knightsoflegend | Sparring ☢ Enough to make my systems blow

[Dimitri had spent quite a bit of his time in the training room as well, but it seems they missed each other until today. Rose had arrived before him, so that he heard the sounds of her training as he entered the room, moving as quietly as he could so as not to disturb her in the middle of her movements (move silently 28).

He stood not too far away, watching her and waiting for her to finish, his arms crossed over his chest.]

[She was so focused on her training that (despite a listen of 16) she doesn't hear the man enter the room but she does catch him watching her out of the corner of her eye (spot 17), Rose making no attempt at first to acknowledge his presence at first, her fists flying repeatedly at the bag that hung from the ceiling, swaying with the force of her hits (Str 13).]

See something you like?

[The only response to her question was a slight pulling of one corner of his mouth, Dimitri having to hold back a smile at that.]

You have a good eye.

[Because he'd noticed that he'd been spotted, even if he'd tried to stay out of her line of vision.]

If I were going to take a guess, I'd assume you've had formal training.

[Oh Dimitri, if only you knew.]

[A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth, a little swagger in her step as she halted the swinging bag with an ease that was inhuman, Rose finally turning to look at him face on as she ran fingers back through her hair, face pink with exertion.]

Learned from the best.

[Oh if only they both knew.]

At least I think so. That all gets filed under things that are kind of fuzzy for me.

[She gave him an appraising once over, seeing that he too had come to train, eyes eventually locking on his.]

And if I were to take a guess... I'm thinking I'm not the only one?

[He notices that, of course, tucks the information away. He wouldn't underestimate her either way, but everything was important when it came to her it seemed.

He nodded.]

No, you're not the only one.

[He knew what he was, what he was born for. Details, though, were few and far between.

He tilted his head slightly at her.]

I'd like to see what you can do.

[And not just against a punching bag. He also realized, too late, that that could be taken...as innuendo, without context.]

[A grin pulled at her lips, Rose unable to help herself as she went to grab a towel to wipe away the sweat.]

Oh I bet you would.

[Her tone of course laced with all the innuendo he hadn't intended. Because. Rose.]

Alright.

[She said after a moment, moving onto the mats that offered some cushioning for those who meant business, Rose perhaps a little too confident for a woman who was about to face off against a man that was a good head or more taller than her and could probably bench press her without breaking a sweat.]

I should probably warn you though. My bite is worse than my bark.

[Winking at him as she tossed the towel over her shoulder, perhaps a little too eager to see what he could do.]

[He followed her onto the mats, stretching his limbs a bit as he walked. Dimitri had seen the way she'd moved, knew she couldn't possibly be simply human. In fact, if he had to guess, she might be very similar to him.

But he hadn't heard of another like himself in this world, so of course his mind didn't jump to that conclusion just yet.

He faced her, standing with his legs shoulder-width apart and his arms loose and ready to move at his sides. One corner of his mouth perked up at her words, and he settled into the beginnings of a defensive position.]

Good. So is mine. Don't hold back.

[He had barely spoken when Rose moved to make her first attack, not about to give him the advantage of being ready for her (Init 24 vs his 15).

The blow landed on his side (Atk 24) with perhaps more force (Dmg 10) than was absolutely necessary for a friendly sparring match but let it never be said that Rose Hathaway would ever hold back.]

Oh I won't.

[A light in her eyes as she readied herself for his retaliation.]

[Though his forearm came up to block, she'd caught him unaware, and took the brunt of the attack in the side. It would certainly leave a bruise later.

He didn't, however, falter. Instead, his eyebrows rose in a mixture of surprise and amusement.

It should be noticed as he closed the distance between them that he's much faster than a man his size should be, if he were human anyway. His hand grips her shoulder, sending a fist into her stomach, though he may have pulled back on his strength a bit. (atk 23, dmg 6)]

[It was that speed and fast recovery that caught her by surprise and the old saying, pride goethe before the fall was in full swing as his fist landed in her stomach, Rose barely having a chance to tense to keep it from dropping her to the ground, the force still making her stumble a little]

You're not human.

[She panted as she recovered. Not a question, and really not something she should have been doing, talking to an opponent as she twisted out from underneath his grip and tried to land another blow, this time his block successful (atk 20).]

No, I'm not.

[He stepped sideways, around her, blocking her attack as he moved.]

Neither are you.

[He kicks out at her lower leg, attempting to shove her off her feet. (atk 22)]

Edited 2013-03-09 23:44 (UTC)

[His leg connects and it's by the skin of her teeth that Rose is able to keep her balance, going with her momentum rather than risk over-correcting and landing face first on the mats as she stumbles back a few feet, needing to get back on track, to find her opening.]

Not even close, Comrade.

[She admitted, which was not something she had been quick to share with anyone else, the smaller Dhampir making another attempt and yet it was rushed, too much about trying to get in quick and not enough about waiting for the right moment as she lunged once more for the side she had struck earlier (atk 13).]

[The corner of his mouth twitches at the word 'comrade' of it's own accord. It's familiar and not all at the same time.

The attack, though, he sees coming a mile away. It was a mistake to go after the spot where she'd already hit him, and he stepped out of the way easily, grabbing her wrist as it moved in range. He tugged on it, pulling her toward him, and then stepped around her, turning toward her exposed back and planting his foot between her shoulder blades (atk 24, dmg 10).]

[There is something oddly familiar about the simple fact that talking during a fight would always end badly for her, as if it was not the first time it had been her downfall, like right now as he twisted her around.

With her back to him she tried to send her head back (atk 15) hoping to connect with his face but with his height it had been a foolish choice and Rose learned just how much so when she felt his foot land, the blow jarring, sending her down to the ground where she would barely have a second to try and catch her breath, the pain radiating through her body.]

[The back of her head, connects with his chest, and he brushed it off easily, his kick forcing her down on the ground.

He's on her and straddling her lower back a second later, his hands moving to grab her wrists and pin them behind her back (touch attack 20, grapple check nat 20 (25) vs 23).

He effectively pins her under his weight, her hands held together with one hand as he leans over her, his lips by her ear.]

You did well, Roza.

[He leaves the 'but not well enough' off, though, because something else has caught his attention (spot 16). He turns his head, his free hand brushing away the long strands of her dark ponytail to reveal her tattoos.]

These marks...

[She fought hard, putting more into it than she had through the whole fight and yet it still wasn’t enough, Rose’s face pressed against the mat, her eyes dark and stormy, frustration flowing through her. She’d been cocky, she’d underestimated him and he’d been only too willing to drop her down a peg or two.

Her one and only saving grace in any of this? That she hoped his side hurt for the next couple of days because as it stood right now, if he were a Strigoi? She would have been dead.

A scathing retort was on the tip of her tongue as she squirmed beneath him but the name he called her, Roza, saw her struggle stop, her breath catching as his fingertips trailed along her bare neck, a shiver running down her spine.

She should not be so turned on by having her ass handed to her…]

What about them?!

[Immediately cautious, her reply sounding defensive as for now, she remained very much at his mercy. Once again very painfully aware that she should not be so turned on by that.]

[He could feel her shudder beneath him, as if the electricity between their skin was a tangible thing, sparking through her and making her shiver, then crossing over into him.

And then all thoughts of inappropriate things were gone (and they were inappropriate he mentally reminded himself), as his fingers traced the marks at the nape of her neck, following the curve of her promise mark.]

You're a Dhampir. A Guardian.

[It wasn't a question. The things that he remembered? They had everything to do with that word. It was one of the only things he could hold onto, what it mean, his training, his duty.

And this young woman, Rose Hathaway, was one too.]

[Rose remained perfectly still, knowing what he was looking at without even seeing it, visualising his long, strong fingers as they traced the curve of the elongated S that marked her commitment to a life of service.

Her mind raced, confusion warring with surprise but when he spoke, she actually gasped, trying to pull her hands free from his grip (Grapple 24 if we're rolling) as she twisted her head to try and look at him, not so easy from the way he restrained her but those words? She had spoken them only once.]

Who told you that? [An accusatory tone.] Wynn?!

[Yet had she stopped for a moment she would have realized, she had only told the Knight that she was a Dhampir, not that she was a Guardian.]

[He didn't even bother to fight her, he simply let her go, rolling off of her smoothly and standing up, confusing still decorating his features.]

No, no one told me.

[His mind was also racing. The familiarity, the constant sense of deja vu, the why they spoke to one another so casually, the nicknames.]

Rose, we're the same.

[Rose got to her feet as well, perhaps a little more gingerly than Dimitri had, given she'd just been on the losing end of their fight but still she managed it, turning to look at him, eyes narrowed, almost in disbelief.

Months here and she'd heard no mention of Dhampir's. No Guardians. Only the Knights. She'd accepted the fact that she would likely never meet anyone like her. What memories she retained of her life made Rose believe she was rare in same way, surely the chances of finding another like her would be impossible.

We're the same.

But there he was, Dimitri Belikov and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe that easiness she felt with him, that familiarity was more than just chemistry. What if it really was something else?]

Let me see.

[The brunette still eyeing him cautiously as she approached him, needing to see with her own eyes what she already knew inside herself, that her connection to this man ran far deeper than just a physical attraction.]

[Let me see.

He somehow knew that when he did, everything would shift between them, and things would change in a irreversible way. He wasn't afraid of it, per say, but there was a strange feeling in his chest, a sort of strange ache that he hadn't realized was there these last few months.

He might not be alone.

Dimitri nodded, pulling his hair from his ponytail holder and re-tying it up to cleanly pull his hair away from his neck so that she could see.

The same marks, delicately tattooed into his skin. Not exactly the same, a different variety of marks decorated the area, but that part didn't matter.]

[Rose had not been aware of the fact that she'd been holding her breath until her eyes focused on the familiar marks, her chest shuddering as she exhaled, moving towards Dimitri without so much as a word.

He was that much taller than her that to touch his marks, she had to be close, too close for what many would consider comfortable and yet she didn't think twice about the fact that she was brushing against him, reaching up to lightly graze her fingers along the tattoos that inked a story across his neck, tracing the promise mark just as he had done minutes ago with her.]

We're the same.

[Echoing his words, a mix of awe and disbelief in her voice, as if she were almost too afraid to hope.]

[He shivered just as she had when her fingers traced the mark along his skin, and when she spoke those words, he reached over his shoulder, grasping her fingertips with his as he turned toward her again, his expression unreadable.

He held her hand in his, ran his thumb over her knuckles, as if watching her and touching her would somehow answer the questions he had churning inside his head.]

I've never wanted my memories back more than I do right now.

[It was the only thing he could think to say, and little did he know that, in reality, not having those memories was probably the best thing for him.]

[Rose inhaled sharply as he took he took her hand, face unreadable by the time he turned to face her, Rose's heart hammering hard in her chest as she just, looked at him, stared even, trying to grasp some memory, anything that could help her understand what was happening here.

She was not the sort of person that was ever at a loss for words, prone to filling silence with stupidity if necessary but this wasn't the kind of moment where words came easily, any words, even the foolish ones.]

I feel like...

[Like she knew him, even though she couldn't have told anyone his name a week ago, there was still this unshakable sense that she knew this man, her fingers twitching, squeezing his hand a little as she tried to make sense of this.

Her eyes closed and she shook her head, trying to be realistic here.]

Just because we're both Guardian's doesn't mean...

[Her voice trailing off, Rose desperately wanting to believe in the possibilities but something seemed to be holding her back, a fear of being hurt that she couldn't quite explain.]

[His brows furrowed in confusion, mostly because she was right. What were the chances that they'd known each other with any real familiarity? While he knew a lot about the job itself, the fact that he didn't remember anyone he knew meant that he had no idea how many of them there were.

He did, however, remember a few other things.]

You're around the age you'd be at graduation. I know I spent some time at an Academy...

[He trailed off, as if thinking too hard might give him a headache.

And there was one other vital piece of information, something he was unsure if he should share, because given what they knew, he didn't know if she'd take it poorly. Because he didn't know the details.]

And I was on the run from our kind when I left. I don't remember why, or the details, but...I remember breaking someone out of prison.

[He shook his head, again trying to clear the metaphorical cobwebs that infected his memories.]

I'm sure it was something that people would have heard about, at the very least.

[And perhaps she had, and it would mean something to her. Or maybe he was completely off-base here, but he had nothing else to go on.]

Sparring ☢ Enough to make my systems blow

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