[Archangels] The World is Changed

[Yoshimura]

Yoshimura was aware of others entering the gym as he practiced. He still moved gracefully through his forms. Ichiro had practiced them to perfection and even though he didn't use the swords as much anymore, he couldn't bear the thought of losing that sense of achievement.

Martin was one of the those who had entered, judging by the voice. A test of skill was brought to the table, and the idea brought a brief smile to his face. Even through his stoic exterior, Ichiro did like to practice combat, even if hand to hand wasn't his preferred mode.

However, he had still trained in hand to hand combat, and was proficient. It would likely be a very good contest. With a practiced grace, Ichiro placed his sword in its scabbard and turned. "As you wish,"
, he said with a slight bow of the head.

[Jacinda]

Jacinda was a bit surprised at Barovsky's detour. Then again, perhaps she shouldn't be. It would give him a chance to vent some of his frustration from the girl.

Which was fine. Jacinda didn't particularly care about her anyway. She wasn't human. She was tolerated. Jacinda wasn't a stranger to sometimes going a bit too far, allowing the suffering to last. When you've been on a long hunt, your prey constantly eluding you, frustrating you, leaving behind trails of victims...well, let's just say that in cases like that, she took a bit longer than was really necessary. Especially if she had no other outlet for after the orgiastic hunt. It was one of the things she missed about having a partner. Regan's face flashed to mind. Ah well, that was life.

In the gym, Yoshi was there already, practicing with his swords. Not really her thing though. Oh it looked cool and all. And it was deadly, she knew. But they never really called to her. She liked a bit more up close- smell the sweat, see the fear. A long heavy knife sometimes. Mostly, though, her powered battle staves. Those were electrified to deliver a shock from either end. They could be attached together to create a bowstaff. And if she wore her wristbands, they would try to return to her if she threw them. And they made a great crunching sound when they broke bone or a face.

She removed her jacket and put it on one of the benches to the side to reveal a fitting short sleeve white v-neck t-shirt and black stretchy jeans that hugged her form. They were comfortable enough to spar in.

She nodded to Yoshi. "Hi Yoshi. Mind if we crash your party?"



Edited by Jacinda, Aug 2 2016, 03:15 PM.

[Borovsky]

With all in agreement or he assumed since Jacinda didn't seem to answer his question. Martin decided the best format was just to set it up in pairs - while a grand melee would be fun it was confusing and really no way to assess anything and Martrin never missed a chance to assess his charges. And he found the idea of putting Jacinda and Aria against each other. That could be a very interest battle.

"Aria you will work with Jacinda and I'll spar Yoshi and then will swtich winner to winner and loser to loser. Just to make things interesting. Any objections?"
Martin didn't expect any.

Martin took off his jacket and set it aside, it wasn't uncommon to be comfortable in a training session but he rarely was in a real battle it was fitting. Martin stepped to one side of the practice area allowing for the two matched to exist at the same time. Martin bowed to Yoshi and took up a fighting stance. It would be interesting to say the least.

[Aria]

Aria nodded and moved off to the other side of the mat and took off her leather trench coat. Underneath was the close fitting t-shirt and a pair of black jeans with her combat boots. Aria undid the belt for her sword and unsheathed both of the daggers in her sleeves. They were sub par quality and Aria hated them but she'd yet to find a replacement for those that were lost with the warehouse. She didn't understand why she hadn't taken them with her and taken only her sword but what was done was done.

Aria pulled the bubble around her and took up a hand to hand stance. It wasn't exactly her greatest arena but she and Nox had been working on his hand to hand since they'd joined up as a team in order to understand each other. It would interesting to see how things went with someone else - and when she couldn't feel that other person.

It was always a matter of sizing up the opponent. Aria closed her eyes and started circling around the American. The woman was far larger than she was both in size and strength - her only advantage was her agility since she didn't have her ability. Everything felt wrong as she circled around Jacinda.

Aria threw a few jabs as feelers and nothing really felt right. It was like her body wasn't working like it should. Had Manix done something else - had it affected something else. Aria pushed all thought away. Focused on nothing but the mat, her opponent and her own body. It was an easy technique, but still everything felt wrong.

Aria played cat and mouse for several more blows trading nothing as they got into the feel of everything. Aria stepped up her speed, and her number of attacks. Speed and agility were her only advantage. But everything felt wrong. Aria couldn't shake the feeling. Aria tried to physically shake off the wrongness but that had been a wrong thing to do in her distraction...

(( okay I know it's not details of the battle... don't really care about it... feel free to take aria down to the mat and finish the round ... no need to draw it on ))

[Jacinda]

Jacinda smiled at Barovsky. "Sounds good to me."
Odd, that. She'd expected the guy to go for the girl first. Jacinda didn't exactly sweat the match. Which was to say, she wasn't expecting to lose. The girl was small and that meant quickness.

Then again, she'd fought a lot of quick creatures. Rougs and chupes came in all shapes and sizes and they fought like hell. Add to that the fact that you had to avoid the bite of the chupe, well, that meant she had to be quick too.

She took up her stance across from the girl and looked at her, trying to fathom what was behind those green eyes. They seemed to be walls. She really couldn't tell what was going on. Well maybe not nothing. Maybe hesitance? Uncertainty? She didn't seem scared though, which was interesting. Idly, she wondered what it must feel like to the girl to work with people who'd just as soon see you dead as know you. More.

Aria jabbed and struck but they mostly glanced off her. Jacinda continued the circling, letting instinct take over. There was no thought in this. It was all disconnected- moments that existed only for as long as it took for her to act. Her hand slashing forward. An arm coming up to block. She spins and rolls to her feet, ready. Her fist connects satisfyingly in the girl's middle.

Around and around they danced and struck and then melted back for a moment, regrouping. And Jacinda felt a bit disappointed. This was like cardio. Gunnar had put her on her ass a few times and she'd given as good earlier today.

Don't get too cocky, she told herself. The girl connected for a moment, not enough to daze and Jacinda spun, sweeping the girl's legs, putting her on her back. The next instant she was crouched over her, heel of her palm raised to strike, other ground into the into the floor at the girl's side, holding Jacinda up. She wasn't going to of course. It was standard, though, in a spar. Show that it was done, killing not done only because it was practice, not because you couldn't have done it.

Hair falling forward around her, creating a tunnel like effect, she looked into the girl's eyes, feeling the girl's arm against the one that held Jacinda up. And she just looked....curious at this....alien in human form.


Edited by Jacinda, Aug 3 2016, 11:29 PM.

[Aria]

Everything was off. Everything felt wrong. She despised this emptiness. Maybe she'd let Manix fix what he'd done... No, that was tempting fate. Tempting that God would do more harm than good. He was teaching her a lesson. One she apparently hadn't learned with Lucas. Her thoughts distracted her and Aria found her self smashed to the ground in an easy leg swipe and the air rushed from her lungs on impact.

Jacinda Cross could have killed her - probably wanted to as well, but she was Atharim and every Atharim used the tools at their disposal. And besides if Cross killed her now Borovsky would have her hide and stirng it up on his wall. He may hate her, but she was his... Aria's grin grew dark, there were others who thought that she was theirs and if the two were to fight - Aria would not bet on Martin Borovsky.

Aria felt the warm touch of skin against skin and she was certain Jacinda did not know what she was doing as she stared down at Aria. Aria wanted to know what was going on through that mind. Would touch bring back her senses? It hadn't with Ascendancy. She could feed the woman what she wanted at that minimal contact but it would spiral and cascade into god knows what if she couldn't feel the depths of the pain and misery she sent.

Aria smirked at the other woman and let the bubble go to let the amusement show in her eyes. "I'm sure Martin warned you not to touch me."
Aria moved her arm and pressed it directly against the hand next to her. "Oh the fun I could have with you as my puppet."

[Jacinda]

Jacinda narrowed her eyes at the girl's words, suddenly aware that her hand was in contact with the her elbow. She hissed and pulled back, disgust on her face.

She stood up. "Up. Let's go again."


She waited for the girl to get up and then she was at it again. Only this time, Jacinda didn't hold back. She was angry. At the girl, definitely. At herself too, she had to admit.

She hit harder than before, this time. She understood Barovsky a bit better now.

[Armande]

Armande rose from his chair, the flame in his eyes having been stoked to a furnace of blue fire, jaw was set. He burned with determination, hungered for vengeance. It had been right, his meditating. It had centered him, reconnected him to who he was, what he had been forged into that night so long ago, even as he hid it from himself. No longer. He was strong enough, now, to embrace it, to use it.

The light behind that door blazed in the back of his mind, the nuclear furnace of the sun bathing him in a pure energy that vitalized him. It was as if years were burned away in that white heat, so that he pulsed with power, felt it suffuse him. Pure life.

The reigns of the Atharim were in his hand, ready to be steered on their course amid Apollyon's revelations. This was not over.

He left his office. It was time to find Martin, his Metatron. Time to plan their response. Questions to the few Atharim in the halls of the mansion told him where he was. He noticed, with not a little satisfaction, the look in their eyes. As if they could see the change in him, could feel it emanating from him. At this time, with the Apollyon's revelation so fresh in their minds, many were worried. Even scared. What would come of them? He address that soon enough. But in the meantime, let them see The Regus, that he was uncowed. That he was as confident and determined as ever.

Briskly, he strode through the halls to the gym. The sounds of fighting could be heard even before he opened the double door with both hands.

And there, drawing the eye in the center mat was the American Cross and the Sentient. It was not the beating the girl was taking that made him stop, though. Those eyes. So green.

His eyes narrowed.

[Yoshimura]

Yoshimura started circling his opponent, his breathing deep and slow. His mind was focused and ready. This was a friendly contest, but holding back wouldn't help either one of them learn - and no matter what, you learned something from every fight.

Yoshimura tested the waters with a quick strike. It was slower going than Cross and Aria's fight. Yoshimura didn't like to jump in. Overall it was probably for the better. The Regus walked in a moment later.

Yoshimura nodded to Martin, letting him know of the approach of their leader and broke off his attack, giving Martin a quick bow before bowing to the Regus. And the look on his face wasn't pleased.

[Aria]

Aria let her smirk turn into a dark smile, even with out her power Aria knew that look. Aria had a struck a chord. It made the blows she received all that better. The pain overrode the emptiness and Aria stuck back with the same intensity. But it all still felt wrong. Nothing felt familiar. The bubble of battle was forgotten. She'd relied on it for everything now it was just a reminder of her own pain.

Aria suffered the fire of her lungs. The heat of the skin bruising underneath the pounding Cross laid out. It was almost perfect until the doors swung open and Aria saw the fire in her leader's eyes. How she wanted to undo his reign. He would die under the Ascendancy's hand. She would watch the slaying of the oroborous. She would lead the man to his death. Then she would be free. Free of the Atharim's grip on her life. On her soul. Aria grinned at the man as Cross threw one last punch. Aria ducked in time only to find herself on the floor again. There was no air to breathe but Aria didn't care she wanted to laugh. The Atharim would die soon.

(( apologize for the major typos that's what happens when I use my phone ))


Edited by Aria, Aug 5 2016, 07:30 AM.