Tal was sensitive about his height. Sure, he was tall for a Natural Halovian! ...But he tended to come up a few inches short of most Outlanders he'd met. Hotaru was an exception and normally he felt subconsciously glad that there was one person who didn't look down their physical nose at him, but in a fight her short stature was a real pain in the neck ankles.
"I'm just gettin' warmed up first!" he shot back, trying to sound offended but ruining the effect with the adrenaline-grin plastered on his face. This time he was ready when she slashed and he pulled his hips back with a gut-sucking rock back on his heels that put him perilously close to slipping into the water.
He didn't fall this time either, though, instead recovering quickly and following Hotaru as his momentum brought him forward again to land on her original stone. "See? I'm doin' my stretches!" And stretch he did-- reaching out across the water to take a slice at a lock of her hair, since she was crouched down far enough to make it hard to hit most of the rest of her!
"I'm just gettin' warmed up first!" he shot back, trying to sound offended but ruining the effect with the adrenaline-grin plastered on his face. This time he was ready when she slashed and he pulled his hips back with a gut-sucking rock back on his heels that put him perilously close to slipping into the water.
He didn't fall this time either, though, instead recovering quickly and following Hotaru as his momentum brought him forward again to land on her original stone. "See? I'm doin' my stretches!" And stretch he did-- reaching out across the water to take a slice at a lock of her hair, since she was crouched down far enough to make it hard to hit most of the rest of her!
