( open )

[beknight]

Who: bruce wayne (beknight) & various others.
What: it's the eye of the tiger.
When: after this network post!
Where: the dojo
Warning(s): violence! more will be added if needed.

accompanying log for sparring training.

Comments

[krasnaya_vdova]

[Ava saw the post but didn't .. actually respond. She's by turns friendly and standoffish, and somehow this seemed easier in person. And so she slips in, quiet, moving around the edges, watching. She doesn't look like much- her ill-fitting coat looks like it came from an army surplus store, and everything else looks second-hand in some shape or another.

But to anyone with an eye for it, there's something in how she moves. Flame bright hair, but she's hard to focus on. And the way her eyes move, cataloguing exits and filtering people, says combat training. She picks him out of the crowd, and she watches. In part because it lets her know how much she can push. But also, well. She has so much spycraft burned into her head that looking for weaknesses comes more naturally than breathing. She's patient enough to wait her turn, at least.]

[beknight]

[ She's young, and there's something in how she moves. Bruce looks when she enters, and it seems like her air of invisibility keeps her safe. His eyes seem to glaze over her as he looks around the crowd between breaks. He's taking turns with the master of this lesson, while students and spectators come up turn by turn to practice moves. It doesn't take a master to be invisible, but it takes practice to keep it around like it's a weapon. ]

[ But an old hunter is never fooled. There's an empty spot currently, and he leans on his staff, looking right at her. There's nothing physically threatening about his posture, but he doesn't blink, he's unwavering, ]

How about you, miss?

[krasnaya_vdova]

[There's something about him, something sharp in ways she can't quite put her finger. She'd intended to mostly observe, but he's sharper than most. Most people prefer people that don't live under the radar.

It almost makes her smile. Almost. But instead she shrugs her thin shoulders and takes a step forward.]

I suppose I'll give it a try.

[She should maybe lose the jacket, but she's not planning on going all out anyway. Certainly not somewhere this public. And if it makes a difference, that tells her something.]

[beknight]

[ Most people. But the ones most at risk are those that fall through the gaps, and the most dangerous are the ones that go overlooked. ]

[ She seems willing enough to come forward. He takes a stance opposite her, but before striking, asks mildly, ]

Not going to take off your jacket?

[krasnaya_vdova]

[It's easier, usually. Fight or argue and people remember you. The smart thing to do here is to not stick out, let him call her up and test out a few strikes. She knows that, but she always has trouble translating knowing those things into practice. She has an impulsive streak.

But she shrugs out of her coat along with her scarf, tosses them so they land near the wall with clear ease. The fact that he asks says something too. Maybe not quite interesting, not yet, but she'll see where this gets them. She's still feeling out the people around her, putting them into categories -- she'd come here to watch the people that showed up as much as him.]

Better?

[She slips into a stance too, a little intentionally off in how she balances her weight. Not overtly sloppy, but trying to seem not entirely polished.]

sorry for the delay! router issues

[beknight]

[ A beginner, or trying to look like one. He had been moving his body intentionally throughout the exhibition, letting it speak of a recent shoulder injury. She might go for the weakness, or she might not. Neither would be a mark on the impression he's forming. ]

Let's go.

[ With that, he strikes first to test her speed. ]

you're fine! I'm molasses tbh

[krasnaya_vdova]

[He's sharp enough he likely notices that there's a brief moment when he first moves where she reacts fast and then slows how she moves. A brief flicker of something sharper and far more dangerous; she's used to pulling her punches to keep from hurting, not to deceive. But there are questions she's trying to work out.

Normally, she might sidestep, try to grab his strike, take him off his center of balance and then take him down. Instead, she steps into it, blocks with her forearm, trying to feel out his strength.

When she follows through, her strike aims for just shy of his shoulder. Enough to seem like she was going for the weakness and just didn't quite manage it right, but instead she's probing. How much does he guard that injury, real or faked, and how does it affect the rest of his body mechanics. It tells her something.

It occurs to her that this feels almost as complicated as the few times she'd sparred with Natasha, where even bodies lie.]

[beknight]

[ She's stronger than she looks. It's a reason to hide, Clark does the same thing when he's trying to measure his strength to the new forms. But Ava's faster — practiced. She wants to feel him out. He defends the injury — it's not the time to show his hand. His body moves like it swallows pain. ]

[ Bruce strikes again, harder this time. How strong are you? ]

gosh sorry this is so late :(

[krasnaya_vdova]

[He moves as she'd expect if he was injured. Either he decided to do this while injured, or he's good enough to fake it convincingly, and while both are interesting, the later would mean he's trying to get a read on people without giving himself away. Something Natasha would do. And that's more interesting.

He moves in again, hits harder and she meets it, just enough strength to match him, reflexive response that comes faster than she can modulate. There's a lot she represses, especially in a fight with someone she doesn't know.

When she blocks his blow she steps in, a little faster, but still at some approximation of normal. Trying to balance pushing him and not telling him too much. She ignores his injury for now and instead goes for his ribs, aims a sharp kick to the side of his knee.]

np! I've been slow too

[beknight]

[ She pushes him, he pushes back. Blow by blow — carefully struck. Whoever holds back does so for a reason. He could show his hand to push her off-balance, this isn't the time. Not when there's so much he doesn't know. ]

[ But he doesn't make it easy for her. Strong and well-trained as she is, years of experience are on his side. They draw, to polite applause from the crowd. ]

[ He hands her a towel. ]

Who taught you?