directional confusion is the main error of novice melee fighters.
But meh. I am not trying to redesign your character. Jack is just giving her the tool to survive if her magic and weapons are taken away. A good or average fighter can do counters, parries, backflips, yadda yadda. This is all how to get away and do a little damage. Perhaps enough to get her abilities back or whatever.
With the HoH looking down on heavy power use, it's gonna come in handy as well. //
Jack looked at her and blinked. He'd shown her before, but maybe she forgot.
"Like a tiger. Or a cat. You know how just before a cat reaches out and scratches, they are wound up."
He flattened his left palm out and brought it forward, going into that bent knuckled and rolling wrist claw.
A quick clockwise rotation of his hips while bringing his left hand forward and then down, making a quick thrust and withdraw like claws raking pray would occur. It was done so fast, that against flesh, it would leave four distinct scratch marks. If done across the chest, there was a good chance it would rip right through a shirt.
"Ya understand?"
Jack dropped his left hand back into a loose fist, and looked down to her with a curious brow raised.
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:41 pm
"Ha ha, look at the kungfu class we have going on over here." Gamma said, in a voice that seemed slightly more coherent than previous, adding a slap against Gammu's chest with his right hand.
Still a little too drunk to regard the eight inch knife laying on the table next to the dumped-over salt and pepper shakers. Must've given up on trying to play five finger fillet with his brother's hand.
All the talking in the room reached his ears. The inhibriated brain chose what to comprehend. Namely the lesson taking place, something about magic, and above all; HoH.
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:55 pm
((I know you're not. ^^ I just don't want you to feel disappointed when Owle stays not so good at doing stuff even after all this. It's just the way she is, the way I like her, not because you're not doing a good job teaching.
None of the powers Owle is willing to use can be called "heavy." The forms she can shift into aren't at all useful in combat, and the only other power I can see her using is more or less the equivalent of having a well-concealed weapon. Of course, once she's forced to use either power, she's probably lost already. *shrugs* I got nothing flashy, nothing powerful that would tip the odds in my favor. And that's what makes this fun.
The truth is...under most circumstances, Owle loses in one on one fights, even when she has the full use of her powers. xd Spar her when she has the full use of her abilities sometime, and you'll see what I'm talking about.))
Not at all.
Owle didn't say it out loud, though, cause she didn't want to insult him.
Instead, she tentatively put out her hand, imitating his motion slowly. "Like this?"
She still wasn't convinced it would do much good though. Probably put more strain on her nails than it was worth.
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:03 pm
// I could learn a lot from you.// Jack, if he were an anime character, had no nose, and was completely yellow.... would have a face like this.
sweatdrop
"No... no, like I did. Fast, use your whole body. Like a cat Owle... like a cat, come on. I know you can do it."
The marine couldn't believe this kid was signing up for a tournament.
"If you do it slowly, it's gonna mess up your nails. You gotta do it fast, and like a swipe. So that way not much pressure is put on them."
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:16 pm
((Likewise. ^^ ))
Owle did a lot of things that probably weren't conducive to her health. Going into what was sorta kinda hell not least among them.
Yet she was still here, and this tournament, too, she would survive.
Owle did as she was told, taking a swipe at his bare arm experimentally, raking her nails across his flesh. She did it quickly, but she used only her arm, not putting her whole body behind it.
She would be surprised as all hell to see scratch marks get left behind. And instantly start apologizing for hurting him.
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:19 pm
Jack began hopping around, clutching the arm that she scratched since he was really not ready for it.
"I didn't mean do it on me, I just was showing you how to do it in an actual fight... OWWW!"
The ex-marine was hopping around like a little girl, obviously surprised by the stinging sensation against his arm. Jack had only fought one person that used the Tiger Claw and he broke the guy's hands before any real damage could be done on him.
If she'd used her whole body, there'd be blood dripping.
Instead, just a lot of stinging and a surprised Jack Handy. The sand moved about his feet and the poor guy looked at Owle in disbelief while clutching his arm.
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:24 pm
Owle's eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. She hadn't thought that would actually...
"Sorrysorrysorry!" she said quickly. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think that would...I mean...I'm sorry!"
She ducked her head in shame, still mumbling apologies. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me..."
She tried to think of what to do to make him more comfortable, but there wasn't any blood, so...she wasn't really sure what to do. Maybe ice would help?
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:30 pm
Jack Handy was an ex-marine, not a kindergartner. He was just a little shocked, going from a feeling of sympathy for the girl to suddenly having his arm scratched up. He shook out the arm, grunted and rose his hands in loose fists.
"Eh... it's alright. I'll be fine, but try to refrain from doing any actual damage till we're sparring."
Jack was about to give up on the whole sparring thing, the nineteen year old only had so much patience after all and he'd never taught a day in his life before. He was exasperated.
"I don't want to hurt you kid.... and I don't want you getting hurt in some tournament you aren't ready for."
With a shrug of Jack's shoulders, he plopped down into the sand with his palms supporting his weight at his sides.
"I'm no good at this teaching thing."
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:41 pm
"I'm sorry..." Owle mumbled again, starting to feel a little like a broken record. She couldn't really say she hadn't expected to do any harm when he told her she would...even if it was the truth.
Kid?
An eyebrow raised at that one. Even though she looked about a year younger than he did, Owle had been around for a while. She didn't consider herself a child, not anymore.
"I'm hard to hurt," she said, letting it slide. She was more concerned with making him like her again...she knew she'd disappointed him.
She plopped down in the sand beside him, and indicated the large brown scales covering her shoulders. "Knock on these, just feel how hard they are. I can make my whole body look that way, only I can't move while doing it."
To be more precise, she could become a ball covered in those scales, about 1 and a half feet in diameter. Not so useful, really, considering she was blind and immobile, but it made her tough to damage. Jack would find the scales hard enough to resist an old-fashioned rifle bullet...if it were fired from 100 meters away.
"Worse comes to worse, I'll hole up like that and surrender. And you're way better at teaching than I am at learning...I'm just slow, is all."
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:55 pm
Jack blinked and knocked on those scales.
"Eh... hmm..."
The reason he called her kid, was the same reason any military person called another kid. It was the term they used when a person seemed less experienced in combat, kinda made those with more experience feel responsible for them in a way. As though the inexperienced fighter was a kid.
"Watch."
Jack stood up and walked over to pick up some half crab shell, it was huge. About the size of Jack's chest. It obviously belonged to some steryotypical Gaian monster crab.
He went over and held it before her.
"About the same toughness."
Jack would wait for her to test it, and then walk a few feet back towards the water. As a meta-human, his strength adjusted to whatever it was he was fighting. He tossed it into the air, falling into that boxing stance she'd seen earlier.
The left came in with a jab, making a resounding thud and ringing noise as his strength was previously at the level of the typical Gaian soldier. It increased through his genetics as soon as it hit, DNA reacting to the tension and strength of the plate and immediately reacting to incresing Jack's strength.
Before the crab plate could hit the ground, Jack's right came in a hook. The crab shell went flying, a huge fist imprint in the middle of it, obviously denting it and showing another probably would have gone through it.
Jack turned back to her.
"I still worry about you. That was just my fist, imagine someone with a weapon that can peirce armor. A rifle round only exerts a small amount of pressure, a knife can extert something like ten times that."
Blue eyes typically hard and unmoving, showing compassion for the new friend.
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 7:08 pm
Owle sat still, like a good little girl, and watched, her eyes widening at the display. "Oh."
She cringed a bit as she imagined that, then shook her head. "Well...I'll just have to do my best, then."
She stood up, a little shaken, and tried to make light of things. "I mean, if all else fails, I can give them the kitty eyes. No one can resist the kitty eyes."
Yeah. She doubted hardened fighters would even notice the kitty eyes.
"But, hey, you wanted a spar, right? All this teaching's got to be tedious for you, especially since I'm no good..."
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 7:16 pm
"I'd not be too sure about that Owle."
Jack looked at her with a tilted head.
"I had wanted a spar, but no offense... I don't think we're on the same level. I just couldn't bring myself to really spar with you without fear of hurting you. Even when I watch in the stands, I'll be cringing when you go up."
It was probably an over-reaction. But one must understand. Jack never fought with any more powers then being able to fight melee with everything. The talk of shape-shifting and such made no sense to him. When one fought with him typically, they'd not be able to do such things because his anti-magic.
So, Jack went to his stuff and began pulling on his boots.
"We can do that first draw blood spar if you want, I'd go with my gloves and boots while you use those knives."
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