Found in the Dark (Aello)

by **Nex Paciscor** on May 12th, 2011, 2:45 pm

(35th of Spring, 511 AV) Location: Nitrozian Plaza

Nex sat easy within the shadows of a building, the shelter alcove shielding his eyes from the noon day sun, while bathing his bare legs in the warm light. He hung his feet of the edge in a almost carefree sort of way, looking reflectively at the calm lake water bellow. This city was so different than he had ever had experienced before, and he found it increasingly hard to get some alone time. The little used alcove however served as a perfect place for solitude, and only the murmur of voices nearby disturbed the silence that surrounded this area. It was the most peace he enjoyed since he had came to this place many days ago. With a brief movement he slipped back into the sheltering darkness of the compartment, and stood up, briefly standing still to let his keen eyes adjust to the darkness. His eyes quickly compensated for the change in light, and soon he began pacing in circles really examining the small sheltered area around him for the first time.

Two ornately carved archways, served as the only way to let the light in, the wide openings making him easily visible with good enough eye sight. A lone pillar separated the two openings, and all that was before the opening was a short expanse of lake road that bridged this alcove to the opposite end where more public areas lie. The jump across had been easy for Nex, but even though the distance separating the two areas wasn't that much by his standards, he was confident that a normal human couldn't accomplish such a feat unless they tried some daring stunt off the side of the bridge that bordered the right of the sheltered area. Done with examining the outside, he turned his gaze to the things inside, noting that there weren't any doors in the small area, just a couple of dying plants, a musty rug, a pair of rotted wooden chairs complete with a table, and the scattered remains of something ceramic, likely shattered long, long ago. Nex supposed that this area used to be used for lounging, and relaxing by lake side most likely but with additions to the city, or the death of the owners, it likely became less and less used until it was completely forgotten. If that was true this would be the perfect place for him to stay and likely sleep during his time in Ravok, assuming no body got to agitated about him staying here. They likely wouldn't since there was nothing of worth here, but still you never know.

As he paced around the shelter, he quickly grew bored. How he longed that he would have someone to spar to pass the time with, but at last he was on his own for now. Still not one to view the glass half empty, he turned to face the wall, and began a practice routine punching slowly through the air, more focused on working through the motions than with speed. Gradually his speed increased and as he held one arm close to his body, he punched out with his other repeatedly. With a quick movement he shot out his other hand, and jabbed the air with a vicious strike, while tucking his right hand in to whip his elbow in simultaneously. Gradually becoming more and more in tune with his little imaginary spar, he threw himself to the right, planting his hand against the ground, and with an equally quick motion shot out his other foot to knock against the invisible spot he had chosen. With a slight shift of his weight he completed the flip, and landed easily on his feet, rising up in a battle ready position, the edge of his heel a mere inches from falling into the lake a few feet below.

The warm sun’s rays washed over the back of his heels, and he breathed heavily, sweat covering his bare chest as he looked at the spot before gradually relaxing his guard. He wore only simple sackcloth breeches today, the torn stained material in poor condition due to his rough traveling. A small pile of his other supplies filled up a corner, and he was glad he a retrieved them a few days ago before heading into the city. It seemed they didn't like non-humans to much here so he had to put on a good show. His breaths still came ragged, and to catch his breath he sauntered over to the wall, leaning against it, breathing deeply with every breath. This city didn't look all that bad to him, and truly it pleased the eye, but with what he had learned from some trusted friends, appearances can be deceiving, a notion that was very foreign to him.

Pushing himself off of the wall lithely he tried to remember the practice he just did, and remembered his aim was a little off. Well that was something I’ll just have to fix he thought as he walked over and produced a single gold rimmed miza out of his bag, and then strode over to the center of the alcove. With a flick of his thumb, he sent the coin spinning in the air, and with a fast movement he clinched his left hand, punching out at the quickly falling coin. Disappointingly he missed the free falling coin, but stubborn as ever he bent down and retrieved it, repeating the process till he was hitting the coin one out of every three tries. Steadily he held the coin out in front of him, determined more than ever to improve on his accuracy, and with the same flick of his thumb, sent the coin spinning up into the air. Quickly he assumed his battle stance, his fist positioned in front of him, and as the coin made its way down to him, he punched out, his knuckles connecting solidly with the coin. The small coin flew across the alcove to clatter against the ground a few feet away, the momentum of the punch played out. With a sigh of satisfaction, he walked over and picked up the coin, satisfied to stop at two out of three.

A casual flick of his wrist sent the coin spinning into his belongings where he pilfered it, and he stood once more facing the invisible spot. Hopefully this time he would be more on target, and miss less.

by **Aello** on May 12th, 2011, 3:50 pm

Aello pushed her way through the small clusters of people that walked around the plaza, seemingly in circles. She was growing impatient with them- the way they chattered uselessly amongst themselves about things as trivial as whether or not they chose to wear the right colored tunic with the right skirt and belt, or what they should have for dinner, the giggling, the constant giggling amongst friends that made her want to rip her hair out, and chop of her ears so she wouldn't have to listen, their whispering, their secrets, and how they all walked so slowly! As if they had no where to be and nothing to do. Nothing to accomplish, and no purpose in their lives.

Aello growled as her grip tightened on the bow she held in her left hand, her knuckles growing even paler than usual. Yune was chirping ominously in her left ear, her tiny talons curling into the girl's flesh as she walked, knocking into people from time to time, and pressing the edge of her bow into their flesh as her arms swung with her step to get them out of the way. The edges of her face were growing red, and Aello was beginning to wish she had never come into the plaza, even though she was curious. Could she find poison there? A poison she could apply to her arrows to make them all the more deadly? "How come Yune, no matter where we go, we can never find that which we seek?" Aello growled. The bird didn't seem to reply to her, although it continued to chirp in its ominous sort of manner.

"Glad to know you have an opinion Yune," Aello continued, as she slipped down a side street just to get away from the madness. She didn't have the patience to deal with the plaza today, and thus, she would buy her poison another time. Assuming she could so much as find it. As she walked along the street, she realized that she and Yune were no longer alone. Standing in the center was a man, seemingly practicing his punches. The ringing sound of a coin crashing into the ground reached her ears, and if she looked closely enough at the street, she was certain she could catch a glimpse of gold. Aello smiled, "you know, if you don't like that coin so darn much, there are people who would take it off your hands for you. Free of charge for their services." Her smile widened, and her eyes seemed to glimmer playfully as she placed her bow down on the side of the street. It was leaning up against the edge of one of the buildings. Next, Aello let her bag fall from her shoulders, to the side of the bow, before looking up at the man she had stumbled upon once more.

Perhaps he would not mind someone to practice with, Aello thought, as she took in the sight of his body. Muscular, and glowing with a sheen of sweat. A few seconds later a deep red mist came into view. It hovered around the man like smoke around a large bonfire. My he has an aura that we see so often around here. The reds. Survival oriented, that one is. Her mind stopped thinking for a moment as she studied the edges. Wisps of red smoke curling into themselves, and floating away at other places. They seemed to be tinged with something, a silver or a gold. A white even. A bright white, that shone like the stars; sparkled. He possesses a magic unlike your own. But it is not strong in him yet, is it? If it was, his aura would sparkle more. Unless he is merely concealing it from us. But that seems unlikely, for some reason.

There was another slight pause as Aello simply stared. It was a few more seconds before she began to blink rather rapidly. You are over-using your power. Send the aura away before you get too tired to be on your guard. The girl nodded so slightly, that it would be nearly impossible for Nex to see. She allowed herself to blink a few more times, breaking her level of concentration, and allowing the aura to fade away into the air. When it had gone, she found herself left with the beginnings of a headache. The pain was dull, concentrated mainly around her temples, and the areas just behind her ears. It seemed to push against the confines of her skull at times, the pain, as though it originated in her blood and was trying to break free of her veins, and from there, the rest of her.

Aello took a step closer to Nex, and called, "do you need someone to practice with? Or would you like to be left alone?" There was a slight pause, "surely the work of another human would teach you more than fighting thin air." Aello took another step closer, as she waited for him to reply. If he looked closely enough, perhaps he'd notice that her pupils had dilated as well.

by **Nex Paciscor** on May 13th, 2011, 3:12 am

His meditation was broken by the feminine voice coming from his left. The lady startled him more than a little for she had gotten closer to him then he thought would be possible without him noticing. Maybe he was getting to confident in his abilities, or he might be getting too tired from practice, but whatever it was it didn't matter at the moment. He slowly turned to face her, and examining her closely felling not at all exposed. The fact that she put her bow down, and greeted him friendly enough set him at ease and it wasn't hard for him to lower his guard. She made no threatening movement towards him, so he took that as a good sign, and took two brief steps towards her before stopping.

The woman seemed to be sizing him up as well, and he noted that that she was rather slender, but also well toned. Noting that specific muscles in her arms where slightly larger than others, and the fact that she set a bow to the side, he guessed that she was most likely a hunter, or simply an archer. Either way it could be useful training with her, an archer’s agility and accuracy well renowned, and besides she seemed a good sort to his senses, more so than any of the others in his city. He sniffed the air, but he detected no scents beside his and the woman’s nearby which put him further at ease.

Nex locked eyes with her, catching her stare, and silently wondered how she had come about such a focus with her eyes. Breathing in deeply he kept her stare, till she began to blink, and he ran his hand up his neck, pretending to work out a kink, before deciding on speaking. “ I am afraid I have little in the way of training materials, so I’m left to use currency in place of more favorable methods” he said as slow and structured as possible, while silently thanking his past owner for teaching him common so well. He did after all need to appear as human as he could, as friendly as this lady appeared, she could be working with the black sun, or some resident slavers, neither situation appealing to him at all.

“ I am Nex, who might you be? ” he articulated with some difficulty. He had little used for names, but he knew human customs well enough, and he figured this to be the proper greeting in such a situation. In Lhavit custom he dipped into a very low bow before the woman after he finished his greeting, and slowly rose to face her again. When his eyes leveled with hers, his eyes slightly widened, and almost as if remembering something, he lowered his gaze to her nose respectfully, and offered a welcoming smile back to the woman. “ I would much enjoy your company as a sparring partner, thin air makes for a very poor training dummy as you can see” he responded to her, dipping to a not so low bow again, and extending his hand this time.

A training partner would do him some good to clear his mind of the troubling thoughts that swirled in his head, and he of course more than welcomed the company. Though he was curious about how a archer would fair in hand to hand combat with him, but he suspected that she had a ace or two up her sleeve that he would have to find out for himself. Either way he would take it slow in the sparring at first, and under no circumstances employ his flux ability small as though it was. He didn’t want to play all of his cards just yet; after all Nex was always the one for mystery and intrigue.

by **Aello** on May 13th, 2011, 11:33 pm

"Aello," the young spiritist replied simply. "And the sparrow is Yune." Upon hearing her name, the bird chirped once, before flapping off Aello's shoulder, and heading for her things. She nestled atop the girl's bag, as Aello continued to stare at Nex. Why is he bowing to us? she wondered, has he grown up always standing on ceremony? There was a slight pause, now why would he bow twice to us, and extend his hand for a shake? "You can get up Nex, there is no need for bowing... or handshakes," Aello commented, as she raised her right brow into an arc that matched the shape of her bow. Perhaps that is how he lures you in... he offers his hand before striking you down. If that was the case, Aello would not fall for it.

Aello took a half a step back, so that Nex would not be quite so close. Her right hand was pressed against her thigh, waiting to be put into motion. Waiting for the time when it would retrieve the cursed blade it was resting upon. Aello could feel it through the folds of her dress. It was calling to her...

Finally, Aello allowed her hand to trace the edge of the fabric, the slit that ran all the way up the leg, giving her easy access to the dagger if need be. The ends of the fabric felt warm, and soft. Cotton was like that. But Aello ignored the way it made her fingertips tingle as it folded into her tightening palm, as it clenched and unclenched. Pull it out of concealment already, and see if he runs, Aello finally told herself as she let go of the white fabric, and pushed her hand beneath it, onto her cool flesh towards the blade. When her hand gripped the handle, she pulled it out of the makeshift hilt, and away from the folds of the fabric. Into the dim light.

As soon as the blade had been set free, Aello allowed her right arm to dangle uselessly at her side for a few moments. The silver of the blade seemed darker than usual, the blood bright. "It seems like everyone around this town uses a dagger. Surely you wouldn't mind practicing against someone who wields one as well?" Aello inquired. "It would serve you better in the end, than if we were both to fight using merely our fists. Don't you think?" there was a slight pause as Aello tilted her head to the side, waiting for a response. As she did so, she slid her left foot back a bit, so that it was about eight inches behind the left. Each of her feet was pointed forwards, towards Nex. Her legs were bent slightly at the knee, to give a spring in her step should she need it, which she more than likely would when she lunged at him. Her left hand had been curled into a crescent moon. The fingers all held together, and turned slightly into her palm. She had bent the arm at the elbow, and was allowing it to remain dangled at her side until she sprang into action.

Aello bent her right arm at the elbow now. Aello lifted her right arm out a few inches before her, poised and ready to strike. She had decided that she had waited for Nex long enough, and had taken a half step forward with each foot, as she brought her right hand out to the right side of her body, before pushing it inwards again, towards the left side of her body, slicing the air in a wide arc. It was a simple move, one that she used quite often, one that could be argued she was best at. It was also a move often utilized by those who wielded knives and daggers. Nex should know this attack and how to dodge, Aello thought, as her blade twisted out and to the side, so that as it cut the air, it inched closer and closer to striking Nex just above his pectoral muscles, in a clean line. If he cannot dodge this, then perhaps he is not one worth fighting. As soon as Aello had brought her arm as far as it would go, she would bring her arm back in the opposite direction, following the path she had just made through the air. And we should move on with our day.

OOCWhen I say calling to her, I don't mean literally.

by **Nex Paciscor** on May 15th, 2011, 5:41 am

With the dismiss of his friendly gesture, Nex came to feel slightly uneasy about this newcomer. Perhaps it was not a custom here to greet each other in that way, and if such was this case he would make a point of learning the customs more relative to this new area. The world was so confusing to him sometimes, and every once and a while it made him long for the wilds, even as dangerous as they are. A bit of blush crept over his features, and he felt like a loyal servant that disappointed his master. He let the shame wash over him quickly however, and soon the feelings dissipated in favor of the unconscious desire in him to impress. In a almost automatic manner, he watched as her actions reflected someone preparing for a fight, and his body compensated accordingly, slightly turning his right shoulder backwards, and at the same moment taking a step back with his right foot, so he faced her at a angle, putting little weight on his off foot so he could easily maneuver out of the way with his right. Extending his left arm as he did so, he bent his arm at the elbow, facing the flat of his fist towards her while keeping his right arm tucked in at his side, and kept both of his fists closed with a little bit of space in them so he could easily open hand block if he had to.

“ Yes, daggers are fine, makes for better practice actually ” he responded to her with his steady gaze never leaving her naked blade. His trainer had taught him how defend against blades, but he hadn’t outside of training encountered one yet quite like this so this would prove an interesting encounter. Now matter however, he felt that his skills would see him through the engagement relatively harm free, after all this was just a normal spar right? His trusted her to not want to harm him, so that was enough for him to treat this precisely as such. It was easy for him to maintain a loose posture, and indeed his particular style called for being able to dodge anything till an opening presented itself. You had to watch carefully for the opening so when it came, you could strike hard, and fast as possible while holding back no punches. He figured he would try his more flowing style of fighting that was more suitable against those wielding weapons, than the straight forward tactic more useful against fellow unarmed combatant. Even looking past the advantages of the style, Nex truly enjoyed it more finding the straight forward type to be brutish and lacking creativity, where the more graceful style more useful, and pleasing to the eye.

Her posture, and stance told him that she was likely trained well with the dagger, and if this where an actual battle he would have to press himself to his limits just to survive. Thankfully this was the case, but the thought garnered a good bit of respect from him towards the woman, he counted himself lucky for the chance to train with such a skilled fighter. Her shift to attack him came fast, but to Nex’s eyes a bit slower, as he observed the strike and similarly shifted his weight in preparation to dodge. The simplicity of the attack confused him, but he supposed it was best to start off slow, and all that was left for him was to choose from the many ways to dodge this straight forward attack. Unless this was a feint, he could probably even suffer to advance on her position, but not willing to take that risk, he made an easy shuffle, left over right, stepping out of the reach of her dagger, and watching out of the corner of his eye the path it took through the air as it passed him. Shifting his weight back to his left foot, he quickly took two steps inside of the woman’s reach, and extended his right arm, bending it at the elbow to block any attempts of retaliation from her dagger coming back through unless she pulled it back in for a awkward strike that he could easily just as well dodge. Confident that the tangle of his arm against her would slow down her next attack he focused on his counter attack.

With his left arm, he extended it down and around as he grabbed for the back of her knee in attempt to off balance her as her dagger swung around to swipe in the opposite direction, but not entirely trusting in the chance success of his hand’s efforts, he poised his feet to the left side of her, and rolled off to the side just behind her before springing back up to his feet. His keen eyes quickly noted what little he had managed, and figured even if his grab just helped boost him behind her it was useful enough. Silently he hoped that he had thrown her slightly off balance but he didn’t count on it, and with a lunge backwards he assumed another defensive stance, keeping his feet spread apart a few paces, to help him compensate for any avenue attack she may have planned. Now let’s see what you’ve got for me next he thought as he watched her.

oocLet me know if you want me to change anything about my counter, how I pictured your attack this was one of the counters I played out in my head

by **Aello** on May 16th, 2011, 12:39 am

When Aello's arm had come to a halt in the thick afternoon air that stood between herself and Nex, she smiled weakly. There was a small sparkle in her eye, as her grip continued to tighten around the bloody blade. She was proud of him, for managing to stay out of the blade's reach, despite the fact that her move had been such an easy one to dodge. It meant that he was not such an unworthy opponent for her that she may as well leave him in the alley to fight the air, and it proved that she may have a bit of a challenge landing one of her attacks on him. Which could only mean that he was a worthy opponent, and that she would gain something out of their spar. Aello gave herself the briefest of moments for a new attack plan to rise in her mind, before she began to implement her plan: she would try and cut the man in half, vertically; down the center.

Aello began by bringing her arm back to the left, so that it would be placed in the center of his and her body. But when her blade had gotten there, she realized it would go no further. Her pale flesh, the space in-between her wrist and her elbow was pressed into the side of her opponent's arm, she could no longer move it towards the left, or directly in front of her. She smiled uneasily as she took a half step forward with her left foot, trying to get close enough to him where it would not be dangerous to simply thrust the blade forward, towards his heart, once she adjusted her footing. As she waited for her opening, Aello pushed her tiny arm into her Nex's hoping that it would be enough to draw it away. Her arm shook next to his, pushing against it enough where it seemed to move a centimeter or two towards him, before he managed to drive her arm back. Together, they shook, like two slender leaves in the fall wind.

While Aello was concentrating on finding a way to get close enough to strike by fighting off Nex's defending hand, she neglected to pay the utmost attention to what his left arm was doing. As he began to bend, to her, for what seemed like a strange reason, Aello could feel a single bead of cool sweat appear on her brow. Her heart began to pick up the pace as she felt his hand press into the back of her knee; somewhat lightly, as though he were second guessing his decision to do this. He is trying to unbalance you, Aello knew, finally realizing that she should have stepped backwards to regroup a few seconds ago, instead of remaining on the offensive and trying to drive herself forward. No matter, she calmly told herself, you can get yourself out of this.

Aello could feel his grasp on her knee growing steadily more and more forceful. Her leg trembled a bit, and her foot slid backwards an inch, before his hand fell. She could feel a small wisp of air pass by the side of her leg, as his body dropped. He was, rolling? Aello's mind reeled as she tried to anticipate his move. Where he was going with this, and found that she could not. Her eyes grew wide as her heart continued to pound in its tiny rib cage, threatening to break away, and flutter out of her chest like a bird. Then she felt his breath on her neck. He is behind you, turn to face him now before he lands a punch on the center of your back. As swiftly as she could, which she feared would not be swiftly enough, Aello swung her left leg around, towards the left, so that when her foot landed, it was a foot or so behind the right. As she spun to meet him, Aello pulled her right arm back, so that it was bent as far as it would go at the elbow. The blade curled into her skin, wedged between the first half of her arm, before the elbow, and that which came behind it. It looked like she were preparing to punch.

As Aello spun, she allowed her right arm to spring forward, from where she had nestled it into her side, towards him. As though she were punching the air, and the blade was merely an extension of the arm. The blade shot forward, twisting only slightly to the side. If he was standing too close to her, her shoulders would more than likely bump into his body, throwing the entire attack off. If he was standing perhaps, no more than a foot or two directly behind her by the time she had turned around completely, and had finished her attack, then he would more than likely be struck by her blade, on either side of his chest; close to the heart. If he had stepped even further, or to the sides, then her move would miss him completely, and they'd be forced to square off again.

OOCNo it's fine. I hope my post is ok, and not too confusing. In para two your arm is diagonal to hers just a tad, so she can't just drive the knife forward, I hope that's um... understandable. Also, if you need me to tweak something, just ask in a pm.

by **Nex Paciscor** on May 16th, 2011, 7:13 pm

He stood so close to her, that he could feel the heat off of her body, and could see the subtle variations of her muscles movements under her dark cloak. His roll under the left side of her had been a risky one, but it had put him in a great position he saw her left foot lift up and begin its swing around, and realized her thigh would most likely bang against the side of his hip due to his closeness to her. The resulting tangle of limbs, if he chose not to move an inch, would likely end up with the two in a stall, and quickly turn this spar into a wrestling match, which was something that could get dangerous with a blade added to the fray. Even then as much as he enjoyed a good wrestle, he did not want this, in this spar he wanted to more focus on his dodging ability, and hand to hand encounters, than just simply a test of strength that wrestling represented. As he watched her turn, he thought of a strategy that might work against her should conditions prove favorable.

Nex smiled and decided to take advantage of that fact, and slipped his left leg closer to his right as he moved his body in accordance with her turn keeping her back in front of him. This sly little move wouldn't last forever he knew, and he needed to make an attack that wouldn't easily be countered by his dagger wielding opponent. The tactic he planned on employing would more or less put him at a advantage, and his craft opponent at a disadvantage if it worked well. He hadn't been able to try out this particular strategy yet, and he knew that it would prove informative no matter what.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for him in the mere moments it took for her to turn around to strike, and he slid his right foot slightly in line with hers as he saw the member swivel to compensate for the turn. Instead of just continuing to hide behind her back, an idea came into his head and he decided now was the time for action. Reaching out with his left hand simultaneously he moved his hand to try to catch her swinging left leg by the thigh, and if he did his hand would have pulled it upwards as far as he could, while sliding his right foot quickly across the ground, his left foot supporting his weight for the attack. He hope silently hopped that the maneuver would foil whatever strike she had planned, and as his right foot darted out for her exposed right ankle, he prepared to catch her weight providing his right foot was successful at knocking her feet out from under her.

Those next seconds went by the slowest, and as his foot cut through the air seeking its target, his grip would have tightened on her leg, and he left leg supported his weight at an angle. If his maneuver was successful, then his supporting leg would allow him to swing the girl's body over his side onto the ground, as gently as he could manage, and with that he would do a brief summersault that would put him back on his feet, giving him the advantage of the higher ground over his sparring partner.

oocPerfectly fine, and glad you understood what i was trying to get across. Same thing I said in the last post goes for this one; if you ever want me to adjust something just let me know in a post as well.

by **Aello** on May 17th, 2011, 12:39 am

As Aello turned around, her heart pounded in her tiny rib cage. The spar was heating up, and she knew that if she was not careful, she could easily hurt him, or Nex could easily hurt her. When her body had turned around completely, she was not surprised to find her gaze locked on Nex. He was still close enough to her where her arm would not be able to reach him. Her shoulder brushed into Nex's, and her right hand shot past him, too far to his left. Gah! You missed! And he wasn't even that far away from you! How could you bloody miss? Aello's mind screamed, as she noticed Nex's left hand moving towards her leg out of the corner of her eye. She was just about to run into his hand with her leg, mere seconds before it would press into the ground once more. Don't let Nex grab you! Aello's mind hissed as she pulled her left leg up a little, so as to get it out of his way, before stomping it back down. She hoped that this way, she would press it into his hand, driving it into the ground. It would make his hand hurt, leave it bloody, red and bruised, and it'd serve as a constant reminder for him to be careful. To stay away, to never second guess himself, because she'd get him.

Aello noticed Nex's right leg inch closer to her right ankle, but she ignored it, as she pulled her dagger arm back to her side. She stepped back, away from him, allowing there to be a few feet of space between them, at least temporarily. Her right foot was a few inches before the left, her feet pointed towards him again. Her legs were bent slightly at the knees, her arms bent slightly at the elbows. Her arms were out before her, no more than ten inches ahead. The fingers of her left hand were held together, and her palm was left flat. Her right hand was still curled around the hilt of the dagger. The tip of the blade was resting on her pale skin, close to the elbow. "You're not a bad fighter," Aello commented, somewhat breathlessly as she eyed him up and down, trying to determine his weak spot. "Where did you learn?" she inquired, as she took another moment to catch her breath, and look for an opening to attack. When she found nothing she wanted to go for, she said, "you know what, you've been on the defensive thus far, come and try to attack."

OOCOk... I think I got it!

by **Nex Paciscor** on May 17th, 2011, 1:58 am

His complete sense of balance was lost when he missed his grab for girl's leg, and his hand slapped on the stone floor just beneath her rising leg. Before he could even move his hand her foot came expectantly down, slamming on his hand viciously. Pain shot up his arm as he felt his bones crunch under his hands, and he was pretty sure he broke something be he couldn't be positive. Nex's mouth opened wide in a grimace of pain, but prideful he quenched out any cry that might have came from his lips. He would not acknowledge that he had been hurt, it was not his way. With the arrival of the sharp pain in his hand, his foot stopped its slide across the ground, and he pulled it back to him protectively. As soon as Aello finally stepped back off his hand, he slowly pulled away his injured hand from the ground and backed up as well a few paces as was appropriate.

With a brief look to his hand, that was now starting to drip with blood, he noted that it would probably offer him little use for a couple of weeks. Well my left hand is useless he noted grimly as he observed it for a moment, and then locked eyes with Aello. " Your a talented one yourself " he admitted honestly, as he watched her carefully for any advances. " I was taught by a trainer in Lhavit " Nex added between ragged breaths to answer her question. This fight was shaping up to be quite the intense one, and already he was breathing hard. After a couple of practiced deep breaths he steadied his violently beating heart, and silently thanked his trainer for teaching him the breathing exercises as well. He clenched his right fist reflexively, and gingerly tried the left, but it proved to painful. Oh well, I'll just have to make do with my right he thought as he slid his left foot back a step or two behind his right, and looked for a avenue of attack against the woman.

Slowly he moved his left arm horizontal in front of him, his left hand dangling more or less uselessly, using every ounce of will power to hold it up with a semblance of evenness with his overall arm. With his right he carefully tucked it in to his side bent at the elbow, and pulled his arm as far back as it would go, his fist tighten. As if on cue from her last words, he sprinted into action towards her. His bare feet would have sprung the distance easily, but always wary of the dagger, he would have spun to the her right side, completing a circle before choosing to strike. When he was in line with her shoulder, assuming that she didn't somehow dodge to the side his right arm would have shot out from his side in a sweeping arc curling inwards as it did so that if it struck her shoulder it would transfer the majority of its power into the attack. Even if the attack didn't work, his legs where already working furiously to pedal him backwards, and his left arm swiping side to side to deflect any counter attacks that she might have launched in the wake of his regrouping, allowing him the chance to set his feet properly to make another run at her.

by **Aello** on May 17th, 2011, 3:01 pm

"Thank you," Aello replied simply as she took a moment to glance at her opponent's hand. From where she stood, she could make out several trickles of blood pouring out of the sides as his hand, and what looked like bits of dirt, or perhaps even gravel imbedded into the flesh. She looked up from Nex's bleeding hand to his eyes, which seemed so full of determination, and hurt as well. "Sorry about that," Aello mumbled. "People are not supposed to be hurting during a simple spar, but when one wields a weapon designed to kill, that so often winds up being the case." Her eyes passed back to his injured hand, as she waited for him to attack. As she concentrated on it for another few seconds, she realized that she could see past the blood to the bones that lingered inside his hand. Well some of them anyway.

Although Aello would not know the names, she could see tiny auras surrounding the hamate, pisiform, triquetrem, lunate, scaphoid, capitate and trapezoid bones. The hamate was surrounded by a bright emerald green mist, that seemed to make it glow and sparkle much in the same way as the real gemstone. This, Aello knew, meant that that particular bone had not been as largely effected by her attack as some of the others. The pisiform, a tiny bone next to the hamate, was the same way. The triquetrem, a bone nestled between the two, also glowed with the green. The lunate and the capitate, on the other hand, were surrounded in a deep red mist, the exact color of blood. The mist surrounded the bones angrily, swirling around wildly about them, and then seemingly pouring out of the skin, and spiraling around the length of the hand, until it dripped down to the ground in short little wisps. Those must be the areas of the hand he is bleeding from, the parts you injured the most. The trapezoid and scaphoid bones were similar to the lunate and capitate in the sense that they were surrounded by a red colored aura. However, their aura was wispier, and of a far lighter shade than the other bones. One that was nearly entirely transparent. Perhaps that means those bones are injured as well, but not as heavily so, Aello thought, as she forced herself to look up at her opponent's face.

As Aello took the time to look into Nex's eyes, as she awaited his attack, the auras faded away. Her pupils had dilated, and the edges of her eyes, directly surrounding her dark brown irisies had taken on a bright red tint; the color of blood. It may have appeared that she had drunk too much alcohol, or not slept in a long time, had she just met Nex for the first time. However, that was not the case, they had been sparring for several minutes now, and he would know that there was something going on. Even if he didn't know precisely what that something was. Aello's heart continued to pick up the pace as her breath caught in her throat. She was just about to ask Nex if he wanted to continue, after she had looked into his damaged hand, when he sprinted towards her.

Aello's muscles coiled into tight springs, tightening enough where she could simply set them free later, and she'd have the greatest jump in her steps. She didn't so much as begin to move until he had reached her. He lingered on the right side of her body, close to the shoulder. Figuring that he was more than likely going to attempt to strike her right side, Aello side stepped to the left, and then slightly forward, at the very last minute. She was simply too startled by his decision to keep on fighting her despite his injury to be able to fight to the best of her ability. For not only was his injury a distraction, but the fact that he wasn't a whiny bastard like the majority of the people she encountered after sustaining an injury from her was a distraction. This one is determined. Proud. He must be. Why else would he continue to fight a battle he would have so much trouble winning?

Aello smiled as she thought about Nex. It was only another fraction of a second before his arm struck her right shoulder. Aello's eyes clenched shut as a sharp shooting pain shot through her shoulder blade. You should not have let yourself get distracted, she thought, as she stumbled forward a few steps before turning to face her opponent again. Because that is going to leave a bruise come morning. Aello's chest was rising and falling rapidly, her throat dry, her breath catching towards the center. Just don't let yourself get so distracted again, and you still stand a chance of beating him. Aello gave a slight nod, as she pulled a small burst of air into her chest. "You can do this," she whispered, as she resumed her usual fighting stance. A second later, she had stepped forward with the right foot, then the left, and then the right again, so it remained the foot leading her actions. As she was stepping forward for the final time, Aello twisted her right shoulder towards the left side of her body, and thrust her dagger-wielding arm and hand out towards her opponent. The blade twisted a bit out to the side, as it inched closer and closer to her opponent. If Nex failed to dodge, it would strike him in the center of his back, should his back be to her. If his stomach was to her, it'd strike somewhere around the center of his pectoral muscles. If either of his sides was to her, she'd strike in the center of his arm.

reference :