Well, his attempt at teasing fell flat, but at least the conversation was over for the moment. Getting down to business, he was impressed when she anticipated his feint and blocked his first punch. She'd asked for a spar, and Tal wasn't going to hold back out of some misguided chivalry. He didn't know Maea well - as their recent interactions had proven over and over again - but he'd gotten to know her well enough to figure out that such patronizing bullshit wouldn't be appreciated.
Besides, she had too many tricks of her own to take her lightly.
If she hadn't pushed his arm down he wouldn't have seen the way her weight shifted in time, but she did and he did and he quickly reacted. Thanks to where his arm had been moved he couldn't just pull back and dance away like he'd prefer, so instead he went with the motion, stepping forward and inside the circle of her kick to stop it short and dilute its power as he tried to bring an elbow around to strike her sharply in the chin.
Besides, she had too many tricks of her own to take her lightly.
If she hadn't pushed his arm down he wouldn't have seen the way her weight shifted in time, but she did and he did and he quickly reacted. Thanks to where his arm had been moved he couldn't just pull back and dance away like he'd prefer, so instead he went with the motion, stepping forward and inside the circle of her kick to stop it short and dilute its power as he tried to bring an elbow around to strike her sharply in the chin.
