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Topic: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.] (Read 15509 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #50 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: DocReno

Ensign Slayton took both the kick and the punch, and yet - somehow - the pinkskin was back on his feet. Ida narrowed her eyes, seeing him close the distance, and yet he did not come back to her in force. Instead, he utilised 'feelers' in attempt to assess her as an opponent. A popular sparring technique, and one she might use in the beginning of a fight. Perhaps Husker was disoriented, requiring time to rebound from the hits he had taken. In either case, Ida would not indulge him. In fact, she would not give him the cues he searched for: the unintentional hints of her intentions. There were many subtle cues that she had rinsed from her techniques, neither cocking her arm back prior to a striking nor widening her eyes or raising her eyebrows. She did not betray her sudden answer to his probing technique with her breathing either - just acting on her instinct as she moved in.

In a real fight, her target zones would be the the eyes, temples, nose, chin, or the back of his neck. Instead, the strikes she unleashed went for the sides of his neck instead. She went for his torso too, the solar plexus and his ribs - about to immobilise his breathing instead of killing him. Yet as she did, she noticed how the pinkskin stepped up his speed too, his probing strikes coming quicker, and the rapid exchange of blows turned into trade of blocks and counter attacks that left them both without a solid hit.

What felt like a minute of consecutive techniques was surely no more than a couple of seconds, seconds that wore on their stamina and demanded complete focus lest the punishment would be a decisive for the outcome of the match. They were both weary, bruised and sore, and the ending was drawing near. Ida felt it coming, and she meant to do what she could to win, defying her exhaustion. The crowd had fallen silent with anticipation, the only sounds being those their bodies made, and the hissing of their breaths.

In the end, she was the one who changed the rhythm. She swayed back, exiting punching-range and shifting her weight to her rear, right leg. Her front kick went for the centre of his chest. The second kick came when that foot came down, going for the side of his knee. The third kick was an ax stomp with the same leg, with a preliminary upward swing before the power of the strike was concentrated to her heel. To add more power, she bent her rear left leg a bit to gain more downward momentum. She meant to floor him with the last one after ruining his balance with the first two.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #51 –
[Chris Slayton| Starboard Sparring Ring|  USS Theurgy] Attn: Ida

Chris' body was starting to ache from the sheer amount of punishment that was being done to it from Ida's attacks and combined with the fact that he now had damage to one eye that prevented him from looking out, let alone opening that eye, was going to make the rest of this fight difficult if it was to go on any longer.

When she moved out of range of his arms, he quickly exited CQC mode and watched her movements the best that he could before she managed to get a good and solid kick into the center mass of his chest which knocked him back a little bit but she quickly followed it up with a blow to his knee but her follow up blow he quickly pivoted and the attempted ax stomp was met with a follow through thrust kick to her stomach and abdomen which he followed through from his previous pivot.

But somewhere in the back of his mind, something clicked as he moved to a partial standing position and started hitting various levels of kicks at her, trying to keep the assistant chief of security off balance and when she tried to stand, he quickly moved in with forearm and elbow strikes but when she attempted to reply with attacks of her own-he fought to block them the best that he could.

But the soreness that was creeping through his body was starting to make him a little bit sluggish as he fought to keep his attack up and while he may have been a simple human, he was still a man from Asgard and they never gave up a fight...at least while they could still walk, talk, and blink because he wasn't just a fighter..but incredibly stubborn as well.

At that moment, even though he was in pain he couldn't help but see that his opponent was holding back and he smiled at her but it wasn't a mean smile or a sexy, snarky smile-but one of geniune respect for the fighter. "Come on now, ThanIda. If we're going to finish this bout, stop trying to hit me and hit me." he said respectfully to her.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #52 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: DocReno

The pinkskin looked rather worse for wear, and yet he fought on. He even wasted his breath to speak, and as sore as Ida felt after her round against the Vulcan halfbreed, the words stirred her. He might not have meant to invoke her anger with her challenge, and it was not exactly ire that animated her when she launched her next assault. She closed the distance after Husker's attack had pushed her away, and when she did, she came back as if she had been recoiled by a spring. She held naught back, driving her fist into his midriff as she returned, and as if that wasn't enough, she sized his shoulder and drove her knee into him with the same momentum.

The descending elbow strike to his head was am emphasised punctuation to the combination - meaning to floor him with it and end the match.

No, ire did not drive those final attacks home, it was no answer to a taunt of his. It was a show of respect towards him, acquiescing his wish for her to win the spar without any half-measures bringing him to heel. If he was about to loose, he wanted to loose the match on no uncertain terms, and as much she would grant him. It was just a fine balance to not cause him too much harm. She had enough experience to make that judgement call, and as it were, she was not certain how much longer she could have kept it up. She was beaded in sweat all over her toned body, aching to the marrow of her bones, and her high metabolism had drained her beyond what she was used to - exerting herself almost beyond her means to win even the second match fought.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #53 –
[Chris Slayton| Starboard Sparring Ring|  USS Theurgy] Attn: Ida

<Oh yeah..smooth move, exlax.> Chris thought to himself as Ida quickly rained one blow onto him after another but he knew that he couldn't hold out much longer and had chosen this path for a reason and as his body hit the ground, he rolled over onto his stomach to try and force himself to at least a kneeling position.

But as he tried to move, he found that his body wasn't responding as well as he would've liked as the combined injuries caused him to simply twist onto his back and look up at the woman at which point his breath got caught in his throat as his head started to spin .

There stood Ida, the light of the room shining off of each and every single droplet of sweat as it rolled off of her lithe and trim form, her breasts heaving with every breath from the sheer amount of effort caused by her last attack and her hair in slight disarray from all of it...

"I would really love to paint what I'm seeing right now..." was the only thing that he could think to say right before he winced extremely hard as the last set of blows to his head caused his head to explode internally with tremendous pain as he winced hard enough that there was a light crunching sound somewhere in the area around his eye that was swollen shut from her efforts.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #54 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: DocReno

When Husker did not get up again, there was a moment of hesitation before the crowd dared raise their voice in a cheer for the victor. A cheer not joined by all, some still remembering the Niga Incident - no doubt - and not entirely convinced that what she and the pilot on the deck had done in the battle against the Calamity was enough to redeem her. Others did not cheer because after having won against Captain Ives, their bets had been on the pinkskin. Either way, Ida did not care.

She looked towards Husker and inclined her head respectfully while she was declared the winner of the match, and present medical personnel moved to help the pilot out of the ring. Ida watched the pinkskin long enough to make certain he was not too badly hurt before she turned to the crowd.

"Do we have another challenger?" she called, blood stirred by the fact that she had won two matches in a row, and not about to forfeit the victory of the tournament merely because she was exhausted and sore, bruised and bleeding from the corner of her lip. If there was another challenger, she would take him or her on, and not yield the victory unless she had to.

OOC: Next match will be the last one before we shift focus to Episode 04. If there are no challengers, ida won the tournament.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #55 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Starboard Sparring Ring] Attn: Auctor Lucan

"Here." A voice called out from the crowd. Through the throng stepped the bulk that was Wenn Cinn.

He had watched the previous two matches, arriving when he had heard of the tournament. Initially he had come only to spectate but the competition had stirred something within. Cinn knew the therapeutic qualities of physical exercise and the rush of endorphins that followed. It was addictive. Ida would be aching, but no doubt that she was currently feeling on top of the world. Many times Cinn had chased that rush. It was that, and his sense of duty, which had kept him going through the resistance. He had known it wouldn't have taken much to get him to join this impromptu tournament.

In fact, it was the way in which she called for another challenger, almost gloating, that was the straw, which broke the camel's back. Cinn loved Ida, as a colleague, as a friend and as a daughter. But just because you love someone doesn't mean you cannot teach them. In this case, that lesson was humility.

Keeping an eye upon the Andorian he began to strip from his duty uniform until he was down to standard issue undergarments, shirt and shorts. From behind there was a catcall as he removed his trousers, no idea if it was from a man or woman; it still gave Cinn a smirk.

One of the Gamma shift security officers began to wrap Cinn's hands. Wenn had seen him before, but couldn't remember his name. He'd transferred from Harbinger. At least he knew how to wrap hands for fighting. Three times around the wrist, then three times around the hands. As they wrapped in an x fashion through the fingers and around the thumb Wenn started to build his strategy. Ida was fast; she was nimble, and capable of hitting with both precision and force. However, she was also tired and no doubt aching from her last two matches. As a big man, he figured that she would try to use her speed to catch him off guard, as he could withstand her assault in a traditional boxing setting. He had a plan; he just needed to enact it.

Once they had wrapped over his knuckles and finished at the wrist. Cinn began to stretch. He'd need the mobility. "What do you think Deputy? Care to wager on shift rotation? Perhaps replicator rations or time on the holodeck?"

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #56 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: Arista

Hearing the voice, Ida turned around and saw the mountain of a man that was her superior officer. The chuckle that escaped her at the realisation of whom her next challenger would be, it was that of a single warrior beset by an army after a whole day on the battlefield. Her instant thought was that she'd loose, but it passed quickly, not about to back down just because it was Wenn Cinn that had taken up the challenge and entered the tournament.

"Oh, going up against you now, I would be fighting for the glory," she said over the din of the crowd, beginning to pace the ring and stretching her wrapped and padded hands. She had not sparred against Wenn Cinn since before they fled Earth, which somehow seemed like decades ago after all that had befallen them and the crew, "As for you, you'll have to settle for the inferior feat of winning against me in my present state, and perhaps winning the tournament... Provided there are no challengers left. I am certainly not going to throw my rations away."

Ida saw how he had removed his uniform and would be fighting in Starfleet undergarments instead of exercise wear. It meant he hadn't warmed up, perchance being slower because of it. His powerful frame reminded her suddenly of another Bajoran she'd fought recently, Kalen Jinnai of the Harbinger being of similar build albeit more grey and old than Wenn Cinn was. It had been a reminder for her that some Bajorans were tougher than they ought to be, and that her endoskeleton and strength only accounted for so much. She needed no such reminder when going up against Wenn Cinn, however, for she already knew he was an opponent to be reckoned with. As she watched the security officer putting on the slim, padded gloves for his large hands and shin guards for his legs, she walked to the edge of the ring and asked for some water. A bottle was passed into her hand and she took swig from it. Then she poured some over her head to cool herself off. The cheers from the crowd demanded that the match would begin soon, so without further a due, she returned to the centre of the ring - raking back wet hair from her face and clearing her thoughts.

When the first signal came, she was ready - guard raised. When the second came, the fight was on.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #57 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Starboard Sparring Ring] Attn: Auctor Lucan

He was ready. Hands wrapped and gloved, shin pads in place. Truth be told, he was looking forward to this; He needed this. The chance to feel truly alive again after the memorial service. Cinn knew Ida wouldn't disappoint. She certainly didn't with the pre-match entertainment. Males from the crowd hooted and hollered when she poured water on herself.

Ever since he had returned from the dead, she had been distant. Whether she was still coming to terms with the resurrection, or the horrible things that had happened while he was gone, he didn't know. What did he know was that he missed her, and their training together. They'd practice, sometimes for hours and she would take her lumps and come back swinging. Never mind, it was time to blow off some steam and get back in the game.

In the center of the ring, they stood facing, each giving a stern look. On the first signal Cinn raised his guard, on the second he moved, closing the distance in one step he swung at Ida with a jab and cross, or what the humans called a one two. He didn't expect these hits to do any real damage apart from to ensure Ida kept up her defence in front for the next stage. While he crossed, he hopped the right and pulled back in his arm to immediately throw an uppercut. Hopefully she would be so busy blocking the early shots, that she wouldn't be able to keep up with the move and quick uppercut. Cinn knew his punches were hard. He'd just have to keep sapping her resolve, until she could take no more.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #58 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: Arista

The chill of the water helped Ida focus, invigorated like no iron-blooded pinkskin species would be by the sensation when it trickled down her body. After two matches, she was limber and quick enough, but the cold water stirred her blood even more. Her superior officer had just stepped out of the crowd, but despite how slow he ought to be, she was not about to take anything for granted.

And right she was, because the brief stay beyond the realm of the living had done little to deteriorate Wenn Cinn's quickness - warmed up or not - since he immediate seized the initiative. An inexperienced fighter might be intimidated by the size of an opponent like the Bajoran, but as overwhelming as it might seem when a person with the kind of muscular bulk like Cinn had moved in to attacked, Ida was no inexperienced fighter. She slid one foot back and deflected the first jab to the side with the turn, and dodged below the hook, and in short order, the uppercut came - something she saw coming because she had bent her legs.

Snapping about, she slid her other foot back and struck the rising attack aside with the edge of both her hands. It granted her a small opening, with Wenn Cinn's side exposed. There was no time for a kick, the shortest distance covered by dealing him an elbow-strike into his ribcage. She did it with a step forward to apply enough force to make any difference on an opponent such as Wenn Cinn, the pivoting momentum of her whole upper body and her hips behind the strike. She had to gamble that he wouldn't move away in time, because if she did not hit him, her whole back would be exposed to any counter he might deal against her.

This was likely her toughest fight yet, and still she rejoiced in the challenge, because Wenn Cinn deserved whatever she might give him.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #59 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Starboard Sparring Ring] Attn: Auctor Lucan

No matter that he had stretched, Ida was ready. She dodged all the blows, and used the uppercut to land a strike onto his ribcage. The hit didn't do enough to wind Cinn, but it did remind him that he was not sparring against any fresh cadet. Not that he needed any reminders. Ida and Cinn had been practicing with each other since well before their ill fated venture to Earth. Nicander had had to reset dislocated shoulders, cracked ribs and swollen knees before, and that could be from when they went easy on each other.

He used the momentum of the impact to move a few spaces back from Ida. The slight sting from his chest gave him cause for a hearty laugh. Say what you will about Wenn Cinn. He was alive and, by the Prophets, he felt alive.

"Good, good..." He complimented her on the counter, encouraging and compelling her on. As he set himself up for the next interaction, he watched Ida with his intense dark brown eyes, analysing and computing on what she would do next. The memories of the occupation lingered and in his minds eye he could see, as he could when he was younger, Vedek Orri in the caves that they called home.

"You just need to slow down, stay calm and just let things come to you" Orri lectured. The elderly monk had taken a keen eye to Cinn, and a number of other new conscripts, teaching not only religious text but also fighting and self-defence. During this training time, Orri stood looking refreshed and ready, as if he'd just been on a nice summer's day walk. Cinn on the other hand, looked at the monk out of breath and bent over, his hands on his knees and sweat dripping from every pore. It had been a tough session.

"What... do you mean?" Cinn managed to rasp in reply between large breaths. Orri gave a patience smile. In his reply, as he did often, he was cryptic.

"The fields do not go to the rain, nor does the boulder to moss. They allow it to come to them. As should you."

This time he would wait.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #60 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: Arista

After she had landed her strike whilst passing him by, Ida rounded on Wenn Cinn - hearing him complimenting her briefly on her technique. Another time, she would have taken it for what it likely was, a cursory compliment on a well executed move. Now, however, it sounded like he was belittling her, as if she was a little girl. She did not know why her ire spiked, but it was as if she felt she had come a long way since he died, and he did not have the right to make such a comment anymore.

It suited her fine that he decided to be on the defensive, since she would nothing rather than attack him because of his comment. Where had he been when the obscene outbreak had swept through the decks? Where was he when a malign, omnipotent entity took their will and judgement away from them and made them all her play-things? Had it been him or her that were present when the Calamity attacked them? What right had he to belittle her after all she had been through? They had lost Grayson, Kingston, Ferik and Bellde'side outside the Hromi Cluster, and almost the entire security staff on the Harbinger when Sonja Acreth escaped. Drovo, Ceratto, Vessery lost in the strife. She had been raped and beaten in the line of duty, trying to protect to different crews from threats internal or alien. And then Wenn Cinn sweeps in and treat her like she was some green Deputy fresh out of the Academy that didn't know one end of the rifle from the other? By Lor'Vela but he would damned to patronise her...

Oh, she realised why her ire had spiked, just as she went back in. She led in with her left side, feigning a side-kick towards his groin, yet she retracted her leg before she hit, only to deliver a straight kick towards the back or side of his knee with the same leg - the blade of her foot cutting down to imbalance him. Regardless of success, she shifted sides, her right leg driving hard into his back or the back of his head if he had gone down on one knee. Her finishing strike, before she meant to step back and put some distance to her opponent, was a rising backhand blow towards his face - delivered at the beginning of her retreating step.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #61 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Starboard Sparring Ring] Attn: Auctor Lucan

His compliment had fallen flat. It was just then that Cinn began to realise that something was indeed wrong. That cold fire that burned in her eyes was now capable of melting tritanium beams. She was fighting for more than the glory of beating him in the competition, if only he could work out what. The puzzle distracted him momentarily, making his careful preparation useless. Ida brought in a side kick, only to shift her attack when Cinn moved to defend. Her foot caught the back of his left knee, driving it to the floor. The hit snapped his attention back to the matters at hand, on instinct he ducked his head down. He could almost feel the smooth blue skin brush against the short stubble that was his hair, but he knew it to be the displaced air.

When she brought back her arm in a backhand, Cinn caught her wrist with his right hand and used the opportunity to strike with his left, directly up towards her ribs. It would be weaker than his right, but if his aim were true, it would still pack quite the punch. With the backhand disrupted, Cinn released her wrist immediately, opting to follow his strike with his right foot, sweeping round in a low kick. He aimed to take Ida off her feet. Either way, he continued the movement with his whole body, moving into a roll away from the Andorian and pushed back up onto his feet.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #62 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: Arista

Wenn Cinn caught her backhand strike, and it was decidedly an easy feat since Ida was a bit unbalanced by not hitting him with her kick. The counter came as a viper's strike - his padded fist driving hard into her side since she had no means to block it. Having already having sustained a lot of hits from her two previous opponents, having a third one the size of her superior officer landing a strike like that jarred her more than it normally would. She quipped for breath, for while her endoskeleton protected her a lot more than the fragile ribcages of other humnaoid species, the blunt force trauma was quite considerable.

While she got her wrist back from Wenn Cinn's large hand, the low kick came straight for the front of her calves. He would have made her end up flat on her face if she was not already doubled over from his strike, making the feat of rolling forward in the nick of time a bit easier. Rolling over his kick, she meant to come up on her feet again, but she could not quite straighten her torso yet, making her stumble once she got up . While it put some distance between her and Wenn Cinn, it was hardly a graceful achievement. Forcing some air down, at last, she blinked hard above her raised guard, circling Cinn in the ring. Her breathing laboured, she still spoke her mind - a few words she could not help herself from uttering in answer to his 'praise'.

"Why did you wish to deny me the chance to be CSec on the Harbinger?" she grated, supposing that was the best starting-point to make him understand. "Did you fail to hear me when I told you what the crew has been through?" She did not say it out loud, but the implication was obvious. What I put them through. Beyond that, she knew she was unfair to think of the second aspect, but she could not help herself.

What you could have prevented. if you only had been there.

She closed the distance again, this time leading with a one-two combo of jabs and a straight kick right towards Cinn's midriff. If she could, she would then step forth and deliver a second kick straight towards his head.

OOC: Pardon the slight delay.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #63 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Starboard Sparring Ring] Attn: Auctor Lucan

Cinn brought up his right hand to deflect the first jab, but didn't manage a manoeuvre to dodge the second. He clenched his jaw in preparation of the hit; the moment it struck, he could hear his sandpaper-like stubble give a short rasp over Ida's glove. If she hadn't been wearing padded gloves it would have, of course, hurt more. The cushion allowed him to retain his senses and notice the next move.

He hopped to the side to avoid the kick using his left hand to push the leg away and with a twist he extended his right arm in a ferocious punch aimed squarely at Ida's chin. On the outside his face had a grimace, but inside he was livid. How could she think that he would actively block her transfer request?

"So that's what this is all about? You're pissed at me that I wasn't happy you wanted to leave?" He asked incredulously, the anger slipping over his calm façade. "Why should I be? I died and through the grace of the Prophets I was given a second chance. I returned to find that the crew had been through terrible hardships, but they still had you." As he spoke the tone of his anger quickly changed to disappointment. Of course he was upset with Ida, it hurt that she'd think him so petty as to deny a transfer, but it dawned on him that he struggled with the fact she was so ready to throw in the towel. Whether she realised it or not, she had been a rock for Cinn, unyielding and relentless. She wasn't perfect but no one, beside the prophets, was. He respected her but with this, his faith in his partner was shaken. "We had the chance to start to make things right and you wanted to run? I thought better of you than that." Pausing, he looked over his deputy.

"The worst thing? After all we've been through, you didn't even allow me to be part of the decision. You dictated what was happening" He paused before continuing. "I will always, always support you Ida, but I don't have to like it. I didn't deny your transfer. Nothing could make me do such a thing."

The sadness in his voice may have masked the fact that they were still sparring, but Cinn's actions didn't. Whether Ida was ready or not, he was explosive in his movement, rapidly closing the range between them. He kicked out straight with his right leg, intending to smash her gut before swinging in with a left hook. 

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #64 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: Arista

Ida's first kick was deflected to the side, and Wenn Cinn's counter nearly ended the match before it had even really begun. The devastating force of his right fist slid past her temple as she swayed out to the side. She retreated, aborted the attempt to kick him a second time, and resumed to circle him instead. She might have been able to take the punch, but after two matches fought, she couldn't have been sure she'd remained on her feet.

He spoke, and as focused as Ida was on the spar, his reaction did nothing to soothe what she felt. Rather, he fanned the flames with every word. They 'had' me, indeed. They had me infect them with a viral disease that made rapists and victims of them all. Ida curled her upper lip at the thought, and the livid glimpses of madness that rose from her subconscious. Isley had reminded her, and now the memories were far closer at hand - not entirely suppressed by the antidote. Perhaps something because of her physiology, that she couldn't remain forgetful about the nightmare. Worst of all was how demeaning his words were, Cinn speaking as if he had the right to judge her.

"The worst thing?" she repeated in wake of his self-entitled reproach, as if he had some kind of right to second-guess her, but she got no father before he came at her. As infuriated as she was by his sentiment - acting as if he hadn't walked out of her quarters that morning instead of asking what motivated her decision - she almost didn't defend herself in time. She took a glancing, burning hit across her ribs as she shifted feet and moved aside, but by keeping her eyes on him, she saw the left cross coming for her. She caught it on the inside with both her raised forearms, absorbing the heavy impact by splitting it across her rigid arms, and then lashed out sideways with the arm closest to his face. It was a hammer-blow, dealt with the edge of her fist where the padding was nominal, and it went straight across his jaw. Her follow-up was a straight punch for his nose, launched consecutively with the first since that arm was already raised and within his guard too.

She did not follow through with a third attack, however, instead stepping back so that she wouldn't be caught in close-quarters combat with her superior officer. Instead, her finish was a verbal one. "You may not have denied it formally, but you did not trust my judgement in the matter, thinking you knew better, but you have no idea what I have been through." Ida lashed him with her words, and her eyes remained unblinking as she circled him. "You had no right to judge my call... not when you weren't there."

You weren't there...

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #65 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Starboard Sparring Ring] Attn: Auctor Lucan

Cinn took the hit to the jaw, but managed to avoid the punch to the nose. As Ida retreated, he checked quickly with one hand to ensure that all his teeth were still in place and that he hasn't bleeding from a split lip. He tried not to but couldn't resist smiling. It was amusing, here Ida was trying to articulate her pain, and all he could feel was his own, both emotional and physical. The pain was good. The pain showed he was still alive, and it felt great to be alive.   

"No. You're right..." He said, snorting into a deep chuckle. "I wasn't there." He raised his guard in preparation to defend against an attack while he spoke. The humour he showed just moments earlier was gone. "It wasn't by my choice, remember that. Know that I remember everything. I remember hearing the sound of the explosion, the look on your face when I was sucked through the open bulkhead. I felt the cold emptiness while my skin expanded until I was eventually consumed by sheer darkness."

He stopped, swallowing back down his torment, leaving only sorrow. He looked deep into Ida's midnight blue eyes. "When are you going to forgive me for dying? What happened to you was horrendous, but what could I have done? I'm not perfect Ida, only our gods are. Any ideas that I am is just karskat." He used the Andorian word to emphasis his point. "You want to punish me for not being with you? Fine. Go right ahead. Beat your hands against me." Cinn took a step towards her and opened his arms wide, as if he intended to receive a hug from the Andorian though he knew better. "Give me that angst and despair, until your anguish is gone. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Not until the Prophets recall me."

He repeated once again. "When are you going to forgive me for dying?"

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #66 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: Arista

Ida kept her distance, circling her superior officer while he spoke. He was calling her notion misbegotten; the idea that he was supposed to have lived instead of being killed in action. She knew he had no choice in the matter, either in dying or returning from the dead, but her quarrel was not - she convinced herself - that he had not been there, but that he had not proved to be better. How he could begrudge her decision so offhandedly and disrespectfully, even when told what she had been through, he would act the way he did in hearing of her transfer to the Harbinger.

Rationally, she had already forgiven him for dying, because how could she possibly hold that against him? She denied herself to linger at such a thought, because she was better than that. No, her issue was with his arrogance. This, she clung to, and while he spoke of her being like a child loosing a parent, she thought him wrong, and raised her mental guard against the implications of his words. Instead, she saw the opening, and struck in the wake of his misguided words. For they were nothing else but misguided - that, she stuck to - eyes burning as she gave no quarter in her assault.

"You arrogant," she hissed, and drove her fist into his solar plexus with all her forward momentum, "vile alneesh!" Her second strike was an uppercut, sprung from a leap from the mat to gain force kindled by her legs. With heaving breaths, she paused before she continued. "You don't even see your own faults, thinking me a petulant child!"

Shifting forward, she dealt a left hook across, then she delivered a side-kick straight for his ribs - meaning to crumple him like the paper figure of trust he had proved to be.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #67 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Starboard Sparring Ring] Attn: Auctor Lucan

He knew what was coming. If he had been watching from the audience, he would have shouted and jeered at the stupidity of someone leaving themselves so open. Inside he resolved himself and prepared for the hits. He would stay upright. He needed to be a black rock. Strong and immovable against the crash of blue tides. He would allow her rage and anguish to wash over him and perhaps then, he could find the real route of her problems. Every avenue he had tried so far had failed. Maybe if he tired her emotionally as well as physically he could find the real cause.

No matter how you prepare, a solid hit to the stomach hurts. Cinn couldn't help but grunt as air was forcibly expelled between gritted teeth. Ida continued to insult, throwing an uppercut catching Cinn on the tip of his chin as he pulled his head back. He might be a rock, but he couldn't crumble, certainly not after the first salvo. It was then she finally said something of merit.

Cinn was faulted. He wouldn't deny it. To learn how this time, he would need to be more than passive. When the left hook came in, he dodged in an active burst of speed preparing for what comes next. As the side-kick came, he turned into it, grabbing the kick in his hands. Simultaneously he shifted his feet towards Ida, effectively putting his back towards her. Once stabilised he used his closest leg in a swift motion to catch her behind the knee with his own. With no support, she would have no choice but to tumble unceremoniously to the ground and onto her back. With his opponent floored Cinn stepped back, ensuring the distance to ask a couple of questions.

"Then educate me, deputy. How am I flawed?"

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #68 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: Arista

While some of her attacks came through, others didn't, and Ida ended up on the floor in the middle of the ring - Wenn Cinn stepping away. She had managed to get a grip on his shirt, ripping it on the way down, but the hold had not lessened the impact the least.

Gritting her teeth, her whole body aching, she was still already climbing to her feet when he asked her how he was flawed - that she would educate him in his shortcomings. To her, it sounded so arrogant, as if he had uttered a challenge. Had he used her title to put her in her place, daring her to speak up against him? She did not know, nor did she care. If he wanted it spelled out for him, asking that she would drive it through his thick skull like her fist, then she would grant just that at earliest possible convenience.

"I did not make my decision to transfer to the Harbinger lightly, and even though it was my own decision," she said, glaring at him across her raised guard as she resumed circling him, "you failed to see how much I needed it. I swore to protect this crew, and I stepped up and did more than expected of me to do so, but regardless of what I did, the memory of Niga still lingered, and it was time to leave this ship in better hands."

It was plain how she indicated him, even if she could not say it outright given the development. "Instead of supporting me, without a smidgen of empathy for my situation, you stone-walled me and left without a word. Without any respect for the fact that a lot has happened since you died... you still expected me to stay. By Lor'Vela, I believed I was doing both the crew and myself a favour by going to the Harbinger, but you did not even want to hear me out - dismissing me as if I had spit you in the eye. It was never about you or me, but you made it so - not I."

In the end, her transfer to the Harbinger had been fortuitous for the Theurgy, but for altogether different reasons.

"While I saw the bigger picture, you didn't, and I had greater faith in you, both as my superior officer... and as my friend."

With the final verbal lash she gave him, hoping that it struck close to heart, she came at him with a new barrage - not about to be idle. She came in high, feinting him, only to go low with her final step - lowering her point of gravity and thus driving her elbow into his torso while she crossed the point where he stood. Yet she did not stop there, using her forward momentum to trip him backwards across her leg. She had wits enough to not try and enter a wrestling match with him, instead settling on a savage kick to his already struck rib-cage before darting back - meaning to get out of his reach.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #69 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Starboard Sparring Ring] Attn: Auctor Lucan

The words Ida spoke did hurt, a metaphorical knife wound, although he did not have much time to recover before she came at him again.

He pushed to dodge the elbow stepping back to ensure his balance yet, once again, his deputy seemed to know his every move; She put her leg behind him and sent the mountain of a man tumbling to the ground.  Although not for long, for like a rolling some gathers no moss, Cinn kept the momentum to push his body over his shoulder and up onto his feet again, the kick that Ida had placed skidded across the space in which he used to be.    Cinn now removed his ripped undershirt and tossed it aside. Black muscles rippled as he brought his guard up in case of another thrust from the Andorian.

"Ida, I'm sorry." He said simply, and honestly. He watched to see her reaction. "I was coming to terms with my own mortality, actually, I still am. After getting my life back, I didn't want to lose you again. As you say, we're friends, and it hurt that you didn't want to include me in your decision making process. It wasn't the best way to handle the news, but it is what it is." Cinn circled Ida, calculating. He thought back over the her last few moves, and assessed where she was hurting the most, where she was open and where she couldn't move fast enough.

"If you say you weren't transferring to Harbinger to run from your problems, I believe you. I do also believe that the crew needs you, now more than ever. You're strong, courageous and noble. I don't know why Ives chose others over you to replace me, but I want to work to ensure it doesn't happen again, if I am returned to the Prophets. Now..." He paused, changing topic. "Defend yourself."

He enclosed the gap between them almost instantly, his right leg moved into a side-kick toward her ribs, only to move back at the last second. Cinn hoped that as she moved to defend, she wouldn't see the left hook that he brought down to bare on her. Regardless of whether it was successful or not, he would follow again with an actual side-kick from his right leg, this time however was high, aiming for her head.

OOC: Sorry about the delay!

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #70 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: Arista

Ida heard the apology, but she had no mind to forgive him that easily. At least she had not counted on forgiving him so soon, but his words rang of honesty, and she found herself believing him more than she'd thought. She had been set on sneering at him, ridiculing him, or whatever fitted his excuses best, but she realised that none of such retorts came to mind when he spoke. Silent, she watched him, no words coming to her immediately.

Wenn Cinn was not going to be idle, however, because he moved in with a cursory forewarning, He meant to kick her sore ribs, her side made sore again after the glancing blow she had taken from him seconds earlier. She moved to defend herself because she wouldn't be able to sustain another solid hit against the area without having great difficulty continuing the spar. So, with crossed forearms, she meant to absorb the blunt force of his leg... Only to see it revert back from whence it came. Her eyes widened...

...and the strike caught her across her neck and shoulder, and the immense force of it make her knees buckle. Or perhaps it was the nerve clusters in her neck that jolted her balance? Either way, it sent her staggering sideways, knees feeling like they were made of water. The only benefit in taking that blow was that she got out of his range, because no more had she cleared it than she felt the wind of his right leg passing her temple. She tried to counter, she truly did, but it was too late and she was too slow. Cinn had both feet back on the ground by the time she got her guard up again, and she moved carefully in a half-circle around him.

"Ives chose well, I'd say," she grated, white hair plastered to her brow. "Else I would not have ended up where I did during the mutiny. Found in the rarest of things, but I was confident that this crew had all the protection it needed now that you've returned. You didn't need me, not as much as I thought the Harbinger needed someone. I was grievously wrong, but not in how this crew could have managed without me now that you had returned..."

She went in, barely letting the syllables leave her teeth before she dealt him a right hook across his face and a left uppercut, followed by a side-kick to his ribs. The one-two-three combination common, perhaps, but she made the strikes uncommonly hard - putting all her weight behind them with the twist of her hips.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #71 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Starboard Sparring Ring] Attn: Auctor Lucan

The hit came hard and fast. Although he wished he could have said otherwise, Cinn had been distracted by what Ida was saying. She left little chance to react between her words and her actions, as such, even though Cinn raised up his guard, with his hand up near his shoulder, he used his elbow and the back of his forearm to merely deflect the brunt of the attack rather than avoid it altogether.

Instinct and senses came back. Cinn pulled his head to narrowly avoid the uppercut. The attack had left Ida open, and he used the opportunity to put a small jab up into her ribs. It wasn't as hard as he would like have liked, but he had no time to set the shot up well. It was quick, dirty and, unfortunately for Cinn, ill advised. His rebuttal to Ida, whether it had really hit or not, didn't do anything to stop Ida's side kick from slamming into the side of his chest. As the smooth bare skin of Ida's leg slapped into him, she would no doubt feel their perspiration mix. She might be tired and slowing against the chief, but she could still get some hits in. He hooked her leg with his left arm before bringing in his right to follow up his chest jab, with one against her thigh.

He would never admit it, but the feeling of her cold cobalt skin against his was gratifying. She was beautiful and enchanting. This plus the fact that she could equal or best him in sparring meant the Andorian was rather intoxicating.  She made him feel alive like no other really could. In a world without consequences he would take her, here and now, on the floor in front of everyone. This was not such a place however, and he pushed the thought from his mind. It had been a good idea to strip from his uniform for mobility but the lingering effects of such contemplation left him feeling a bit exposed. Cinn wasn't worried about his physical appearance, thick muscles over dark skin was something which seemed to attract the interest of a good few people. His main issue was the fact that since he was no longer in uniform, and with his undershirt ripped and removed, he only had the standard issue underwear to keep his modesty. It would not be becoming of an officer or a gentleman to grind the match to a halt because he was 'standing to attention'. What really didn't help was that he was now aware of the issue, and had to ensure that the match ended soon, otherwise Ida would have something else to be upset about, rather that his actions following her news of transfer.

After pushing away from the white haired woman, Cinn brought his right leg across in a high kick. The kick was high and fast, aiming across for the side of Ida's head. The move was another testament to the fact that while Wenn Cinn was a large man, he was still quite graceful and capable of moving in ways unexpected. He didn't think that this move would hit, instead his real play was the hard swing hook, following in behind.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #72 –
[ ThanIda zh'Wann | Starboard Sparring Ring ] Attn: Arista

Caught, Ida had thought Wenn Cinn would break her down and lock her in a grappling technique, but as if her touch burned him, he pushed away instead - causing her to stumble and to try and compensate for her imbalance. She ended up at the edge of the ring, where stepping across the line would cause her defeat in the match, but she managed to find her balance in the nick of time. Weary, bruised and bleeding, slick with sweat and training clothes sodden, she still raised her guard, and bared her teeth as she recoiled against the push - heading back at Cinn with little thought left in her head than to never surrender despite it all.

Yet her superior officer was also moving in, quicker than she'd thought - having misjudged his speed because of his size like any common fighter might. She should have known. She should have taken precautions. Instead, his kick headed towards her head and she had little margin to react. She slid forward with her leading foot and dodged downwards. Not perfect, but it got her out of harm's way. His padded foot skid across the back of her head, a glancing blow taken, but not enough to topple her over. It rocked her equilibrium, but not her spirit. She cried out as she rose with a soaring fist, meaning to strike Cinn in the wake of his kick. Little did she see his true ambition - the hook that followed his kick.

She had no way of knowing whether she hit him or not, for she lost any sense of direction - the impact of his padded fist to her face making her fall. The devastating blow was followed by the impact of the deck - driving the air out of her lungs. She was on her side, ears ringing and limbs unresponsive. Listlessly, she tried to rise up, but only ended up rolling over on her back - chest heaving from the exertion of her three matches. She was out, she realised. Finally bested by the resurrected ridge-nose. With neither breath nor mind to speak her surrender, she tapped the hard surface next to her aching face with her fingers.

Thus, her winning streak ended, and the sparring tournament's outcome was decided, for she did not believe there would be any more challengers.

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #73 –
[ Wenn Cinn | Starboard Sparring Ring] Attn: Auctor Lucan

Ida's final punch was not as hard as her previous, a sign of her failing resilience. Cinn's blow had sent her to the floor, the floor in which she was not getting back up from. The match was over. The hulking Bajoran ungracefully brought himself down hard beside his deputy, signalling for the medics as he caught his breath. He could feel the cool sweat beading down his back as he indicated for them to help the Andorian.

Cinn stripped off his protective fighting gear as he watched the work on Ida. She would be fine, and in a few moments she would be ready to head home for a good night's rest. The fight itself had been tougher than he had expected, dealing both physical and emotional blows. Now it was completed and the healing could begin.  Someone who had been looking after Cinn's uniform had brought it across to him and he got into his trousers as well as loosely fitting his division shirt.  No need for anything else.

When Ida was ready, Cinn got to his feet and put out his hand, pulling her up onto her own. There was no need to congratulate each other on a match well fought, they would both know. For Cinn, the competition was over, he had set out what he had wanted to do. If anyone else brought forth a challenge he would, of course, answer it. For now, his plan was to get his friend and colleague home. As they made their way to the doors, he leaned across to the blue beauty.

"Whether you felt needed at my side or not, I am eternally glad to have you. Together we can find the strength to keep this crew safe."

Re: DAY 02: Finding Strength [1800 hrs.]

Reply #74 –
After three matches and being knocked out in the third, Ida was not entirely all there when Cinn spoke to her, even if the medical personnel had taken care of the worst of it. She would still have bruises, and she had been told to go to sickbay in the morning so that she might get a session with a dermal regenerator. As discombobulated as she felt, however, she still picked up on Cinn's sentiment; a comment of reconciliation.

She turned her head and antennae towards him at the exit from the gymnasium, and she inclined her head in shown mutual respect. "I'd like to think we can," she said quietly, and then looked back towards the crowd, that was dispersing from the sparring rings and resuming their usual activities - all bets traded and Cinn declared the winner without any greater protocol or ceremony to it. The word would spread, for certain, but the happenstance tournament had drawn to a close as quickly as it had been initiated. Ida shed a thought to Captain Ives, who had gained her help is starting it up, and she had been surprised at the Chameloid's method of strengthening crew morale. She thought of her matches against Isley and Slayton, and she'd already decided to visit the former so that whatever remained between them could be sorted out, once and for all.

"Perhaps it might not be for too long," Ida glanced back at Cinn after she'd made her comment, "but if those Prophets of yours brought you back, it was hopefully not for the sake of us all dying in the attempt to spread the truth so soon after your resurrection. Sleep well, ridge-nose. I will see you on the morrow."

And she walked away down the corridor, ignorant of any lingering looks from her superior officer.

- FIN
 
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