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+---- Thread: [SE] Hit me, baby, one more time (/showthread.php?tid=11387)
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RE: Hit me, baby, one more time - Thalassa - 05-28-2025
Perhaps she'd been a little too cocky. It was a good thing that she knew Hadama wouldn't actually hurt her. He'd proven that over and over in their many spars, but it didn't change the initial panic at having her wrist caught. She schooled her shock enough not to fry him to a crisp, but her smile still sharpened to something more serious.
Thal dug her heels as he began to pull her, tensing her body as she answered his question in a sing-song voice. [say]"It seemed to work last time I used it against someone."[/say] Not that she particularly liked thinking about her spar with Vesper.
Whether it was that particular thought or the frustration at being manhandled, Thal twisted her hips, driving a punch straight for the ribs she'd been poking in hopes of getting his hold to release. If it did, she'd be gone again in a whisp of shadows.
RE: Hit me, baby, one more time - Hadama - 05-29-2025
He had proven before that he could take the heat of her flames, even when used full force and in a panic. He did, however, trust her to not repeat that mistake with him again. This was still a spar, even if it was a friendly one, and while a certain amount of bruising was to be expected he had hoped that neither of them would require more powerful healing beyond that level.
But he was prepared if it came to that.
"Oh? I should demonstrate--" he was cut off as she suddenly stopped fighting the drag of his arm and jabbed her fist into his ribs. He grunted but absorbed the impact, taking the hit as fair recompense for what he did next. For rather than releasing Thalassa he pulled at her arm, sharp and sudden, and twisted his own hips to bring his free arm around in a heavy backhand. It was still calculated to not use his full strength, but it was hard enough to show his respect for his opponent as he attempted to jerk her into the path of his fist.
RE: Hit me, baby, one more time - Thalassa - 05-30-2025
Thal couldn't say her strike was everything she'd hoped for. Her wrist was still securely in his grasp, leaving her unable to dart away and extremely vulnerable to his next attack which came rushing towards her face while she stumbled forward at his tug. The contact snapped her head to the side, pain lacing her lip and cheek where his fist struck. She was so stunned that she froze for a minute, her tongue dragging out to lick lazily at the split in her lip, debating her next move.
Because he hadn't just hit her, he'd backhanded her. Like she was some sort of unruly woman needing of discipline or a mistress who'd spoken out of turn. And even though she knew Hadama hadn't meant it as anything more than a point in their spar, Thal could think of a hundred other ways he could have responded to her that didn't make her feel like trash - like how she'd felt multiple times these last few weeks.
Knowing that he probably wouldn't realize his error, the anger on her face was more muted than it might have been, dark and stormy beneath a dangerously calm exterior. Choosing to use mostly her words, she flexed her jaw against the blooming ache there. Her voice was a near whisper, the taste of blood on her tongue. [say]"Never hit me like that again."[/say] Before he could respond, she slammed her heeled boot into his foot (not too hard, but hard enough), hoping again for him to release her so she might put some distance between them.
RE: Hit me, baby, one more time - Hadama - 05-31-2025
He would bear a bruise from her fist if he did not Heal them both first, but he was willing to accept the hit in exchange for landing one of his own. He had chosen the strike because of how his body was twisted and how much shorter Thalassa was; he could not aim at her ribs with how their arms were entangled. Her reaction - of lack of it, in how she froze - informed him immediately that something was wrong, however, and he swiftly released her wrist and abandoned his stance--
But she was already stomping onto his foot, drawing a wince from him at last so that he was the one who stepped back from her. Emerald eyes regarded her with more than concern - there was genuine worry in them as he looked over her, confusion evident in the faint furrow of his brows. "I... do not understand," he admitted slowly. "Will you allow me to heal us? And tell me what I have done?" What he would not do again, once he understood the cause of her distress.
RE: Hit me, baby, one more time - Thalassa - 05-31-2025
The moment his hold on her was released, Thal darted a few feet away, flashing in and out of existence. Letting the cool air bank the fire under her skin, she sucked in a few deep breaths, closing her eyes to get a hold of the anger that she knew he didn't deserve, the misdirected pain that still rubbed raw in her chest. Her fists clenched and relaxed, the heat there not yet formed in flames as she released the blaze of her pride and the landmines Hadama had a knack for finding in their spars.
When her eyes turned to him, they were still a shifting blue that told of the control she was maintaining and how he was one of the few that would receive such treatment; but she nodded her head lightly at his offer, giving permission to heal even if she didn't step closer again. Because Thal stood defensively despite the logic telling her he wasn't a threat, the habits hard to break after so many years of practice. Her tail flicked behind her, slowing as she took another deep breath, trying to organize into words the unintended disrespect that came with his action.
A sneer threatened to form on her lips, barely restrained as her voice came out thick and heavy as smoke. [say]"For a woman - any woman - a backhand is more than just an insult; it's like branding her with the worst word you can think of - a thousand times over."[/say] Her tone wasn't unkind, but it was firm, supported by personal experience and the weight of recent emotions that left her tender. Thal leveled him with her gaze, letting her words sink in, for him to understand without her needing to say more.
RE: Hit me, baby, one more time - Hadama - 05-31-2025
He made no move to follow her darting teleport, only standing with his hands resting loosely at his sides, open now. He stood at rest, deliberately still and giving no threat. No defense, either. The spar was over, ended not so much with injury as with a mistake that had done far deeper damage and Hadama waited with worried patience for Thalassa to find her composure and the words to guide him.
Though at her nod, however slight, he drew in a breath and exhaled power, the familiar moonlit mist rising from the meadow around them to soothe bruises and split lips, washing away the physical damage even if it could not touch the deeper wound that he had caused.
And when she spoke he listened. Took the words in and turned them over. It was outside of his own experience, but he trusted in Thalassa's point of view and what she had lived. He gave a slow nod of understanding and then after another deep breath to gather his words he bowed deeply in apology. "I am sorry, Thalassa. I did not intend insult. And I regret giving you such." He straightened slowly, meeting her eyes with lingering concern. "And thank you, for explaining."
RE: Hit me, baby, one more time - Thalassa - 05-31-2025
The small split in her lip knit back together, although she could still taste the coppery hint of blood on her tongue. She didn't fight the feeling, letting the healing power wash over her like cold water to smother more of the embers of her anger.
Hadama's bow and stiff apology weren't exactly what she was going for, and Thal had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she nodded her head, a little stiffly but accepting of his regrets. [say]"I know you didn't. That's why I didn't stab you, or light you on fire."[/say] It was a little too flat to be snarky, and a smile may have ghosted across her lips if she wasn't still thinking about how she'd almost done as much to the other demigod who had insulted her in a similar fashion. The time since then had made the memory slick with pain rather than violence, tender despite what she may say.
With the anger gone, she crossed her arms, finally closing the distance between them with measured steps. [say]"Just - don't do it again."[/say] She sighed before muttering, [say]"I'd rather you punch, kick, or stab me than hit me across the face with the back of your hand."[/say] Thal could probably add a whole list of other attacks that wouldn't send her into a blind fit of rage, but she figured he got the point. He could add 'backhanding' along with 'pinning her to the ground with gravity' on the short list of banned moves in their spars.
RE: Hit me, baby, one more time - Hadama - 06-01-2025
Given the nature of their spar, being stabbed or lit on fire would not have particularly surprised him. He would not have understood the true reason behind it, however, though he took her words at face value and nodded his gratitude for her self control. "Thank you," he murmured.
He watched her approach without moving, staying still as he might have around a feral cat or a shark whose hunger level he had not yet assessed. Her words drew a deep breath from him and a deeper nod as he gave his solemn oath. "I will not do it again." He studied her for a few moments, taking in the restrained frustration, the hurt that had nothing to do with the physical pain that had been healed, and the dimming of her usual bright spark.
"I will listen, if there is something else that is bothering you." An offer made quietly, gently, as he stood like a lone tree upon the grassy meadow of King's End.
RE: Hit me, baby, one more time - Thalassa - 06-02-2025
Accepting the appreciation and his resolute oath, Thal gave a softer nod of her head. There was no reason for her to believe he would attempt the same move again, although she would hope he had learned enough not to do so against other women either.
The slow relaxing of her body froze at his offer, not tensing, but cautious. She hadn't thought the remnants of her wound would be visible to anyone, that she'd hidden them well enough with her confidence and anger. The fact that he'd recognized that something was bothering her sat a little too heavy with the weight of familiarity and intimacy.
She looked him over, trying to decide how much she wanted to share with the man - which was admittedly very little. It wasn't that she didn't trust Hadama, but that her sex life wasn't really something she wanted to discuss with the Mer King. There was also the fact that she couldn't quite put into words why Vesper's cold rejection had cut so deep, not without acknowledging some truths she wasn't ready to face.
Thal flicked a dismissive hand, glancing away as she crossed her arms again. [say]"It's nothing. Just some self-righteous prick doing what they do best."[/say] The words were controlled to disguise the thorn still lodged deep in her chest. Eager to move away from the topic in case she gave away more, she asked, [say]"Was there anything else you wanted to work on?"[/say]
RE: Hit me, baby, one more time - Hadama - 06-02-2025
He received the dismissal of his offer with calm acceptance and a quiet respect for Thalassa's privacy. He knew he was not the easiest to confide in, and given how he had just erred against her he took no insult in her unwillingness to open up to him now. He simply inclined his head in acknowledgment of her decision and shifted his gaze to the horizon for a moment, taking in what few words she did grant him with silent contemplation.
Her words drew him back, though it was with a shake of his head. 'Mmh. I need to strengthen my gravity spikes. But not today." He was disinclined to push things further with Thalassa, especially since her experiences with that particular manifestation of his power was rather fraught. The world might not wait for them, but Hadama would still be patient with his friends, and he would give the Ancient whatever space and time she needed to be comfortable around him again.
He began to walk again, strides long but slow. "I will return to Torchline for now. Would you like a lift somewhere?" An offer made with courtesy as well as friendship before they went their separate ways for the day.
~Fin