MAEA
It was a dance, wasn't it? And thought Maea didn't know the steps, though the melody and rhytm of the music was only their breathing, her pounding heart and his occasional comments, it was still lovely. One she could easily learn to love. Equal parts savage and intimate, requiring quick thinking and improvisation in equal measure. She had to admit it; he was a good teacher.
The little grunt he let off when her wooden blade connected with his side offset the instinctive horror of actually striking true. Maea had never killed anyone in her life, had only wounded one creature in a combat situation - poor turtle - and was not one to get into fights over ordinary things. And while she had hunted and slaughtered sheep, it was through trapping or other means; most animals had been dead or stunned, or delivered the final stroke by someone else. The feeling that riccocheted up her arm was unfamiliar and quite awful, and as she spun out from Sunjata's grip the girl felt a little unbalanced by it.
So when he came in for her again, angling towards her and aiming a stab at her back, she had her weight to the back of her heels and couldn't shift out of the way quick enough. The practice blade dug its way painfully into her skin and muscles just above her left hip, and she was pushed away more by the force of his blow than by her own volition. Maea hissed with the pain of it and let momentum carry her out of reach, wanting to buy time to steady herself, take a deep breath.
"That is going to hurt tomorrow," she winced through her teeth - no doubt it would be bruising prettily on her marble skin too, come morning.
Not allowing herself to wallow in the pain however - or let him start to worry about hurting her - she started forward again as soon as she could, angling in towards him again. Approaching more wearily this time, she tried a little feint. Bouncing a little in her step, first towards the left where his dagger hand was, then to the right as she dove in to try and strike at the place he'd shown her before, into the side and up beneath the ribs.
The little grunt he let off when her wooden blade connected with his side offset the instinctive horror of actually striking true. Maea had never killed anyone in her life, had only wounded one creature in a combat situation - poor turtle - and was not one to get into fights over ordinary things. And while she had hunted and slaughtered sheep, it was through trapping or other means; most animals had been dead or stunned, or delivered the final stroke by someone else. The feeling that riccocheted up her arm was unfamiliar and quite awful, and as she spun out from Sunjata's grip the girl felt a little unbalanced by it.
So when he came in for her again, angling towards her and aiming a stab at her back, she had her weight to the back of her heels and couldn't shift out of the way quick enough. The practice blade dug its way painfully into her skin and muscles just above her left hip, and she was pushed away more by the force of his blow than by her own volition. Maea hissed with the pain of it and let momentum carry her out of reach, wanting to buy time to steady herself, take a deep breath.
"That is going to hurt tomorrow," she winced through her teeth - no doubt it would be bruising prettily on her marble skin too, come morning.
Not allowing herself to wallow in the pain however - or let him start to worry about hurting her - she started forward again as soon as she could, angling in towards him again. Approaching more wearily this time, she tried a little feint. Bouncing a little in her step, first towards the left where his dagger hand was, then to the right as she dove in to try and strike at the place he'd shown her before, into the side and up beneath the ribs.
Light is easy to love
Show me your darkness
Show me your darkness
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
