Flashback [Flashback] A Konti, a Human and an Akalak (Imass, Naeya)

[Revy Hiroe]

Timestamp: 60th Fall 501 AV Guys, guys, guys... They surrounded her everywhere. The girl couldn't really handle it. She's never wanted the attention from them. She hadn't realized yet why this was and the way she was living right now, she wouldn't discover that any time soon either. She wondered herself why she actually came to Riverfall in the first place, before remembering that it was because of Isa. She knew a really unique fighting style, fast-paced and lethal. For a change Revy didn't wear her armor, but her normal clothes. Today she just wanted to sightsee around the city. She had been doing nothing but train since the day she arrived in Riverfall. Those days of training did do her well, as her arms weren't as thin as they used to be. Thanks to that, more Akalaks turned their heads to look at her, much to her annoyance. Yet even though it apparently made her more attractive, she hadn't skipped her morning practice. One-hundred swings each morning and evening with a wooden sword with the same shape and weight of a Katana. They tired her, but gave a satisfactory feeling after completing them. ”Maybe I should go for a drink. Haven't really gotten smashed since arriving here.”, she thought to herself. In fact it was so that she had been too tired to really drink much at all. The way she had filled her days was by going to training the moment the sun rose and continue until the sky turned red, only taking a break when Isa ordered her to. She did notice that lately she was taking much less breaks, perhaps her stamina was improving? But anyway, today was a free day. Even though training was a lot of fun and she was improving, she still didn't want to spend all of her days training. A day of relaxing was allowed right? She was sure that Isa wouldn't mind, or well... that's what she hoped. If only she knew what was going to happen today. Then she would've wished that she didn't take a day off.

[Naeya]

"Oh goddess, I'm so sorry!" Naeya winced as she just barely kept herself from colliding with the girl in black. Clumsy! Too clumsy. She rubbed her tired eyes with scaled hands, all too aware of the sleep she'd missed during the past few days. The emerging insomnia was catching up to her. She knew she had only one more night, maybe two, before her mother realized and coerced her into taking an herbal sleeping brew. Then, the nightmares would come. Again. As her eyes refocused, Naeya registered banal details of the girl in front of her: young, tall, human, purple-haired. The last point made her pause, and she briefly wracked her brain in an attempt to remember if humans were ever naturally born with plum-coloured hair. Had she been more awake, Naeya would have asked the question aloud. Instead, she let it slide from her mind and offered the girl a kind, apologetic smile. The konti was already close to being late for greeting Imass at the city gates; she couldn't spare much time on idle and no doubt slow-witted (on her part) conversation. "Again, I'm very sorry. Enjoy your day, love." Without allowing room for response, Naeya tightened her crimson cloak around her shoulders and swept off. The girl was not given a second thought. Riverfall's main gates were located on the top tier of the city, and lead out onto a lane that connected with the Kabrin Road. It was at that intersection where Naeya had promised to meet Imass. She hadn't seen him in days, and was looking forward to the comfort that came from old friendships like theirs. He would understand; he always did. Despite having grown up in the city, approaching Riverfall's imposing towers and walls never failed to make her feel small and insignificant. They loomed above her as a symbol of Akalak power and strength - a fact which Jorik Vitral was constantly reminding his family - and hinted at a timeless quality which no other city could match. In theory, at least. Naeya had never actually visited another city, and so the comparison existed only in her imagination. Green eyes turned upward as her gaze roamed the walls. The familiar stoic faces of pacing Akalak guards brought about a strange mixture of apprehension and peace, and she tugged anxiously on her loose hair as she struggled to reconcile her emotions. Avalis knows I'm a wreck. I need to start sleeping again. Just as she was about to leave through the city gates, Naeya couldn't help but turn back momentarily. She'd thought she'd felt a pair of eyes on her, but was unable to identify precisely where the scrutiny was coming from. After a half-chime of searching and several pointed looks from passing travellers, she shrugged in uncertainty and continued on her way. The guards let her through without comment, and she did her best to shake off the uncomfortable nagging feeling that remained.

[Imass]

Longswords clashed in a clearing directly North of the Kabrin road. Those traveling in and out the city gates would see a dozen or so young Akalak gathered in a disorganized circle showing off their competition for all to see. Large, sweaty, multi-colored men battled endlessly with each other for training and sport. Although the blades where dulled, their intention were real. Massive amounts of weight was being transferred behind each cut as the Akalak's fervently launched out of their stances.

The clangor of flat and edges kissing was music to the average Warrior, but today was a symphony for Imass. He was out to show off some of his new techniques today, plus he had invited Naeya in on the fun as well. He knew the Konti Seer wasn't much of a warrior, but she needed to be tough to live in Riverfall surrounded by godly Akalak-at-arms.

Naeya arrived to the scene shortly after the duel started so there was still time to convince her to join, "Naeya!" Imass beckoned to his Konti friend. He wished to immerse her in his own hobbies. Perhaps she wouldn't enjoy fighting, but it was also the perfect opportunity to show off his skills to her,

Hugging the jewel crafter and looking down int her eyes, Imass began his plea immediately, "You should fight today Naeya!"

The swords continued to sing in a gritty tenor sound as Imass tried to convince Naeya, "Don't be afraid of a duel, it's our tradition here... I know it's embarrassing.... Yes, I know... Naeya, look over there! It is the perfect opponent, it's that purples haired woman, fight her!"

Not only did the Akalak take great pride in their own combat prowess, but it was also important that everyone puts in their own work to defend their honor and duty; it was important the females where strong and good fighters as well. Imass pushed Naeya.

"Do it for me Naeya," Imass said as he looked wide-eyed at the purple haired human female. The sounds of beating weapons continued.

[Revy Hiroe]

The run-in with the Konti came as a surprise to the human. At first she couldn't think of anything, she was just stunned by the beauty of her. Unconsciously it made her also a little jealous. Revy never really rated her own looks high. In fact, she just down-right hated them. On more then one occasion, her mature body got her the wrong kind of attention. The human had to drink with that girl, mainly because Revy just had to vent her anger she built up from being surrounded by all those guys. As the girl darted off again, she followed. Not for a moment did the human mercenary lose sight of that Konti, those looks just stood out as a sore thumb here in Riverfall. When the girl suddenly turned around, the human was glad that she was mostly hidden by the other people. Something just nagged at her conscience. Seeing Naeya greet Imass set something off in the mercenary. Why was that gorgeous girl talking to a blue brute? This was why she quickly started to approach the pair. Hopefully the girl would join Revy for a few glasses of alcohol. She started drinking recently and she took a liking to it as she got really good rests from the intoxicating effect. Hearing what the blue giant was saying, Revy just couldn't stay silent. That girl fight, was he nuts? "Oi, don't force... Oi, are you..... Embarrassing? Ey.... Perfect opponent? Ey you petching blue giant, I don't know what the shyke you are talkin bout, but I'd beat that sorry ass of yours any time, don't think I'm a friggin MATCH for this girl here. If you imply that I'm weak just coz I'm a girl, I'll friggin tear you a new hole to crap from." Revy was pissed, she was royally pissed. This rotten bastard thought she was weak? She would beat his ass with a single arm. "So grab your weapon, or not, but let's fight. I'll make you eat your friggin words, hear me?", she spat at him, the anger clearly shown. A vein near her eyebrow was almost popping out and she was forcefully making a fist with her right hand repeatedly. "I wanna friggin maul that face of his, I'll punch it into a bloody mess. How dare he insult me like that", she thought to herself.

[Naeya]

It would have been difficult to not immediately spot the young warrior akalaks. The busy group stood out like a fish in a tree against the calm landscape surrounding them. Naeya spotted Imass standing nearest to the Kabrin Road and her face lit up uncontrollably as she gave him a small grin. When he called out to her and waved her closer, her smile widened and she quickened her pace until she reached her friend. "Imass," she responded affectionately, allowing herself to be pulled into his embrace. She could have fallen asleep with her head on his chest right then and there, but the clanging swords and clear excitement radiating from the akalak kept her awake. She had known Imass for too long to think he'd let her get away with an afternoon nap when there was fighting to be had. Besides, she couldn't bear the possibility of another tormenting dream. Even if sleep did look better than the alternative. "I'm sorry - you want me to what!" Fight. He wanted her to fight the akalak. The same akalak who had years of training behind them and who could pick her up with one hand while lifting boulders with the other. Oh sure, no problem. I'll just kick 'em in the shins and hope for the best. Naeya wriggled out of Imass' arms and shot him a disbelieving look. "Yes, exactly. It's your tradition here. I'm just the token spectator, remember? And trust me, I like it that way." She rested her right hand on her hip, her fingers tapping nervously against her cloak. "I'm not afraid of the duel, you know. There's nothing to be afraid of. I already know the end result." Her voice lowered and she peered meaningfully at the akalak behind her friend. "It's just embarrassing, you know? They wouldn't even consider me a challenge." Something clicked. She looked accusingly back at Imass, her resolve weakening. She should have realized. "You were always going to try to convince me to fight, weren't you? ...I really should stop hanging out with people Kobalt likes so much," she grumbled. "You always do this." Naeya let out an exaggerated sigh, but her melodramatics were interrupted when Imass instructed her to fight the stranger coming up the lane behind her. "What purple-haired wo-" She cut herself off as she turned. "You!" she proclaimed with surprise, tilting her head at the girl in confusion. With Imass' push, she stumbled closer. "Aren't you..." Naeya trailed off as the stranger's anger became clear. Stunned, all she could do was listen until the girl demanded a fight with Imass. "Hey, hey! Back off. I really don't think that's necessary. I'm sure he didn't mean to imply that you were weak." Her voice intensified she spoke, and she raised her palms in a gesture indicating that she meant no harm. She didn't like the way this girl spoke to Imass; the aggression was evident. Naeya was, however, the only barrier between the human and akalak, and she wasn't about to have her day ruined by a pointless, ego-driven brawl. But she challenged him. In front of his peers. Honour will never let him deny her the fight, her conscience nagged. Shut up, please. "Let's just forget anything was said, all right? No one's beating anyone's ass," she said firmly, and turned momentarily to look at Imass with pleading eyes. Not today.

[Imass]

Imass raised an eyebrow towards the blue haired woman. She was getting hostile for no reason. Several Akalak from the circle of happy youngsters turned around to look at the scene. The sparring continued, but the chatter and clapping started to die off as Imass' peers watched the commotion. The young warrior looked at Naeya, then back at the blue haired woman, then back at his friend who was trying to diffuse the situation between yells. After she had finished her outburst, a few Akalaks around them began to hoot and hollar and taunt Revy or Imass with random obscene comments in Tukant. He didn't understand Revy's words, but he knew she wanted to fight.

The young Akalak took a deep breath, "Blue-hair-one," he spoke in broken common, "I do not understand... Naeya small. You small. We big. We fast. Naeya not know. You better. No bad times. Good times, yes," Imass couldn't really express himself yet in common, but he tried. Regardless, he would fight Revy because he had too much honor to back down from a fight.

Without saying another word he walked into the circle and the two sparring swordsman walked away. The circle of Akalak formed again around Revy and Imass, this time everyone came to watch. Grabbing the wooden practice sword, Imass got into his combat stance three strides away from the woman. His feet were planted wide in the dirt. His left foot was pointed at her, with his right foot back. He held the hilt of the sword with both hands, raising it high above his head, pointing the tip to the sky. Imass had to conscientiously keep his back completely straight, because his tendency was to bend. He had been struggling to get into a proper stance without thoughts since day one. Although his stance needed work, he excelled at throwing cuts and Revy was about to find this out.

Once Revy got into her stance, suddenly Imass changed his to play mind games with her. He held the hilt level with his right hip, still holding the sword with both hands. He showed Revy only the pommel of his blade; he pointed the sword directly behind him at a forty-five degree angle to the floor.

The drums started to beat and the circle of Akalaks began to clap in rhythm. It was time to spar. Imass smiled and winked at Naeya, then turned back to Revy smiling.

[Revy Hiroe]

The human didn't quite understand all the hootings thrown around by the Akalak, nor did she understand the Konti in front of her. Why did they all had to speak in their own bloody language? But the guy, she had challenged, tried to speak common..... very broken. She couldn't make sense of it in any way, but being called small..... that was it. He dared to insult her like that? He'd feel it. Perhaps she could use some of the techniques learned from Isa. Pushing the Konti aside gently, she walked over, glad to spot a wooden training sword with the same shape as the one she used with Isa. Picking it up, she looked at the Akalak rather arrogant. "You wanna insult me even more before the fight? It's your last chance before I know those teeth out of that ugly mouth of yours.", she taunted the Akalak. He's going to rue insulting me. Overconfident blue giants always fall hardest... hehe.", she snickered inwardly. Taking up a rather standard posture, left foot forward, right foot close behind and her sword right in front of her. Her hands placed a little apart with the right hand on top. It was the most general stance and the only one she had learned so far. It allowed for easier defending and attacking, but it limited the number of possible attacks she could do.

OOCSrry for the wait, finally got the muse again.
@Imass, imagine a wooden bokken without a hilt for the weapon Revy picked up.

[Imass]

The Akalak immediately began to circle her widely. The drums were beating slowly to the steps he took. He would cross his left leg over his right, always keeping his footwork close at hand. Studying her stance and eyeing her from head to toe, the young swordsman tried to analyze her like his master would, "She has a masculine stance, maybe she thinks she has a cock..."

Raising his sword up to his left temple, the Akalak decided how he would attack. He held the flat parallel to the floor and pointed at Revy's head. He held his left elbow over his ear and tucked his right elbow into his chest. Imass tightened his core with the Mountain Stance his teachers stressed. He knew this would produce the most power possible in his first sword strike.

Imass stopped circling Revy than sat for three ticks with his left foot leading. The drums went silent. The Akalak started at the woman with pale gold eyes, then he barred his teeth and growled.

Then he attacked in all quickness. Taking one step forward without breaking his stance, he slide-stepped into position. Arcing the sword counterclockwise around his head he threw a high horizontal cut aimed at Revy's left shoulder; he stepped into his attack by pivoting on his left foot and stepping forward towards Revy.

He drove all power into this strike.

[Revy Hiroe]

The young woman just followed the guy with her eyes, shifting her stance each time to keep him to her front. She had been hiring herself out for quite a while now, but most of the time it was for small errands. Her actual battle experience was still fairly low. The few things she did remember from her training were that she always had to keep her enemy in front of her. Letting them get in your flank made you vulnerable. The moment the blue guy stopped circling her, Revy readied herself, her grip on the bokken tightening. She had to think fast and react even faster the moment he'd start his attack. Just as he started his attack, an idea sprung to her mind. She might be able to win this easier if she took away his mobility and that was doable by repeatedly hitting his legs. The plan was set, now to execute it. While the other was coming at her, preparing his swing, the girl bend her knees slightly to make it easier to drop herself and as the blow came in, she managed to duck under it, even if she felt it scratch against the top of her head. Now it was time for that counter. She swung her blade, which she had dropped to her hip while she crouched, as fast as she could, aiming for the Akalak's knees. If it didn't work, she'd use her tensed up knees to jump backwards, creating some distance between them again.

[Imass]

The Akalak's wooden practice sword swung in full circle only to miss it's mark as his opponent dropped. Ending the strike on the opposite temple, he held his sword up ready for another attack.

Revy countered with a slash towards his right leg. His left leg was already back and his body was angled, so dodging was simple. Pivoting on his left foot again and moving his right leg back, he switched his stance into unorthodox and successfully used footwork to avoid the attack.

The female opponent jumped backwards haphazardly and created distance. The beat of the drums entered his mind finally. Imass would not drop the tempo that the music created.

Now in an unorthodox stance and his sword in a regular stance, the Akalak was in a technically flawed position. Fighting a more experienced swordsman would mean his loss, but Revy had backed off --literally giving Imass room to correct himself. Slide-stepping forward, he then closed the gap with Revy by pivoting on his left foot. Without changing his sword position, he was able to correct himself in one stride.

Taking a step forward with his left foot, he aimed his toe right into between Revy's legs and did the same attack as before but this time from the opposite side. Circling the blade clockwise around his head he aimed a strike right at his opponent's right shoulder. If she tried to drop again, Imass would circle the blade into an overhead strike and hit her while down. Other than that he would play his next move on instinct.