Gym, Noon

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip taped a note onto the gym door.

Highly-trained mercenary seeks sparring partner for a quick spar. Human strength greatly preferred but not necessary.

He nodded at his note and went about hitting the bag, hoping someone would come in.

Comments

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

"Well, I stretched," Pip said. "If you're okay with me having an okay advantage..."

[nadiathesaint]

"Hmm. What kind of rules do we want?" As she asked, Nadia started gently and subtly loosening up. "Anything out of bounds? Total improvisation? Straight forward sparring?"

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

"Gloves," Pip said "Aaand... how about just normal straight forward sparring?"

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia rather thought that was boring, but shrugged and nodded. She had given him the choice, after all. She went to grab a pair of gloves and pulled off her boots. "Alright, then. Any areas you're specifically looking to work on?"

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip pulled on the gloves. "It feels like I haven't gotten a chance to fight in a while. I want to make sure I'm still in shape."

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia nodded. "Understood. When you're ready, then." She was well aware that he had far more training than she did.

On the other hand, her awareness of that would let her improvise. She settled onto the balls of her feet and adopted a loose stance.

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip started with a quick front snap kick and Nadia's shins.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia danced to the side a few inches to dodge, then aimed a quick right hook with her foot towards his standing leg, intending to sweep it out from under him.

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip suddenly lifted his other leg up and kicked forward at Nadia in a jump front kick.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia twisted, the kick brushing against her side, and grabbed for his leg to pull him further forward into a throw.

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip had no way of avoiding the grab. He tried to throw his weight forward and bring Nadia down with him. No way to tell if it would work or not.

[nadiathesaint]

She shuffled her feet for a moment as she was forced to take some of his momentum, but then planted them and bent her upper body instead, to transfer that momentum back to him, then let go and jumped back.

"Aikido. When you're small and not that strong, it's probably the best defense. That and staff weapons were my focus."

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip slid across the ground and thrust forward with his full speed, going for a quick jab to her solar plexus.

"Think you could teach someone?"

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia wasn't quite able to dodge in time and ended up folded over for a moment, gasping.

Her wind wasn't quite as gone as it would be if Pip had hit exactly the mark he wanted though, and she used what she did have to power a return jab to his kidneys.

"I . . . could . . . try,"

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip blocked the jab as best he could, deflecting along his side, still hitting him, but in a mostly ignorable "This won't hurt until after" way.

He went for a quick jab to Nadia's head with his gloved fist.

[nadiathesaint]

Nadia twisted and grabbed for his wrist for another aikido throw.

[cyclopeanmerc.livejournal.com]

Pip was slightly more on the ball this time and tried to break the the throw as his grandfather had taught him, moving to negate the momentum.

[nadiathesaint]

There's a certain zen aspect to aikido, which is supposed to allow the person using it to flow like the water and move with whatever motion was going on.

Nadia hadn't quite perfected that yet. She let go of Pip's wrist and moved to circle around behind him instead.