[1 v 1] Impromptu Spar? (Petro vs Siddie)

[Huni Pi]

After his first spar in the gymnasium, Petro was looking forward to a second round. He wasn't looking to fight anyone in particular and if he ended up needing to fight even training dummies, well, he'll just have to suck it up and deal, won't he? Hopefully he'll run into someone also looking for a sparring partner. He had to get better before he could hope to challenge a certain dual-toned Valkyrie to a rematch. The tikbalang stepped into the arena, rolling his shoulders and lightly limbering up, deciding to go ahead and spar with training dummies if no one arrived by the time he was ready to begin.  

[prolixity]

Siddie really wasn't sure who she should ask to help her train. She wasn't particularly good at fighting, she knew that, and she wanted to get better. Ordinarily, she would have asked Sammy, and maybe Sammy would have been pleased that Siddie was taking the initiative and working to get stronger, but ... she'd screwed that up, and she had nobody to blame but herself, and she wasn't about to ask anyone from Fitness Club, for the same reason. So she had finally just stopped fussing over it and just come to the gym. There had to be someone here who she could ask for a spar.

The crowbar that had served her well on that disastrous school trip had long ago been left behind, but she wasn't skilled in any other kind of weapon, and her unarmed fighting mostly amounted to ineffective slapping and ankle-kicking. Fortunately, there'd been a nice, sturdy femur in the parts shop at the nearby strip-maul, and inexpensive even. So when she peeked shyly into the gym, she had already armed herself.

The big semi-equine boil who seemed to be warming up in the arena was kind of intimidating, but Siddie didn't really see anyone else around, and anyway, what good was learning to fight if she didn't challenge herself? She took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders proudly, and made her way into the arena. "Hello?" she called, and was proud that her voice wasn't shaking. "Are you looking for someone to spar with?"  

[Huni Pi]

Petro was almost done with his warm-ups when he heard a voice call out to him. He turned to the source and found a ghoul carrying a weapon and asking him if he was looking for a sparring partner. He gave her a big, warm smile, glad that someone was around to ask him. Beating on a dummy just didn't have the same amount of fun than in actually going up against another student. "Yeah! Y' got great timing! 'M Petro, y' can call me Tro." he introduced, half-trotting up to her, his loincloth swaying from the movement as he reached out to offer a hand.  

[prolixity]

Siddie managed not to blush as she noted the boil's rather ... skimpy ... clothing. It was a good thing that her eyes weren't really visible against the dark of her face, she thought, and just smiled warmly at Petro. "Hi," she said, and clasped his hand briefly. "I'm Obsidian, but please call me Siddie."

She wasn't quite sure what to do to start a sparring session; she was determined to learn, but she hadn't actually fought at the gym before. "How should we start this?" she asked, tilting her head and looking up at Tro. He seemed to know what he was doing, and she was embarrassed to admit that she didn't.  

[Huni Pi]

Brown eyes blinked before the tikbalang grinned at the shadowy ghoul, "'S easy," he began, smoothly stepping back into an open stance. "Y' take a swing at me, I react accordingly and then 's y'r turn." No, really, was that all there was to sparring? It seemed simple enough to Tro. Maybe Siddie was talking about specific techniques? Tro wasn't particular, just only on the fact that he was never comfortable with making the first strike against a ghoul. "Or did y' mean whether we hold back or not?" he suddenly clarified. While he wouldn't normally hold back in spars, he'd learned some individuals didn't appreciate it when he went all-out.  

[prolixity]

"No, please don't hold back," Siddie said, and held her head up proudly. "In a serious fight, nobody will be holding back. I'm just not very experienced," she admitted. She eyed his stance and did her best to imitate it. It sounded like he was giving her the first hit - well, she'd take that. She firmed her grip on the bone she held, then darted in to take a swing at the boil.

And completely missed, almost overbalancing. Her cheeks went purple against the darkness of her skin. How embarrassing.

HP: 30/30
Damage: -  

[Huni Pi]

Petro knew very well that even in spars, some battled with the intent to win at all costs. Siddie's intentions was certainly admirable, especially given how she's admitted she wasn't very experienced. "Won't do you the dishonor'v holding back, then."

As he leaned away from the strike, he used the ghoul's momentum to further knock her off balance with a heel-kick to the back of her knee. "If y' miss the first time, y' just come back and keep swinging," he encouraged.

HP: 40/40
Damage: 4  

[prolixity]

"Eep!" Siddie stumbled as her knee folded under her, her arms automatically flying out to catch herself, though she remembered to keep her grip on her makeshift club. This, however, resulted in skinned knuckles when her hand skidded across the floor. She gritted her teeth and bounced back up as quickly as she could. Petro was being nice to her, really - he'd shown her the mistake she'd made in her reckless rush, and was giving her good advice.

"Okay," she answered, and ducked in under the reach of his long arms, bringing her bone around to whack him. She'd actually hit him! She could do this!

HP: 26/30
Damage: 3  

[Huni Pi]

The tikbalang grinned in approval at Siddie's use of his own strengths against him. By the time he could maneuver his limbs to block, the bone compensated for the ghoul's shorter arms and struck against his side. With a grunt, he noted she was still overreaching, "Good strike, but y' don't need to aim too high. Sometimes aiming low'll do the trick right." And to prove his point, he moved along the curve of the femur's strike, while one bare leg swept across the ground attempting to knock her off her feet again.

HP: 37/40
Damage: 4  

[prolixity]

Siddie fell again, not quite able to regain her footing before she was too far off balance; this time, though, she kicked out with one foot as she scrambled back up, aiming likewise for his ankle. The heel of her boot scraped across his hoof. That probably hadn't done much, but she was trying. She nodded earnestly in agreement, saving her breath for the exertion of the fight. Some people might think that her choice of heeled boots for a spar was a mistake, but she was more accustomed to moving in them than in flats; the shoes didn't seem to cause her any trouble.

HP: 22/30
Damage: 1  

[Huni Pi]

The tikbalang nodded when he felt Siddie's heel connect with his hoof, "Yeah, like that! If y' find y'r attack ain't working out right, try not to leave y'rself open for too long," he suggested. "Y' can fall back to regroup or y' can follow up with another strike." His fist suddenly shot out, aimed at her face. The power behind the blow was more to gauge her reflexes and less to actually hurt her.

HP: 36/40
Damage: 5

((ooc: I have no clueeee on the advice Tro's giving. PRETEND IT MAKES SENSE? ;A; ))  

[prolixity]

Siddie's reaction was just a little too slow; she squeaked and stumbled backwards, hand to her mouth. Had her lip split? Yes, she could taste blood. Still, when she lowered her hand again, she smiled bravely at Petro. "I see," she answered, backing up a little and watching him carefully. "I have to pay attention to myself and you at the same time."

Now that they had been sparring a little while, she felt looser, maybe a little lighter. More relaxed? She rolled her wrist, the bone she was using as a weapon making a circle in the air. Maybe if she wasn't so tense when she attacked him next, it would work better.

HP: 17/30
Damage:

((Hey, it seems to make sense to me! o3o ))  

[Huni Pi]

The tikbalang nodded, "Yeah. Doubt those Hunter-bastards'll give any'v us time to catch our breath." Brown eyes seemed to darken at this but he shook his head before charging at Siddie. His shoulders were angled to ram into the ghoul, but his speed wasn't too fast. She would have time to avoid it. "What say y' try to use y'r FEAR?" he suggested as he barreled towards the ghoul.

HP: 36/40
Damage: 4  

[prolixity]

'You're right." Siddie's mouth set in a firm line. She hadn't seen the Hunters herself, but she believed Sammy's account without reservation.

Her FEAR. She'd almost forgotten. "I'll try - " and she reached into herself to summon the Voices, directing them to hiss and whisper around Petro to distract and disorient. But before she could release the energy properly, Petro's shoulder was knocking her back again. The Voices rose briefly out of the shadows all around, but dissipated in a momentary whispering rush.

She caught her breath and hopped back. "I guess I should have done that after," she said ruefully.

HP: 13/30
Damage: -
FEAR: Whispering Shadows (The Mind) - miss  

[Huni Pi]

Siddie may not have successfully cast her FEAR but it had lingering effects on the tikbalang. Just enough that the follow up attack did little more than graze the ghoul. "Shame y'r FEAR didn't hit. 'M imagining it'd make this spar a little more on the even side," he grinned wryly.

HP: 36/40
Damage: 1