Tal might have appreciated Maea's sinuous grace and excellent reflexes more if he hadn't been so disappointed in his own inability to land a punch. He scowled in concentration as he tried to shake off his earlier surprise at her knee landing, reminding himself not to underestimate her just because she hung out with books a lot.
He hadn't been leaning when he'd jabbed out his punches, at least; he'd ducked down, keeping his weight centered as he'd hunched lower to launch his attacks. Her spin was flashy and impressive, but it also telegraphed her intentions and gave Tal the precious second that he needed to pop up and shift to try and catch her leg, snaking his arm over it while he stepped in to drive a slightly-off-balance punch at her solar plexus, sacrificing some of his power in exchange for the speed to get the attack off in time.
He hadn't been leaning when he'd jabbed out his punches, at least; he'd ducked down, keeping his weight centered as he'd hunched lower to launch his attacks. Her spin was flashy and impressive, but it also telegraphed her intentions and gave Tal the precious second that he needed to pop up and shift to try and catch her leg, snaking his arm over it while he stepped in to drive a slightly-off-balance punch at her solar plexus, sacrificing some of his power in exchange for the speed to get the attack off in time.
