Going it Alone (Solo)

[Talya]

Timestamp: Summer 70, 515 AV The night had not yet come, but it would soon descend upon Zeltiva, plunging it into darkness. The sky was overrun by streaks of vibrant pastels, bursts of purple and pink, with a smattering of the day's pale blue remnants. A cloud was not to be seen, although the half moon of the upper sun was peeking out from over the top of some of the Zeltivan buildings. Talya wasn't exactly privy to this however, as she had locked herself up in her room hours ago, like a child throwing a tantrum. Although she wasn't angry, not exactly, just in one of her moods. A period marred by deep contemplation, and a sort of agitation that made it difficult for her to sit still. That made her feel as though she had to keep moving, unless it creep up on her and overcome. So, so as to distract herself, Talya decided that she would practice her dagger form, as it would not only keep her body from growing still, but it would ward off the agitation, perhaps ease her into a state of moving meditation, and help keep her fit. In many ways, it was productive, and being appreciative of this aspect, she had moved all of her furniture into the corner of her apartment, so as to provide herself with more room in which to practice. It wasn't much, just a table and a chair really, but that wasn't the point. Now she had a floor. Talya stood in the middle of the room, taking deep breaths in through her nose, and out through her mouth. Her chest rose and fell steadily as she blinked a few times, her eyes sweeping over the smooth texture of the far wall. The neatly sanded, smooth dark wood. She took another deep breath, and began to count the number of times her heart beat within a minute. One. Two, her hand fell over the concealed hilt of her dagger, strapped to her upper thigh, the right leg. Three., Talya breathed out as her hand slipped through the slit on the side of her dress, and her fingers began to brush the wire hilt of her blade. The tips tingled as she pressed them lightly against the weapon, and her eyes began to narrow. Four. Five. Six. Sev- She forced her hand a little further, allowing her fingers to wrap around the hilt; her muscles to tug it close to her palm; tuck it against the skin. -en. Eight. Nine. Talya took another deep, cleansing breath, before she tightened her grip, and began to unsheathe the dagger. Each time she did, she found, she expected it to sound in some way- perhaps to ring. Perhaps to groan. Something, but it never did, and at times, this she found, left her feeling somewhat empty. Ten. Talya pushed the feelings away as she drew the blade into the open, so that its cold, silver metal flashed in whatever sunlight slipped in through the draped windows; whatever light played off the dancing flame of the candle she had lit before, and left standing upon the table. Slowly, as her blackened eyes drank in the sight of the weapon, the Ethaefal began to slip into her starting stance. She allowed her right foot to slide across the hard wood floor. Its body resting between the outline of a single board. The limb held flat, with its point directed north, to the far wall, the space directly ahead of her. The left foot she let sink behind, so that when the right foot was done moving, they were situated perhaps a eighteen inches apart from one another. Unlike the right foot however, the left was twisted toward the left, so that together, they formed an approximately ninety degree angle. With the proper spacing having been gained, Talya shifted her weight. As she bent the right leg at the knee, while keeping the other largely straight and taut, she managed to place almost all of her weight on her lead foot, making it feel somewhat heavy from all the pressure. With this done as well, Talya began to perform the last few steps to gain her favored starting stance. She twisted the upper portion of her body to the left, so that her right side was directed to the imaginary opponent who stood before her. Thus, presenting less of a target than would her full chest. She then bent each of her arms at the elbow, and brought them up before her chest. Her left hand balled into a fist, as though she were combining elements of both unarmed and weapon skills. The right was slightly ahead of this, perhaps, two to three inches, and held the dagger. The blade turned back so it rested against the length of her arm. The point falling just below the elbow. With another deep breath, Talya sank more deeply into her stance. She knew now that she was ready to begin. Her eyes narrowed further, she thought now that she could see the wavering outline of an imaginary opponent, although there was nothing beside herself in the room. But it didn't matter. She was prepared, and as such, she let her right foot slide a little farther forward, before allowing the left to trail lazily behind, shuffling along the floor. She kept her feet within the space of their respective boards, as she pulled her left hand in a little, against the chest, to make room for the right to fight. She began simply, by pushing the right arm forward, extending it until it were nearly straight, before flicking the blade upward and out, kind of like one may a switchblade. She imagined the blade at least sending her opponent back a few paces, which would provide her room to continue her offensive, and keep manuevering, although she liked the idea, also, of stabbing her opponent in the neck. But who ever got that lucky on their first strike?

[Talya]

Talya smirked as she glided forward easing into her previous steps as she pulled her left hand out, before tucking it safely against her side. The right she guided outward, to the right side of her body, like she was slashing across a person's shoulders, or throat. She then twisted her hand, as though she were driving the blade's point into their flesh. Leaning forward into her stance a little as she did so, before wrenching it back. Drawing it out with some fresh blood, and circling a few steps back. She eyed her invisible opponent then, as her heart began to beat a little faster, and her chest to rise and fall a tad more rapidly. She tucked her left arm behind her back, as she darted forward again, keeping her arm extended as before, before sweeping her blade down. She imagined it raking over the side; the upper flesh of a leg, before she swept her arm up and under, bringing it toward the neck again, the chin. From there, Talya turned. She began with her left foot. Drawing it across the floor in a crescent, until it came to a place directly across from the right. At which time, she began to move the other too, until she had forced her body to go around the space where she had imagined her opponent to be. Her body twirled, and as she did, her hair came off her shoulders, and wound with her, as did the arm that bore the blade. She pictured herself raking it across her opponent's back, as she pulled herself out of her twirl, and stood now, behind him. She'd have a few seconds she supposed, before they turned to meet her onslaught, before they turned to raise a defense, or even had the time to react. Talya knew it would be best to capitalize on those precious moments, and slashed across her imaginary opponent's back. She went from the upper right corner, across to the opposite shoulder, then down to the hip, before moving her blade in a rapid zig-zag that spanned the center of the back. After which point, Talya supposed that her opponent would have had the time to turn to face her. She supposed that they may move first into a defensive position, so as to ward off any more of her attacks, before finding an opening in which to begin their own offensive series of strikes. She thought as much would be ok, as each battle was a dance. One moment, you were attacking, the next defending, as you circled your opponent. One moment you looked to be winning, and perhaps in the next, they seemed to be. One moment, you could be in one area, and the next, the other side of the floor. One moment there was space between you, and the next, there was hardly any room to move; in one breath, you could be backed against the wall, and in the next, they could be. In one moment, your blades may be clanging together, and in the next, they couldn't have been farther apart. Such was simply the nature of battle, and as such, Talya accepted that she would likely have to defend now. To switch gears, as it were. So, she fell back, largely, into her beginning stance, and raised her right arm forward. Tilting her hand by the wrist, so the blade ran on a slight diagonal, and covered more ground. Tal blocked a potential strike to the head. She imagined the clang of metal.

[Talya]

It was strangely satisfying to her, even if it wasn't real. Blocks she knew, usually didn't last long. Usually, you didn't just lock blades with your opponent to test their strength as you stared into their eyes, stalling the fight, while you wondered if the fact that you were now hopped up on adrenaline were causing your body to fall in love. No, Talya shook her head lightly, that was stupid, she knew, as she let the block crumble, and then rose back into it, as her imaginary opponent tried the same strike on her. She wasn't new to this, she wouldn't fall to that tactic, as the blades pulled away again, and she raised it once more across her chest, to block another attack. Another imagined clang sounding in the air as she slid her blade to the right, blocking another imagined strike; parrying as she slid forward a few inches with both feet. Knocking her opponent's dagger back with a sharp push and thrust against her own weapon, which opened up the tiniest amount of space. Talya drove herself into the opening, widening it by allowing her shoulder to push against the opponent's chest, before she allowed her body to sink to avoid any counter strikes. Talya's legs were bent at the knees. All of her weight, every ounce of its pressure upon her feet, now both turned forward to face her imaginary opponent. She sank further toward the ground, until she had settled into a springy squat. Her blade following her back down as she imagined the opponent's blade sail past over her head. When it was out of range, Talya sprang up like a frog, she brought her blade from the base of her opponent's chest to the neck in a clean sweep, before zipping around the person's ride side. Twirling as she protected her head with the now-raised weapon. Stopping her movement only when she had nearly completed a full circle and gone back to her starting position. She stopped to the left side of her opponent, as she didn't want to re-use a move and stop behind him. Once there, and her head had stopped its momentary spinning, she thrust the blade forward in a jab, before hopping back to remain out of range. Talya's throat was beginning to ache now. She could feel it constricting as her heart beat a little faster, and her warm blood continued to course through her veins. The opponent turned. Talya pictured them swinging wildly at her with their weapon. She raised hers to meet each strike- a block to the left, a bar by her right hip, a bar to the left again. An attempt to slit her throat that she met with a tilt of her blade, not far from her left shoulder. Another strike to the right hip, which she narrowly blocked too as she inched forward, putting pressure on both blades before she lifted hers away. She thought she could hear the faint grate of metal against metal as she pulled her right arm past her right shoulder, cocking the appendage at the elbow, for a moment as she edged farther to the side, and then finally, let the limb snap forward, as though she meant to jab at the imaginary opponent. Although instead of being a largely straight strike, Talya angled the movement of her arm slightly inward, so that it formed a sort of half circle, and the extension of the blade twisted farther out to the side, as though she were raking at the shoulder again. When it had gone as far as it would go, Talya inched her left foot back half a step, and to the right, so that when she pulled her right arm back in a wide arc, it all seemed to come together; one fluid motion. Following past lines; muscle memories, clean cuts through the air. Now thick with the stench of the sweat that had begun to bead her brow. Tal's heart beat even faster. She felt as though she were just beginning to warm up as she backed away from her opponent. And performed a few more swift blocks as they retried their offensive. First, Tal blocked her right shoulder with the blade, by cocking her arm and keeping it close. Then she blocked her chest by sweeping it down; then her far shoulder; her face. The space above the head as the opponent mounted more and more desperate attacks. Talya supposed she were tiring them. But how could that be, when they weren't even a shadow? Talya shook her head again. This were merely a game of her mind, a test of her own strength and prowess.

[Talya]

The Ethaefal pulled back a few paces, to square off against her imaginary opponent. She sank into her starting position. She rocked her weight back and forth, from her lead foot, to the one that followed behind, trying to keep her blood flowing, more ready for any impending attack. She imagined her opponent catching their breath, taking a moment to plan out their next series of moves before running at her. Their weapon was held down, at their side, and as they neared, they began to raise it, sweeping it in for an underside strike, meant to rake up the center of the body. Talya raised her blade instinctively, within an instant, blocked the attack, lazily in a way. The opponent pulled the blade back a moment later, causing her to do the same. They tried another strike to her right side, which Talya also blocked by raising her blade. She pictured the metal clash again, ringing in her ears as she pulled her blade away, and then ran forward, into the space opened up by the conclusion of the previous attack. As she moved, Talya dropped her hand, allowing the blade to fall close to her hip. As she obtained a striking distance, Talya guided her arm upward, forcing the blade to rake against her imaginary opponent's chest. She imagined them gritting their teeth as their body seethed in pain, and outstretching their arm to knock hers out of the way. In retaliation, she shot her left hand up, and allowed her fingers to ravel around the bare flesh by the elbow, not only bracing her opponent's arm, but keeping it in place as she brought her dagger up and over the captured limb. Slamming the point into the base, by the shoulder, over and over again, so as to weaken it, and render it entirely useless, not only during the course of this battle, but any others that may have been in the future, assuming of course that they survived this one first. Talya thought she could hear a faint cry of pain as she released the limb, and allowed her opponent's arm to sag to their side. She grinned happily, her eyes glimmering, as she knew now, if she ever carried out such a move in a real battle, successfully, than the rest of it would be mere child's play for her. The battle essentially, already won. Feeling as though she had been renewed with a sense of vigor, and strength, Talya shot forward and danced around her opponent's body. She spun from the side around the back, and slammed her dagger into the space between their shoulder blades before extracting the weapon. With that done, she did another half turn to her opponent's side, and slammed the blade into the area above the hip, before pulling it out just enough where sliding it up under the armpit would be an easy enough task. She then swept the blade out, either to follow the underside of the arm, or to retract it, before slamming the weapon into the severe wounds she had created earlier to make her opponent crumble. From there, was the best moment. The one where she stood over the defeated. The one where she lorded the win over them a moment, before grabbing a clump of their hair in her hand, pulling the head back, and slitting the throat. Ending the battle as she released and they fell. She'd smirk then, and clean her blade, making it seem as though nothing out of the ordinary at all had occurred. OOCMy apologies if the wording of this thread is at all confusing. Also- since this is all imaginary, (on the part of the opponent), I supposed even the unlikely or improbable would be possible. Hopefully that's ok. ^^