Overconfident. That's what Tal had gotten. He'd been relying too much on his speed and lither build to avoid Zavien's last blow and thought he'd gotten the measure of his friend's reactions. The Dragoon surprised him, not just by letting the blow slip past at an angle that avoided the worst of it but by riding the retreat of Tal's arm right back into the courier's body. Tal tried to bring his elbow around to block but wasn't quite fast enough and was caught squarely in the stomach.
He tightened his muscles to take the blow but the air was still pushed from his diaphragm in a soft wheeze as he folded around Zavien's fist.
Folded around it and tried to grab it, attempting to control the arm before it could be pulled out of range. And not simply control it - if successful,Tal made every attempt to use that arm as leverage to pull himself forward and Zavien down as he went in for a headbutt up into the Dragoon's forehead with his own considerably hard skull.
He tightened his muscles to take the blow but the air was still pushed from his diaphragm in a soft wheeze as he folded around Zavien's fist.
Folded around it and tried to grab it, attempting to control the arm before it could be pulled out of range. And not simply control it - if successful,Tal made every attempt to use that arm as leverage to pull himself forward and Zavien down as he went in for a headbutt up into the Dragoon's forehead with his own considerably hard skull.
