Fight Your Friends [attn; Damien]

[Avyra]

Avyra

Avyra paced by the sands, eyes down. She had her shoes off, and she was out of her Novice dress for this fight. It would only hinder her ability to fight. So she wore her loose pants and a baggy shirt, both articles of clothing obscuring her thin form. She had left a note on Danos' door. Unfortunately, due to their now differing ranks, they hadn't been able to meet and catch up lately. Avyra had been busy with classes, too, and Danos was probably working on independent studies. But she had figured out that they both had off on this time, so she had decided to challenge him to a spar. Not in a formal way, no, not unless writing "FIGHT ME" in big, bold letters on a piece of paper and slipping it in the crack of a door with the time and date was considered formal now. She was apprehensive, a bit, about this spar. Last time they had met in a fighting setting, Danos had accidentally sent her to the infirmary with three cracked ribs. But she had gotten better at fighting, since she had been training with Terric, and she hoped that Danos might have gotten to know his own strength better to avoid an injury. Avyra, in truth, wanted some way to get something out. She was stressed; it was obvious in her face. There were bags under her eyes from nights of no sleep or nightmare infested slumbers, and she seemed fatigued, but still alert. Everything was finally getting to her. A Novice was dead. Mirin was a darkfriend. Seonin knew more darkfriends. Seonin was now a possible target if any of them knew. And Avyra knew, too. That made Avyra one too. And now a Novice was dead. And she had been told to stay out of it. That the "adults" would handle it. Sadly, it all seemed like a host of lies. As she paced, she found herself falling into the now familiar, dangerous gait that Terric used when walking. Well balanced, honed. That of a warrior. She wasn't doing bad in her learning on the sands. Maybe she could see what she knew today, and use this as more than just a way to let off some steam.

[Damien]

Danos

Danos walked through the hallways of the Warder quarters, he shook his head and grinned as several Drin'far'ji rushed into their rooms. No doubt worried I'm inspecting during my free time, he thought with a chuckle as he debated telling them it was fine.

Deciding that a little impromptu cleaning wouldn't hurt any of them, he kept walking and paused at a couple of doorways to see the general shape of the rooms. As he nodded his approval to relieved students, he realized the growing gulf between himself and the Drin ranks. It wasn't just a formality, or the fact he had arrived at the Grey Tower at an older age than many of the Drin, it was the aura of duty he was beginning to possess.

He fingered the note that had been left on his door, a simple note that stated Fight Me and a time in what he took to be a woman's writing. As he could only imagine one woman who would leave such a note, he had laughed and decided to free up the time from his usual quarterstaff practices with Garreth Gaidin.

And so he was soon striding upon the sands he had come to view as home, heading for the sparring circle when he noticed Avyra had arrived early.

Looking his friend over as he approached, the analyzing gaze becoming second nature he noticed both the dark bags under her eyes, and more noticeable the grace and energy in her stride. She seemed to carry herself with a much better balance, and he noted that her feet moved in what he would have called a fighters step in any Drin.

"Avyra, it's good to see you. It feels like a year since we spoke last, and you've clearly been busy," said Danos as he hopped the fence and joined Avyra in the sands.

[Avyra]

[box]Avyra looked over Danos; he still seemed to be getting bigger, if that was even possible, and she managed a smile. She hadn't seen him in ages to properly talk; their last conversation had been months ago, before his Ji rank. But she pushed that embarrassment aside.

"Hello, Ji Danos." She was, frankly, unsure if she should include his rank. They were friends, after all. "I haven't gotten the chance to properly congratulate you on your rank, yet. So, congratulations!" She seemed a little... distant. "Businesses in myself does not even cut it." She had been stressed beyond belief. "I need something to blow off steam, and I figured this was a good way. Besides, it is always good to see a friend."

There was something odd about the usually perky Novice. Her eyes had lost their playful mirth that usually hid, her step had lost that spring she usually carried. For the first time, the way she carried herself was smaller, shoulders down. Small, simple things, but something a friend would notice.

"Besides, I've been practicing with Terric, Ji Danos. And I'd like to see if I've improved any. Just promise not to break my ribs again."[/box]

[Damien]

Danos

Danos smiled when Avyra waved and came over to meet him, he was not surprised that the months since they had last talked had worked their changes on both of them. He smiled when she congratulated him on his rank increase, and although he found himself wanting to talk to her about it, he could see that she had something on her mind. A nervous energy seemed to fill her to his eyes, and he thought upon reflection that the custom of not speaking of one’s test was strong.

“No need for a title Avyra, we’re friends and this is free time after all. I suppose if we had an audience it would need to be more formal, especially after the last spar of mine you witnessed,” Danos said with a self conscious shrug of his shoulders as he remembered his tiny friend scolding both Terric and himself in front of an assemblage of Sisters and Drin’far’ji.

As Avyra spoke of busyness and being stressed enough she was hoping for a chance to spend some time with a friend and blow off steam, Danos noticed there was something odd about the usually perky Novice. Her eyes had lost their playful mirth that usually hid, her step had lost that spring she usually carried.

"Besides, I've been practicing with Terric, Ji Danos. And I'd like to see if I've improved any. Just promise not to break my ribs again,” she finished, her voice lost in thought with whatever was weighing on her mind.

“Terric you say, I wouldn’t have thought he had mixed much with the other ranks yet. The Aiel who come here in my experience seem to be a little aloof and separate. Of course that could be the rest of us watching for the veil,” Danos said with frank honesty, he had really enjoyed his spar with Terric and hoped to eventually find a chance to grow more of a rapport with the Aielman.

“I promise not to break anything, I’ve been set more control excercises than you can imagine since Terric and I got carried away that afternoon. At one time I even had to knock the caps off a milk bottle without spilling or breaking the glass, I can tell you that was a lesson that took some cleaning after,” said Danos as he recalled his conversation with the Gaidan who was in charge of their training after Master Darrow had departed. His teachers had been impressed by the power he had learned, and the warrior’s spirit, but they had told him he needed more control especially if he wished to continue teaching. I suppose if the Sister I bond with is here often, I will need something to do, he thought to himself, banishing the daydream of Elia Sedai that came with it. He had heard through the gossip of the Tower of her ascension to the Shawl, and often thought of her in his spare moments.

“As your friend Terric would say, I have Toh towards you as a teacher. I hope to help you see how much you’ve improved and repay that,” Danos said as he settled into the guard stance and allowed his body to center itself as he motioned for Avyra to prepare.

[Avyra]

Avyra could not help but smile a bit at the thought of him doing control exercises, as big as he was. It must have been an awkward series of training for him. "Well, I just hope you didn't break anything important. Glasses can be expensive, depending on the type and make." She was well aware of the dangers of challenging Danos to a fight, but most of her disregarded them without much thought. Danos wasn't going to hurt her; he might be able to toss her about with one arm but he wouldn't do that, even in a fight. She might be hopelessly tiny and weak, but she knew he would probably give her a chance to come out on top. “As your friend Terric would say, I have Toh towards you as a teacher," Danos continued. "I hope to help you see how much you’ve improved and repay that.” The corner of her lips twitched up in a smile, but her eyes still remained elsewhere in her thoughts. "You have no reason to apologize to me. There was no lasting harm. I wouldn't want to do that again because Light it hurt, but no harm was done." She fell into on of the stances Terric showed her, starting to circle, up on her toes as she faced him. She hesitated, then darted forward, closing the gap between them in a few swift steps before slamming into his stomach and leaping up, her shoulder connecting with his ribs. It hurt slamming into him at full force like that.

[Damien]

Danos

“Well let’s just say any purse I draw from the Grey Tower for the next little while is going to be light. Turns out those bottles are bloody expensive, come from some city by Gateway of all things,” Danos said with a chuckle.

Danos then watched as Avyra fell into a stance that must have been taught by Terric. While he didn’t recognize the exact stance, he could tell by the way she moved that it was one of good balance and clearly able to work with her excellent footing. As Avyra circled, Danos kept his arms in the guard position, circling to keep her directly in front of him, not wanting a repeat of when she had leapt on his back.

He resisted the urge to fall into the Void, while he knew it gave him a remarkable advantage in focus and the ability to shrug off blows, he worried that in the center of that icy calm he would fall upon instincts that had been well honed. And so he watched her hips, knowing that were they went her body would as well, and as such he was prepared when she darted in suddenly.

Avyra had been quick before in their spars, but that speed had clearly been honed and refined some in the tutelage of the Aiel drin’far’ji. He was also surprised when she did not strike, but instead left the ground in a flying shoulder blow that struck him in the upper chest. He was able to move backwards enough that while the blow connected with a punch of force, he was able to keep the move from knocking his breath out of him. As she descended, Danos continued his backwards motion to allow her to land and find her footing.

Once Avyra had herself centered on the sands, Danos darted forward his feet shuffling in near perfect timing as he kept himself balanced and used his hips to help pull some of the force back from his blow, he then punched forward with a quick right jab, his arm aiming for a spot to the right of her head, and then followed up with a sweeping strike from his left leg. He was curious to see how her defenses had improved, and the basic combination of strikes was one he had shown her in their first spar.

[Avyra]

He stepped back when her shoulder began to connect, most of the force from her blow going into the air rather than him. He let her settle back into her stance before performing an attack of his own, throwing a punch for her head. She barely managed to duck out of the way, the tips of his fingers brushing past her ear. That would have broken my skull! But her thoughts stopped short when her feet were knocked out from under her by a sweeping kick. She hit the sands with a thud, then huffed. She was not going to let him win! She pulled herself up, and once she was up she didn't pause. She sprang forward, an idea forming in her head. She grabbed onto his arm, attempting to get higher up before aiming a swift punch to his jaw. Avyra realized that she was in a bad spot; she could just be tossed off, but she figured that she should at least try to use his height against him a bit. She was fast, but now it was obvious that she had still not been trained in actual offensive fighting. Her blows were very erratic, untrained, and her punches lacked power due to her lack of size and strength. Terric might have trained her to be quick, but her skills were obviously not at sparring level quite yet. But she wasn't hesitating; she didn't look scared. In fact, it seemed to be helping her get her head back.

[Damien]

Danos

Danos paused when he felt his kick connect with her feet, and he saw her drop to the sands with a thud of impact. Still he noticed that not only did she catch herself well, but she bounced back up and pressed the attack immediately.

Danos was once again startled by her completely unique approach to the differences in their heights. While he didn't know how practical it would be in a fight, he saw as she dashed in, grabbed his arm and used it almost like a fence post to pull herself upwards for a strike across his jaw.

Caught by surprise, Danos took the hit across his jaw and was glad that she was still rather untrained when it came to a blow. The movement had been wild, she still seemed to aim at the target and not through it, but he could see her eyes bright and confident after she settled to the sands and they seperated once more.

In a fight Danos would have used an opponent losing their anchor to the ground to use his size and strength as advantage for a throw, but there was little to prove with Avyra. He had helped solidify his pride in his talents during the wilderness trial, he could take a punch or two to build up a friend.

After the two circled for a moment, Danos realized that Avyra still seemed weak with the leg portion of fighting. She was understandably concerned about taking a punch from him, with their difference in leverage and size.

So for the next advanced, Danos kept his hands in the guard position, and snapped his feet forward in a quick double step. At the end of the step, he swept his knee up and sideways for her waist.

[Avyra]

It hit! Dropping back to the sands, eyes glowing with satisfaction, Avyra turned to face her opponent. Luckily the blow hadn't hurt him; she hadn't been trying to inflict pain, and she couldn't help but feel her chest swell a bit with pride. It didn't last too long, though. Danos started to circle once more, Avyra following suit, watching him for any change in tactic. He seemed to be avoiding punching her, for the most part, going for her legs. That was odd to use on someone her size. Picking her up would be easier. He jumped forward suddenly, sweeping his leg towards her waist. There was no real time to dodge, so she took the hit, managing to stay on her feet as his foot hit her side. It was hard; and she almost fell over. The impact knocked the wind from her, and she paused, breathing heavily. Then she looked to Danos, walking forward, picking up speed as she went. She delivered a blow to his shins with her own small feet, then came around again to give him a blow to the knee. Her breathing had become raspy from effort; she still did not have much training in stamina and was beginning to tire. Her moves had grown a bit slower, with less force to them than before.

[Damien]

Danos

Danos felt his blow connected, Avyra taking the blow to the side of her body and lacking the strength to grab his leg to put him off balance, she lurched from the blow but kept her feet. He could make out the heavy breathing and the flush in her cheeks and the skin shown by her shirt, but she was doing well to have fought for so long. Long hours on the sands, sweating and exerting himself in various forms of combat had given Danos lungs like a blacksmith bellows, and he waited patiently for her to catch her breath before she pressed forward with another set of kicks.

Her first kick darted forward, the light kick striking his shin with far more pain than he would have imagined. There was little flesh or muscle between the bone and her attack there, a fact Danos noted for later. Perhaps greaves are in order to protect the legs, something to help cushion blows, he thought as her secondary kick connected with his knee. Between the two kicks he had been distracted and the blow to the knee knocked the joint enough that Danos used the movement to drop to one knee, rather than fighting the joint rigid. His arms snapped up into a higher guard than usual, but the expected punch never arrived.

Looking at Avyra as he stood quickly, he could see she was slowing and that her breath and stamina were flagging from the exertion. Knowing she probably had little reserves left, Danos decided to help her dig deep, fight past the shortness of breath and to show him if Terric had helped her work on breaking grapples.

Danos shuffled his feet forward, his left arm sending a quick feinting punch towards her chest, which would put his blow well within her guard stance, he then swept his right leg in a sweeping motion towards the outside of her feet, hoping to use his right arm and the foot sweep to force her into a grapple.