The Salle, after Detention

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

After finally being released from Detention, Nefertiri went down to the salle to practice with her knives and staves. Perhaps the naked dancing boys are down there. They had to be somewhere, after all.

She stripped down to her loincloth and camisole, and began a series of passes with her knives, mask in place.

Comments

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

On anyone else, that look would be bitch, please. On Nefertiri, it was more a question of how ridiculous this person before her could be. "Certainly not. I am having a most normal day. Are you quite well? Did you drink poisoned beer?"

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"I haven't actually had a drink in . . ." Conner abruptly remembered that Mel owed him a drink, or something. "I'm fine! So about this disrobing thing . . ."

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

"Yes?" Nefertiri put down the knives, and picked up a stave, twirling it in front of her. "How else would one fight? Clothes are an impediment. I am skilled enough not to scar you, if that is your concern."

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

And off came the shirt. "I appreciate that," Conner said, going for a staff of his own. "I'd kind of like to stay in one piece, you know?"

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

"Of course. Unnecessary pain and ugliness is a deterrent." She nodded formally to him, standing at a ready position, then bringing down her mask to protect her face. "Do you require any other protection?" she asked, holding her staff ready.

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"Oh, nah, I'm good," Conner assured her as he adjusted his grip on his staff not dirty. Although really? He'd never sparred with anyone this scantily clad before, and that was probably going to be to his great disadvantage.

As if he was thinking about that now. If he were thinking properly and not in a ZOMG-nearly-naked-girl way, he'd have thought of taking certain athletic precautionary measures.

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

Nefertiri struck out with blinding-but-human-normal speed, aiming high for those very attractive shoulders, then spinning the staff for a stomach strike. "Hai!"

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

Seriously? Conner would never have guessed Evie was this good. But it was kind of hot. Okay, really hot. And if anything was Conner McKnight's weakness, this would be it.

"Ack!" Even with his super-speed letting him read everything in slow-motion, he'd been caught enough off guard to barely react in time to the stomach strike. He brought his staff through in an awkward blocking maneuver and tried to counter with . . . wow, okay, he seriously couldn't go on the offensive against her, because hormones and hi there.

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

Nefertiri spun and struck for his legs, then did a kick toward his arm, high and hoping to disarm him. His speed was impressive, but the moves were not. "You are out of practice," she chided him. "Attack!"

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

Adding to the hello-ancient-Egyptian-nurse factor blunting Conner's offensive ability was the fact that as far as he knew, Evie wasn't evil. And he didn't fight not-evil people. Especially hot not-evil people.

The kick connected, and his staff went flying away. Conner didn't really notice the stinging right away. "Do I have to?"

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

Nefertiri pushed up her mask and gave him a perplexed look. "No, you do not, but you said you wanted to practice. Did you have something else in mind?" The tilt to the eyebrow might have indicated she was open to suggestions.

But then, she just spent most of the day seducing and abandoning 'Seely.' Other distrations were welcome.

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

Conner's brain totally just went there, oh yes it did. But it also, annoyingly, flashed back to the whole thing with Ethan and the cursed Pharaoh's statue, and he really didn't have a hoverbike to spare at the moment so it would be a bad idea to get himself into that kind of fix and aaaaaaaaaaack.

"I was thinking some muffins sounded really good?"

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

Which was... not what Nefertiri was expecting. She blinked at him. "Muffins? To eat? I suppose...."

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

Brain. Breaking. Ow.

"Yeah," Conner spluttered. "I think I'll go do that . . . bye!"

And off he zipped, in a red blur.

[bookyeve.livejournal.com]

That was unexpected. Nefertiri was left blinking after him and frowning.

"...very disappointing."