(OOC: Please note these events take place after the events of the Dockside Caper thread)
The sun hung low in the La Noscean horizon and the grasses swept with a light breeze outside the Zephyr Gate and Ruru had gotten off of his guard shift with the Heavy Handers. Miza had agreed to meet with him to start combat training as Kink had instructed them to do. The instruction had been vague and so he carried his sword and a second, for Miza. If he was going to train someone, though, he wanted it done outside of the city as he didn't want any of his employers knowing his true roots as a Paladin from Ul'dah.
He crossed the stone bridge and in the grass area beyond he saw Miza there, awaiting his arrival.
Waiting. In the past, Miza may have let her lack of patience get the better of her, but the passing of many moons had tempered her impatience to be a little more tolerable. Especially when it came to waiting on friends. The tanned Miqo'te had been sitting out in the fields outside of Limsa Lominsa for a few bells now. If there was one thing she had come to miss in her time out to sea, it was the feeling of grass between her fingers. She smiled sweetly to herself as she watched her long fingers caress the various green blades that surrounded her.
As the wind brushed against her cheek, Miza looked up to discover her new friend, Flit, finally making his way over for the training session the two of them had scheduled the night before. An eager expression consumed Miza's face and she sprung up with two smaller axes hoisted over her accompanying shoulders. That same expression almost vanished instantly when she noticed Flit was carrying two swords as he got closer.
"Uh..." Still holding both axes, Miza looked around herself awkwardly as if searching for another person in the area for clarification. "I don't s'pose ya know who might be trainin' who...er, do ya Flit?"
He saw she had two axes and sighed.
He wondered if she listened to Kink at all last night.
Shaking his head at her as he approached, he laid the larger sword on the ground for her.
"Well I'm training you, right? I mean that was what Kink meant when she talked to us about that. Wasn't she looking at me when she told us to coordinate this?"
He looked at her, and the axes, and wondered....had he been listening?
I'mimiza dropped both of her axes on the ground and scratched the top of her blue, bushy hair as she thought back to the other night. Instead of recalling who was training who, the Miqo'te's mind wandered to other thoughts before shaking them out of her head.
"Guess I kinda figured since Zhi and I used to live off the streets that she was talkin' to me but..." She shrugged, truly having no clue herself. In almost an instant, her eyes lit up and a playful smirk cracked the corner of her mouth. "We could always spar fer it."
"Spar for it..." he said....almost a question. Tilting his head to the side, he grinned, looking at Miza, a playful glint in his remaining eye.
"I'm certain the Kink wouldn't want me hurting you. You sure? And don't dismiss me because of my height...I'm pretty fast." He tossed the sword to ground with the other and pushed his sleeves up.
He was certain Kink would have his hide for trying to fight with his new partner....but she actually might have been proud so he kept his grin.
"Ready when you are...."
Instinctively, she knelt down to grab one of the axes from the ground and returned it to it's position over her shoulder. Miza looked over Flit in more detail, analyzing and searching at the same time. She was no Hildebrand, but at the very least, she had a knack for sniffing out whether or not someone was bluffing about their physical abilities. From what she could tell in the way the Lalafell held his sword, Flit was the real deal which made her wonder what he had gone through before he met Zhavi.
"That's a nice stance ya got there, 'Speedy.'" Miza flashed a toothy grin as she brought her axe down into her other hand and assumed her battle stance. She lifted one foot off the ground before stopping herself. "Wait, uh, how do we determine who wins? I don't wanna kill ya y'know." She plopped down her axe and rested her chin on the butt of the handle while staring down Flit.
Ruru looked at her puzzled. He didn't want to kill her either. Besides the guilt he'd feel, Kink would kill him herself. He felt naked without the armor or the shield and tried his best not to show it. Stabbing the sword into the dirt he looked at Miza and considered.
"Aye, I have it. We ditch the weapons. Use our natural ones." He held up his small hands balled into fists and gestured them to her.
"We go until the other yields. What say you, Miza? Know how to handle yourself with those long arms?"
The grin he flashed was playful, flirty, and indicative that he would give her all the hells he could with those fists.
Fisticuffs? Now Flit was talking Miza's language. Before she had taken up the ways of the axe, her fists had been her primary weapon of choice whenever there was trouble. With that in mind, she chuckled and let go of her axe while cracking her neck.
"Depends on how fast ya really are." She curled up her fists and locked her body in to a battle stance. Miza had come to training with just her street clothes on, so part of her was greatly relieved that it had come to a battle of the fists. Not to mention, Zhi would have her head if she disappeared again, dead or not.
"Ready when ya are." She stated brightly with a grin.
Ruru hadn't been in a proper fistfight in ages, and while faked it, he wasn't sure just how well he'd do. He got into his stance and stepped to the right, trying to figure out Miza's skill by observation alone, which was absurd. He was watching her eyes to see where she might move and took the first swing, his left arm coming at her mid section, as he hoped to take the air out of her sails quickly.
Miza waited in anticipation for her partner to throw the first hit. Fights were mostly what she lived for these days. Butterflies of excitement ran rampant in her stomach at the thought of finally getting to go hand-to-hand with a Lalafell. Usually not one to doubt herself, Miza couldn't help but be a bit wary of Flit's speed he had been going on about a few moments ago.
Her partner threw the first punch, something Miza had not expected. The Miqo'te took the hit to her stomach, but unfortunately for Flit, her abdomen had become quite tough from swinging an axe around all the time. She let out a cough and grinned as she glanced over Flit again. All I'mimiza managed to gather was that he could pack quite a punch for his short stature. She then retaliated by throwing a right hook aimed for Flit's chin.
The fist connected with Miza's stomach and it was like hitting a piece of iron. He didn't show it but inside of his mind he wondered What has this woman been doing to be so gods damned tough?
While his mind raced to contemplate his next move, her fist connected with his chin, catching a portion of his cheek with it and knocked him back. He staggered a bit, shaking the flashing lights from his head and stretching his jaw. It had been a forceful blow and he knew that would leave a mark.
Through his stretching jaw and sharp breaths, "Ahhh....you're quick Miza... strong too....where'd you get that kind of training?"
As he shook his head to clear the lights, not more than a second, he didn't want her to answer. He wanted her mind elsewhere as he shot his leg out, trying to sweep her off her feet at the ankles.
"
Her punch seemed to go right through Flit, similar to the sensation of punching water. She was left with a slight sting in her knuckles and quickly waved her hand to the side as if trying to shake out the pain. Miza opened her mouth to answer his question, but her oddly colored eyes caught sight of Flit's sweep at the last second prompting her to jump back with a little stagger. That was close rang in her mind.
"I don't kiss 'n' tell.....er, I mean punch 'n' tell" She grinned with a hint of a wince in her eyes from the earlier blow to her stomach.
I'mimiza charged half-speed toward Flit, her fist curled and ready to make contact. The young sellsword had no real plan. She couldn't help but wonder in a split moment if Flit was pulling the wool over her or not. If she were to get close enough to Flit, she would then shoot her left arm into his side with most of her force. Due to their difference in height, Miza found herself in a weird spot having to throw her punches downwards.
She dodged the kick and made her remark, which caused Ruru to smirk at her. She was a playful one and he liked that.
"Well, if I get another love tap like that and maybe you'll share for ol' Flit."
He watched as she moved at him and he decided to throw the rulebook out the window, leaping at her midsection, his arms attempting to wrap around her and tackle her to the ground, if only just catch her guard as it was clear he was no match in a straight fist fight with Miza.
Her eyes widened as the Miqo'te suddenly found her partner wrapped around her tightly, trying to pull her down in every direction. "Gah!" Miza exclaimed, trying her best to shake off Flit.
The two of them were locked in a struggle. They kept stumbling around the field and if a random passerby was to spot them from afar, they may be mistaken for a new breed of monster. Miza had a feeling that Flit was the crafty type and it was being proven to her right now. She amassed all the strength she could and attempted to pry off Flit's hand from her and toss him down.
By the Twelve she was a strong one. He couldn't seem to get the leverage to bring her down and now he felt foolish flailing around until he felt her wrench his hand off of her and then suddenly he was tossed to the ground. The sweat dripped from his hair and he was breathing heavy, a slight frown on his mouth as he was rather embarrassed by his failure to bring her down.
"Damn it! Like trying to bring down one of them goobbues!"
He smirked again and ran his forearm over his brow, wiping the sweat away.
"Yield and I promise I'll be gentle in your loss." He giggled a bit through the raspy breath and began to stand.