[1v1] Lesson in Humility (Shaheen & Yin)

[Seussi]

It had only been a couple of days since they'd gotten back, leaving Shaheen with a lot to think about and a lot of work to do. But she couldn't think. Not with the whispered voices that haunted and plagued her. She had thought that they were finally gone, that she had somehow, some way been cured. But somewhere along the way they had returned, as had the grey markings that streaked across one half of her face and her hair. Her eyes had changed back to their dark amber gold, and it had nearly been enough to throw her into the pit of despair. But she was a fighter. She reminded herself that she could not give up so easily, that she would find a way....

But not today. Today she just needed a distraction. She did not want to be around the other horsemen, however. Not Shik, not Lifen, not Senga or Jay or Zhi. She just needed to get away from them all, just for now, until she was in less of a bad mood over her current predicament. It took her some time to think of where she could go, however. She had only been to the school gym once before, and it had ended in a spar against one of the students. That had actually been rather nice. It would be a simple distraction, even if she could not find anybody to spar against her, because she could utilize the training equipment that the gymnasium had to offer. And if she could find someone? Well then, she would also be able to reap the benefits of putting a student in it's place, and she always felt better after winning a fight.

In the gym itself all was fairly quiet...except for some boy with antennae who seemed to be trying to kill the training dummy he was currently attacking. She stood back for a few moments, watching, arms crossing over her chest as she studied his movements and technique.

Yes, he would do.

She moved forward, clearing her throat as she approached to announce her presence. "Excuse me......child." She never knew what to call the students. "You might do better against an opponent that can actually move." She summoned her dagger, while offering him the same self assured smirk she used when speaking to nearly everyone.

"May I offer myself up as an opponent for you? Your fighting style is quite unique and I do enjoy learning new things." She also enjoyed winning.  

[ramenli]

Being in the gymnasium was nice. The gymnasium did not remind him of what he had lost, it gave him something to focus on. He was starting to settle into this routine, and he thought it was working better than his other attempts at becoming stronger. He felt like he had changed since coming to the school, and if he blocked Mot's mockery from his brain he could imagine it was true.

A female voice seemed to be addressing him and he turned seeing what was just slightly below eye-level as he started to lift his gaze.

The horsewoman that desperately needed a shirt. And to not call him a child, but he did not know what to tell her and it was seemingly hard to get his tongue to work.

He gave her a quick bow to give him a reason to really look away. "You are correct, an opponent would be more beneficial."

He wasted no time, attacking as soon as the last word left his lips, quick movements, fists aimed at where pressure points lurked beneath her skin, needing to strip away some of her Fear shield first. "As you might have guessed this style has an emphasis on speed."

HP: 50
Damage: 5  

[Seussi]

She should have been expecting the attack.

She had let her guard down, again, which was something that was occurring far too often with her. Another symptom of the voices that plagued her, it seemed. Unfocused, unprepared, more vulnerable. The swift attacks from the boy were actually surprisingly painful, and she moved back to get out of their range with a beat of her wings, lashing out a foot aimed towards his knee as she made her retreat and attempted to compose herself, to find a calm center.

The voices swelled in volume, still not making any sense, though almost as though they were trying to make it harder for her. She grit her teeth and scowled, frustration creasing her features.

"Indeed." Was her only reply.


HP: 35/40
FP: 1 using
Damage: 0 +2(fp) = 2 wooo  

[ramenli]

The blow was a light one, but to his knees which were still a bit sensitive. A light hiss escaped him before he was flapping his own wings, still a bit unsteady with them, at a slightly weird angle, not entirely straight but he was flying, keeping her in range.

It was odd trying to attack while somewhat in the air, and he struck out but he did not have the usual power behind the blow.

HP: 48
Damage: 3  

[Seussi]

She had seen his wings, but hadn't actually been sure he could fly with them until now. They appeared so fragile, unlike the wings of her clans mates that she was more accustomed to. Her respect for the student increased slightly at the revelation, though it became clear quite quickly that he was not yet used to them, with the way he flew and the clumsy attack that he dealt. So the aerial advantage might still remain her's, if she chose to utilize it. That was good to know. His attack still struck, however, and she knew that when it came to battle that every hit, big or small, could make all the difference.

Now, while he was slightly out of his comfort zone, was the ideal time to attack. Instead of flying back more, she pressed forward, wrapping her hand around the hilt of her dagger tight and throwing a punch, not attacking with the blade itself just yet but instead choosing to satisfy herself with the feel of her knuckles connecting solidly to its target.

HP: 33/40
FP: 0
Damage: 6  

[ramenli]

The blow was heavier than his, the weapon in her fist just making it connect better as he tried to concentrate on too many things at once. Her advantage was obvious and Yin swiped out with his claws, trying to pull back to create distance between them.

Of course, flying backwards? Not so much, so he had to settle for moving to the side, hoping to create a wide enough gap that he would be able to maneuver away if she started for him.

HP: 42
Damage: 3  

[Seussi]

The claws of his were deceptively long, long enough that she completely misjudged how far they could reach, resulting in a good swipe against her dagger wielding arm just as she was drawing back to slash out at him. Instead she was forced to fall back, a slight hiss from between her teeth at the pain, though she may have looked more like she was grinning now, a different look from the scowl she had plastered on her face earlier. He was a lot more skillful in a spar then she had expected, and the heat of battle thrilled through her veins as her heart began to race in excitement.

But she would not lose. Not to a student. That would be impossible.

Still as he began to move away, she expected him to go straight back, and threw her dagger, not anticipating that he would go sideways. If she'd known he'd done it because he had trouble going backwards, she would have scoffed. As it was she just thought that he was being incredibly clever.


HP: 30/40
FP: 0
Damage: 0  

[ramenli]

She was grinning, which in and of itself was slightly unnerving. But somehow through some stroke of luck she attacked as he moved and he missed having her blade bury itself into him.

But despite it becoming ever increasingly obvious to him that he was not meant to fight in air...he enjoyed the challenge. He moved forward, long fingers once again stretching out to bite into her flesh. He was beginning to feel like...maybe this battle was headed in his favor, which was odd. He knew the strength of the horsemen, and he knew his did not compare.

HP: 42
Damage: 3  

[Seussi]

As he flew back towards her, the war chieftain summoned her dagger back to her hand an met him head on, not bothering to dodge the strike of his claws but instead using it as a chance to drive the blade home, aiming this time for his shoulder. She could only hope that she was stronger then he and could come out dealing more damage.

So far she was actually rather impressed with how well he was doing against her, and she pulled the blade back even as she herself attempted to get out of range of his claws once more.


HP:27
FP: 0
Damage: 5  

[ramenli]

It was a trick he well knew, and that she would use it, taking the blow as it came to turn it into a stronger attack on him, he felt a small thrill at the battle itself. It was nice like this, fighting someone who knew what they were doing, with years and year of experience. Maybe he should focus on horsemen, learning from them, training to defeat them...Alexander had trusted them, and while he did not...perhaps one or two of them would acknowledge his missing presence.

For now he pressed on, trying to be relentless, raking out with his claws again and again as his body tried to find the balance he needed with his wings to fly seamlessly.

HP: 37
Damage: 4  

[Seussi]

This was just what Shaheen needed, and she was glad that she had thought of it now. Though...she had to admit to herself that she hadn't expected it to be nearly so challenging. This boy's clumsy attempts to combine flying with his fighting techniques should have been more then manageable for the horsewoman, though she found herself almost struggling to keep up with him, not nearly as focused as she should have been.

With the newest raking of claws against her skin she had to fight to keep her face blank, to not show the pain from each swipe that landed. She beat her wings hard to send herself back from him, then let herself settle back down to the floor.

"You are new to flying." It was a statement, not a question, and while she knew she should stay in the air and continue to press the advantage that she had over him, she for some reason decided she wanted to continue with their spar on the ground.

Maybe she was just tired of inwardly cringing at his floundering around in the air. Yes, that was definitely the reason she was so distracted. It had nothing at all to do with the voices slithering and whispering through her mind.

HP: 23
FP: 0
Damage: 0  

[ramenli]

He winced at her words, knowing his skills were...painfully lacking. But as she had said, he was new at it. "Indeed ma'am, they developed less than 2 months ago."

Why she was settling onto the ground was beyond him, but he was grateful for it. His aching wings were grateful for it two, and he landed a bit awkwardly, trying to keep his balance. While he still looked out of sorts he moved forward to attack, a fist flying at her rather obviously displayed abdomen.

HP: 37
Damage: 4  

[Seussi]

While her abs might not have been as muscled and firm as some horsemen, they still absorbed the blow with only a soft grunt and a slight hitch forward in her posture. Apparently this boy could land a decent punch.

"It takes time. Just keep practicing." A woman of many words, apparently.

The voices chose that exact moment to raise in volume, again. She winced visibly, her eyes unfocused before she closed them, lashing out with her dagger clumsily, even as she took a small step backwards, willing them to be silent.

HP: 19
FP: 0
Damage: 0  

[ramenli]

She seemed off her game, or maybe it was just a faint. Yin did not want to fight her if the former, could not risk being easy if the later.

Taking care of the horsewoman took precedence, and he moved forward quickly, closing the gap, claws lashing out to dig into her roughly. For now he would just have to show her how he fought on his own two legs.

HP: 37
Damage: 7  

[Seussi]

He did not let up on her, didn't stop just because she clearly was having some issues, and she did not blame him for that. The feeling of claws as they stabbed into her flesh was not a welcome one, the pain blossoming in her stomach, the blood beginning to flow from open wounds. But it was enough. Enough to bring her mind back into focus, to drown out the voices so that when her eyes opened, it was to instinctively bring a fist around towards the side of the students head, her dagger now de-summoned, for the moment.

Son of a brood mare, that had hurt!

HP: 12/40
FP: 0
Damage: 3