Closed He is so d.... Focus woman!! (Aren)

[Aleksi]

Aleksi's mind finally managed to focus on what she was doing, ticks before her feet actually hit the Akalak's thighs, with somewhat of a greater force than she was aiming to put out really. After all, she was not going to hurt him in a sparring battle, unless he tries to do something funny... or well... even then she.. FOCUS! her mind screamed as she noticed something grabbing her calf before she could even attempt to react. Growling at her own stupidity, the woman now rushed through the quickest tactic to get herself out of that mess. Thinking of turning around, kicking his knee, which would probably break or dislocate it which would leave her with a huge Akalak in the middle of nowhere, unable to move, maybe attempt to push herself up enough to lend a kick on his abs, his chest even, or the neck area, she was pretty flexible after all... With her not being focused at all, yet again, the Akalak managed to grab her wrist, making the woman literally hiss in anger. Her eyes though, noticed a disadvantage that not many men paid attention to, when fighting a woman her size that was much, much more fun to point out as a form of a win in their battle, than making him unable to walk for a week. With her left leg free, she pushed her petite body up and placed somewhat of a harder push between the man's legs with her head tilted and her eyes focused on the expression on his face. She didn't hit him, she would never if that wasn't a life or death situation, but she just let him know that, well, he would highly likely be beaten. Her voice was still quite cheeky, somewhat teasing as she added One would think you'd learn by now, that I like hitting certain areas... winking at him, she just remained there, her body weight held by him and not presenting too much of an issue for her while continuing to whisper Also, people here, I've heard, play quite dirty... make sure you keep yourself secure, we wouldn't want anything like this to happen, now would we?

[Aren]

The woman was soundly caught, and the victory seemed to be his, when Aleksi's leg brushed itself up against Aren's lower body. In all honestly, the akalak couldn't help but be concerned, but she had made a small miscalculation. The drykas assumed that this meant they were at a stalemate; he was practically incapacitating her, but she held the means to do the same. Unfortunately for her, her knowledge of his people was not very extensive. "Oh, I've noticed. But this time... I'm not being taken by surprise, and let me assure you, an akalak's mental discipline, when properly harnessed, is a thing of steel," Aren informed her, grinning confidently, absolute certainty obvious in the tone of his voice and the gaze of his eyes. An akalak's ability to focus his mind was his most practiced skill, made so by the tragedy of their nature. When there was another person hiding in the recesses of your mind, always scratching at the back of your head, you learned to keep him at bay. Unfortunately, the only way to do that was to always be in control. Sometimes this was a tiring endeavor, but the effort required to maintain it was not without it's benefits. With Aren's mind focused and prepared for an attack, the pain such an attack produced would not have anywhere near the same effect. It would hurt, of that there could be no doubt, but even a blow to a sensitive area would likely not be able to incapacitate him. "Accept defeat, and we'll consider this only the first of three contests," Of course, mental discipline was all well and good, but that didn't mean that Aren was looking forward to having to endure that kind of pain. In addition, if Aleksi decided that she wanted to put his words to the test, he'd be forced to take much stronger measures in order to achieve his victory.

[Aleksi]

Aleksi grinned as she heard the man speak, her fingers gripping onto his wrist as he held her there. Growling lightly, her mind went all blank again. All she could focus on was fighting, finding the best possible move to use against that Akalak and bring all of her advantages up in it. His words gave out valuable information. Even if that fight was lost, she would have known so much more about his race, their fighting skills and style. Then again, losing was not an option, not with the untied hands she has given him in that bet of theirs, so she would be better off winning. And, frankly, she, like everyone else, on top of all of that, hated losing so much that it made her cry out in anger when she was alone. Her body was still strong, not having much to be worn out from, so with the same speed from before, if not a tad quicker, she moved the leg out and with a quite powerful blow, tried to kick his knee. If it hit, it'd probably dislocate it, but would not cause any serious damage, other than... severe pain, inability to move until it's pushed back in and maybe some bruising up. All the Drykas woman could do now was hope, as her fingernails dug into her skin more. It seemed like the Akalak had some twisted ideas about the bet, so she really didn't want to have that... or... did she? No! No! No! She did not and she would never, ever, ever want something like that.. not with another male, not again. One was perfectly enough after being disgusted by them for nearly ten years.

[Aren]

Something about the drykas' silence told Aren that she did not seem inclined to accept his offer. This caused him to fear the worst, but was she really inclined to hurt him so badly? For his part, the akalak couldn't bring himself to really land a solid blow against Aleksi, which is why he had simply tried to neutralize her. Aren could have countered the drykas' first kick with a blow to her head or midsection, and given their size difference, that might have ended their fight right there. Unfortunately, hitting new found friends was not exactly something he was comfortable with. Perhaps if she had been a larger, not quite as attractive member of the same sex, he would have felt differently. What were a few bruises between men, after all? Sadly, this was not the case, and Aren found himself trying to figure out a way to win (which he was determined to do) without doing any real damage (which he was also determined to do). Although he had a few choices, all with varying chances of success and degrees of trauma caused, at present one was clearly the best. It was a simple, time honored technique, designed to do exactly what he needed. All he had to do was wait for the appropriate moment, in order to maximize his chances of success. Unsurprisingly, he was not long to wait. Soon, Aleksi decided to make her move; a kick to his knee. She was neither very strong, nor particularly skilled at delivering the blow, but joints were always vulnerable areas. If Aren tried to shift his leg in order to avoid it, however, he would lose his balance enough to prevent a counter attack. Nonetheless, if she thought that such an attack was enough to loosen his grip, even for an instant, she was sorely mistaken. The moment the drykas' leg kicked out, Aren pulled her in towards himself, shifting her whole body in the process. He could feel the hit land, but there was nothing that could be done about that, and he would simply have to assess the damage later. Aren's solution to his dilemma was a simple choke hold, delivered as if from the back. His arms would slide up towards Aleksi's neck, with the intention of securing it and allowing for the application of force. Unfortunately, this necessitated a release of her captured limbs, which would mean that she could still do a lot of damage even if Aren was successful. Furthermore, if the drykas were to somehow slip out of the lock, or avoid it altogether, her opponent would be forced to make use of the plan he had set in motion earlier in the battle. If it came to that, lack of physical trauma was not guaranteed. Even so, a magical blow would still be a more preferable option to a punch or a kick.

[Aleksi]

She could feel her foot hitting the knee, and she was pretty sure it would have had some sort of an impact on it, if not now, then as soon as the Akalak had cooled down. But when her body started moving up, she growled loudly... Her muscles tensed as she tried to look back at the man now literally holding her by her throat. He was good... this Akalak, he was very good actually. Maybe she should just give up, she didn't feel like fighting at all that night anyway, like most other nights in Nyka... No.. no.. the bet was still on.. she had to win that... but.. how bad could it possibly be? Her mind went all over the place, so she just seemed to go numb in his arms... not trying to fight him, squeeze away or even kick.... An idea though, came about, that was just cruel. It wouldn't win her the fight by far, Gods no, but it sure would be fun hearing him squeal like a little girl again. No.. that was not the way of Drykas, she could not do it. Taking a deep breath, or well, as deep as she could with his arm around her throat, she mumbled Let's find out what is it that you want Akalak before letting her hand grab onto his arm as if to signal him to let her go. After all, she could not possibly do anything that he demanded in such a position. Way to go Aleksi, you just got yourself in a whole lot of trouble she thought to herself before frowning and rolling her eyes

[Aren]

Aren could feel his knee already beginning to throb, but he was currently beyond such petty concerns. His gambit had paid off, and Aleksi currently found herself in his arm, although probably not in the way either of them really wanted. The moment he had her, the akalak promptly began to apply pressure to her neck, gradually denying her brain of much needed blood flow. Suspiciously, however, she wasn't attempting any kind of defensive maneuver, which immediately put Aren on alert. Touching him on the arm, the drykas' words seemed to indicate that she was accepting defeat, but that made her opponent all the more suspicious. How did he know that the moment he released his grip on her she wouldn't try something? The longer the battle went on, the more the damage he had sustained would accrue, and the akalak simply wasn't willing to take the chance. "Oh, we will... after you wake up," Aren stated, with a smile that she might not be able to see, but could probably sense. As if on cue, the akalak's massive arms seemed to tighten, in order to hasten victory. His prize awaited, after all, and he was eager to claim it.

[Aleksi]

She felt her body slowly lose strength as the man's grip was tighter. He didn't seem to want to quit so she scratched along his arm before she ended up passing out right there. Her eyes already began closing when she felt the arm squeeze even more and that was the last thing she remembered. A few chimes later, or so it appeared, Aleksi could feel her head pounding, or something within it. Her eyes would not open for the life of them, probably due to the blood flow just getting back to normal. Taking deep breaths, she tried to wiggle and failed miserably. Something was preventing her from it. Attempting to open her eyes just made the poor Drykas sick. Growling, she coughed some, bringing air back into her lungs properly. This all seemed like it lasted for an eternity, since her head was still pounding and when she opened her eyes, it was dark... very dark... and blurry. Only later did she realize that it was dark because she was outside during night time. Managing to open her eyes finally, she took a deep breath and looked about to try and see where she was, mumbling Petching Akalak and his lack of ability to differentiate a fight between a spar

[Aren]

Aren could feel his prey slipping into unconsciousness. After a few more seconds he was confident that she was completely gone, and that it was safe to release his grip on her. "W-what...?" Aren thought, suddenly realizing that, for some reason, his arms refused to acknowledge his command. He didn't understand it. What was going on? If he maintained the choke much longer Aleksi would never awaken again. Unfortunately, the answer to his question was soon made evident. "Hey sunshine, miss me?" Seros asked, knowing the answer to his question all too well. "N-no... not now!" Aren cried, as his Other made his appearance. It had been a long time since the beast inside him had been able to effect some measure of control over the real world, but this was certainly the worst possible moment for this to happen. "Yes... Now," For the first time in almost a century, Seros truly spoke, his voice seizing the throat of the man who kept him chained in an abyss of despair for nearly a hundred years. "H-how..." Aren was losing the battle, and the fact that he didn't know why was an answer in itself. "You've been weak, ever since you met that little drykas girl all those days ago. And now... you meet another, and your weakness grows," Seros was all too happy to explain, but that didn't account for why he had been able to break through at this specific point in time. Fortunately, his narcissism compelled him to make sure that his brother knew exactly how it had happened. The shift in voice and tone and facial expressions as Aren spoke, seemingly to himself, would have looked like a scene out of a nightmare. Unfortunately, even as the conversation carried on, Aleksi's time was running out. Soon, the land of death would be her home, and her time among the living would seem the dream. "Right now, your mind is so preoccupied with the pain of your body that it has allowed the burden of your heart to grow too heavy," The beast laughed with delight, knowing that this moment could only have been possible because of the sentimental foolishness of his brother. "And the price for your lack of vigilance... will be this girl's life!" Seros beamed, absolutely confident in his victory. "It. Will. NOT!" Aren could sense the bastard's mind had weakened in that one instant, when he thought himself victor, much in the same way Aren himself had. Using every ounce of strength available to him, ignoring every hint of pain he felt, real or in memory, the akalak capitalized on his brother's moment of unbridled arrogance. Suddenly releasing his hold on Aleksi, a wave of relief washed over the akalak's body. Breath laboring, and shaken to his very foundation, Aren found that he could no longer remain on his feet. As he sat there, on the grass, he could not help but stare at the girl his weakness had nearly killed. The akalak did not think that she had suffered any permanent damage, but that was little comfort. Eventually, Aleksi seemed to awaken, for which Aren thanked every god whose name he knew. She had slumbered long, but she was alright now. The drykas spoke, her words low and throaty, but they may as well have been completely silent; the man who sat besides her was so despondent that he couldn't hear anything beyond the guilt of his own heart. "You will never again use my hands as your own." He vowed, overcome by a surge of rage unlike any he had ever experienced before. Seros' response, however, the certainty in his voice... it chilled him to the very bone. "We'll see..."

[Aleksi]

Her body managed to lift itself up, at least the upper part, into somewhat of a sitting position with a loud grunt and a heavy grasp of her fingers onto the grass. She was sure that once she regains full strength, she is going to jump on that Akalak and bash his face in for this. Looking to the side, she noticed the man sitting with a face that looked far from victorious. He seemed worn out, beaten, guilty and angry.. or was that worried or sad? She wasn't sure, after all she only knew him for a few days. What could she have done to have him like this? What could HE have done to feel so guilty about it? Aleksi looked up and down herself, noticing that she was the same as when they came here, just slightly worn out. Somehow managing to push herself onto her knees, growling at the pain in her lungs with every breath, she crawled over to him. Her arm reached out towards him and brushed along his arm, adding with her head tilted, now actually concerned about him What.... in the whole of Mizahar, happened to you? You won a fight... and you are sitting here... with that look on your face She tried to force a smile through the pain and annoyance of her lungs literally squeaking as they were trying to reach their full capacity again. Sitting there, next to him, really close, was probably a very bad idea, with what had happened in that fight and with how weak she was, but hey, the only thing that could happen to her was that she could die and the Drykas really had nothing to live for as it is.... Along with that bravery or lucidity, depending on the point of view, the fact that he could have, but didn't kill her while she was out cold, calmed her down.

[Aren]

The look on Aren's face told an interesting tale, of that there could be no doubt, but the story's details were obscured. His expression was like a mirror which had shattered; it reflected a tragic fate, but not the specific circumstances of that end. Although he was in a sorry state, the drykas' touch served to awaken Aren from his somber reverie. It was just a light brush against his arm, but the tactile contact seemed to act as a jolt to his system. Snapping back into the real world, the akalak thought he detected a note of concern in Aleksi's voice. Her question was a perfectly valid one, but one he couldn't really answer. What would he say? That, not only had he nearly got her killed, but that it was his own hands that attempted the deed? He would have had to delve into the nature of akalaks to even begin to explain himself, and that would have been a long conversation, with an uncertain conclusion. "Victory... is a matter of perspective," It was the only response Aren could manage on such short notice, but he didn't think Aleksi would be satisfied with such a cryptic response. She deserved a real answer, and the akalak wanted to give it to her, even if it wasn't the whole story. Taking a deep breath in order to collect his thoughts, Aren turned his head to face away from Aleksi, "I, uh, may have held on a little too long," the guilt in his eyes would simply have betrayed a much deeper meaning. "Please, Miss Aleksi, accept my sincerest apology," The akalak stated, genuine remorse evident in his features.