Nick and Sam walked over to one of the places in the room where there was a painted ring on the ground. It wasn't a big ring, but for an unofficial spar, they would be ok with going out of the line. Nick reached back and pulled his sword out of it's sheath. Sam reached onto the back of his belt. He pulled of the gauntlets Jay mentioned and pulled them onto his hands. He clipped the buckles that held them to his arms. They reached almost to his elbow. The back of the gauntlets had a small loop near the wrist, and the back of the fingers were covered in sharp blade edges. The palms had dust crystals inlaid into the palms. The looked like fire crystals. Nick was surprised at this, but remembered what Jay said, that he was a close-combat specialist, so they weren't for long range attacks. Nick looked down at Sam's boots. They had metal shin braces, and had sharp blade edges pointing out from the sides of them. The back of the shin guards also had those loops, and the boots were steel toed. He then flexed his shoulders, swinging his arms in circles for a second. Then suddenly, his face became serious, as the pack made a ringing sound. Flat bars of metal came from the pack, swinging around his arms and clipping on the the loops on the gauntlets. At the elbow, there was a small metal piece that fit around the joint, and clipped into place, holding itself in place. The same happened on the legs, with the flat metal poles clipping into place on his legs, and having the small fitted metal plate swing around to clip onto his knees. These also clipped onto the loops on the back of the shin guards. Then the pack folded a layer out around his arms and body, and clipped together to form a plate over Sam's chest. On his back, there were two curved spikes that stuck out, and had blade edges all the way down to the metal pack. They looked like they also had handles...But at the sight of this, Nick's eyes widened.
"Something wrong?" Sam asked him, smirking.
Nick shook his head, "No...Just when I spar with Jay, he always just stands there, not even drawing his weapons...He kinda waits for a minute or two, until we're in the middle of combat...It's almost a little weird seeing someone draw their weapon completely first thing." Nick explained.
"Hm...That sounds disrespectful. No. You're my opponent, and an equal. I treat you that way by bringing all of my power, right from the start." Nick considered these words a minute, then smiled.
"I think you and I are going to get along just fine," he said, getting into his combat stance.
Sam made the first move, lunging towards Nick. He jabbed with his hand, covered in the blade edges. Nick raised his left arm, and the blow glanced off the metal arm, and Sam immediately swung his left hand, as though he was an animal, swiping at prey. Nick raised his sword to block his hand. He wouldn't want those claws cutting him up. But Sam was clever, and reached back a little with his right hand, grabbing Nick's prosthetic arm, then gripping Nick's blade with the metal gauntlet in his left. Nick's weapons had both been immobilized. Nick thought on his feet, and opened his left palm, moving it to face Sam's head. The canisters switched to the wind canister, and he unleashed a blast. Sam dodged back slightly, letting the blast miss. But this loosened his grip enough, and Nick wrenched his left arm free then swinging with all his force towards Sam's head. Again Sam dodged a little farther back, this time loosening his grip on Nick's sword, which he tore from Sam's iron grip, and swung again for his head. But Sam dodged back even further.
At this point, his back was parallel with the ground, but his hands weren't holding him up. Nick looked at him in shock, "What the fuck?!" he said to himself, before Sam put his hands back over his head, and flipped back, bringing his feet up towards Nick's face. Nick put his arm up to guard, and the steel toed boots kicked hard, lifting Nick off the ground. Sam landed on his own feet, while Nick landed and staggered back. Nick shook his head clear, and looked at Sam. Sam had gotten back into his stance, and Nick followed suite. This time, Nick wasted no time waiting for Sam to come to him. He was a close range fighter, so Nick would just hold him at long range. Nick raised his left hand, keeping the wind canister as primary, and began to attack Sam. Sam crossed his arms in front of his head, leaned forward, and pushed himself forward, into the blast. Sam was struck by the beam of wind, but endured, letting the wind scatter off the arm guards. He leaned back, but got to take a step forward, and before Nick could recover from his sheer astonishment, Sam lunged forward again. He almost got too close, but Nick leaned back, taking a step back with his right foot, and began swinging with his left hand. The swing clanged off Sam's arm guard, and the fire crystals in his palm glowed. The blades on the back of his gauntlet caught fire, and he also began swinging at Nick. The exchanged blows for a few seconds, each guarding and ducking and even leaping over the other's attacks. Sam's claws were strong, and the exo-skeleton just seemed to make him even more so. Nick had trouble keeping up, swinging his sword downward in front of himself to guard a jab.
He made a wide arced slash to force Sam to take a step back, then raised his left hand, "BACK OFF NOW!" he blasted Sam, who flew back a couple feet. Sam recovered quick and jumped back a few more feet. He then reached back and pulled the curved spikes from his back. He held the left blade back-hand, and the right, fore-hand.
He charged at Nick, swinging in huge arcs, easily turning himself in quick circles, bringing the blades to bare against Nick, who turned serious. He hadn't gone all out in a long time. He brought forth his skills, pushing himself. He remembered the fight with Leif. He remembered coordinating with Jay to get Nick an opportunity to grab him. He remembered giving up that chance for Sasha...Sasha...He remembered the kiss...Her hand...He reached for everything he could, even more than he had against Leif or the Manticore. Even for a spar, this man was everything Jay said he was. He was certainly worthy of being the leader of his team. Nick pushed himself, clashing blades over and over again, sparks flying from them as they crashed together. Sam used his fire dust crystals to block the beam attacks from Nick's arm as they kept attacking. At this point, they stayed in a static position, neither willing to budge an inch, trying to push the other. They couldn't give in. Each needed knew why they were here. They knew what they wanted, and they took it seriously. The fight came to a head when Nick made an especially risky move, swinging downward, and opening his left palm to try and blast at Sam for cover. It didn't work. Sam's blow to Nick's chest knocked him off his feet. He had dropped the sword and was careful to strike where the gauntlet wouldn't slice Nick's chest open. Nick landed on his back three feet away. Sam caught the scimitar-like sword and jumped over to Nick, pinning him down and placing the blade at Nick's neck. They did follow the rule stating that there isn't a winner until one can't fight, or an overwhelming victory is assured. But as quick as Sam was, his reflexes weren't enough to stop Nick from raising his sword and pushing against Sam's neck as he came down on Nick's. Sam's face looked shocked that Nick had managed that. Nick smiled with satisfaction. Sam slowly stood up off of Nick's chest, and Nick let him. Sam clipped the scimitars back onto his back plate and the poles folded back into his small backpack. As it did, he removed a gauntlet and reached down to help Nick up. When he stood, they kept their hands locked a couple seconds longer, shaking hands after a great sparring match. It was just protocol, and each felt the other deserved it. Nick sheathed his sword and they went over to the benches that were on the edge of the room, attached to the walls. They sat down, watching the others' matches. Nick couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. He'd have to show Jay his gratitude later...He'd never fought Jay like that. Jay, he thought of as perhaps a good friend, maybe even a best friend...But Sam...This was a guy he could only call a rival...
Rachel pulle her whip, The Medigo Indiana, off of the back of her belt. She gripped the handle and released the coils. The whip unfurled to be three meters, just as Jay said it did. She raised the handle and opened a small diamond shaped hatch at the head of the handle and pulled the crystal out of the slot. Then Rachel pulled one of the dust crystals that she'd received from Mickey and fitted it into the slot. She clicked the hatch closed and the whip shook a little. Rachel stood with her left foot forward, and pulled her hand back. Sasha reached up and pulled her claymore from the sheath. She held it, handle in her right hand, barrel in her left, pointing the head towards Rachel. They stood silently facing eachother. Sasha wasn't quite sure about this though. She felt something odd, and she wasn't sure what it was. But for now...She put her head to the fight. Rachel lashed out towards Sasha. Sasha would have none of it though, and immediately raised the shotgun. The shot struck the bulb on the end of the whip, but it didn't rip or go through. Instead, the shot pinged off as though it had hit a heavy metal and whip recoiled. Rachel swung the whip handle around her head and cracked it out again. The length of the whip didn't strike her, but instead contracted, then at the whipping motion, stretched out again to lash at Sasha. Sasha applied her strength now, lifting the blade by only the handle, and swinging. The blade edge couldn't cut the whip though, just knocked it back. Rachel smiled as she struck out one more time. Sasha lifted her Loachsamhail to block the attack with the flat of the blade. The whip head struck the blade...Sasha gasped at the impact, which knocked her back off her feet. Sasha landed on er back and lifted her blade off of herself, and looked at Rachel, who still stood in the same place. She had pulled her arm back, and was throwing it forward, whipping towards Sasha again. Sasha rolled over to dodge the whip, which struck the ground where she'd been with a mighty CRACK, and left a tiny crater in the spot, which scattered a small amount of earth dust. Sasha realized what was happening...And it was exactly what Jay had said.
Sasha stood up, "You could've just killed me had that hit my chest!" Sasha screamed.
"I suspected you'd block or dodge. And low and behold...You did." Rachel replied. Sasha gritted her teeth, and screamed profanities in her head. But then she stopped, recalling what Jay had said about her...What was his metaphor...'The Goldilocks Zone' thing. Sasha turned and ran, trying to put as much distance between her and Rachel as possible. Rachel looked after her in shock, then realized what she was doing. She began to run after her, but Sasha turned and stopped, pointing the gun at her. Rachel also stopped, and raised her whip again. Sasha began shooting, hoping to take her chance to use that whip, but Rachel lashed out in her defense, knocking the shots from their path, scattering them. Sasha didn't let up, shooting and shooting. But she knew that she only had 30 shots...She was quickly approaching limit of her clip. She pulled out more of her strength, and lifted the blade in only one hand, so she could reach back and collect a new clip from her belt.
She had almost pulled it out, but Rachel saw her reaching back...And wouldn't let this go on. She stopped her own onslaught and ducked under one of her shots. Sasha flinched, and hesitated to pull the new clip. She only had two shots left anyway, so she continued. But Rachel had lunged forward, and lashed out with one particularly viscous attack. Sasha pulled the clip out, as the whip wrapped around Sasha's hand and the handle. The dust in the whip's flexible material shifted so that the whip would stay wrapped, and block the clip from ejecting. Rachel tried to yank on the whip, tired to pull Loachsamhail free from her grip, but Sasha's strength was too great, and she held tight, crouching slightly and putting one foot forward, anchoring herself in place. They stood, facing eachother, neither relinquishing their grip. Rachel began to walk forward, and he whip retracted as she did, so the the grip would stay tight. Sasha's eyes widened at this...
Her thoughts raced, and she muttered silently, so as to not let Rachel hear her, "Damn...I've got five seconds at best...And only two shots...That's...Four moves, maybe five, to use the two shots, pull free, and restock." she finished...She knew what she'd do. Rachel had stopped moving, and began to slowly pull back her arm. If Sasha couldn't stop this move, she wouldn't get the chance...She knew that. But...Sasha ran towards Rachel, trying to give herself slack to move the blade. Rachel hesitated, and Sasha used that moment. Raising her blade, she took one shot. Rachel dodged back, letting the shot miss. But Sasha hadn't intended to hit her. Sasha's second shot...Hit the small hatch that held the dust crystal. The hatch cracked open and the crystal flew out, with a crack in it's side. Without the earth dust, the whip loosened and fell from Sasha's grip. Sasha had gotten close enough now, and slashed at Rachel's chest, before she had stood back up straight. Rachel had to lean all the way back, putting her hands to the floor and flipping back on them, landing back on her feet. Sasha raised the blade, and the clip was ejected. Sasha pulled the new clip as Rachel pulled out a new earth crystal. Clip and hatch slammed into place on their weapons and they jumped back, putting more distance between them. Rachel began to lash out, and Sasha ran, not back, but around. Rachel tried to whip out in front of her, but Sasha stopped short as the whip hit the ground before her. Sasha pointed the blade and shot towards her, and Rachel pulled the whip back and used it to parry the shots. She took a chance at a gap to lash out, and Sasha dodged, jumping forward diagonally, trying to gain ground, but Rachel didn't let her, instead taking steps back as Sasha came towards her. Rachel and Sasha had taken to look at eachother with seriousness, not treating this as a spar...They wanted too win. Sasha couldn't help but feel the same as she did then, when she fought Jay, and wanted to show Rachel what she was capable of...And Rachel...This wasn't a show of power to her. She simply wanted to win...Not for glory, not to put Sasha in her place...But because she felt something...She hadn't fought like this in a long time...She hadn't attacked with this ferocity in such an age...She and it was great to her. They attacked mercilessly...But Sasha didn't feel quite right...Why was she attacking like this?...This girl she'd just met...Why was she being so...Forceful towards her. It didn't matter. This was a match to understand her opponent...No, her ally, better. That's what she'd do.
Sasha ran at Rachel, forsaking long range attacks. Rachel lashed out, trying to stop her. Sasha dodged right over a strike, and jumped over a swing, while continuing to move closer to Rachel. Rachel stepped back, only to find the wall. She slammed her palm against the small hatch containing the earth crystal, which began to glow furiously. As it did, so did the small bulb on the end of the whip. Rachel pulled her arm back as far as she could, and lashed out at Sasha one last time...This blow would finish the match...If Rachel hit, Sasha would go down, that was for sure...But if she missed, Sasha would easily get in close, and pinned to the wall with that giant demon of a sword, Rachel would be finished...Or at least, overwhelming victory would be assured. Sasha watched the whip move...She remembered the way Iskelle moved, and it reminded her a bit of the whip...She smiled...This match was over. Sasha jumped up as high as she could, and used the weight of the blade to swing herself around in the air, letting the whip swish under her. The whip cracked and struck the ground where Sasha had been when she leaped up. The ground was smashed to bits, leaving a relatively larger hole where she was...Sasha frowned as she landed before Rachel, bringing the blade down towards her... With her strength, Sasha could easily bring the blade right through Rachel's entire body. But she stopped short. She would save that...For her real foes. Rachel stared in shock at the blade, which hung an inch from her head. Sasha pulled it away, and sheathed it on her back. Rachel slumped to the ground. Sasha looked at her a moment before walking over to her, and offering her hand. But Rachel brushed it away, standing up on her own. She collected her whip and placed it on her belt.
"Good match..." Sasha muttered.
"Likewise." Rachel said in return. They both stared at eachother for a minute or two longer. Then they walked over to the benches, where Sam and Nick had sat, and sat down...There was a tension between the two of them that they both felt, but neither spoke on or in. 'This isn't over.' Rachel thought...Sasha thought the same thing, and they sat in a viscous silence as they watched the last training match finish up.
Anna and Jay stood side by side, facing the Dragoon twins. Jay stood with his arms crossed, a serious look on his face. Anna stood glancing back and forth between him and the twins, wondering if perhaps she should follow Jay's lead, or draw her weapon. She decided it best to draw, and pulled her axe from her back. She held it out in her stance, and Jay looked sideways at her, before returning his attention to the twins. They had taken their batons, Tia's Gemini Pollux and Chris' Gemini Castor, out the sheaths on their shoulders, and had ejected the dust crystals from the bottom, and had just finished replacing them. They both stood in an identical stance, except mirrored on either side. Crouched down with one of hand held out, and the other crossed over their chest. Jay's eyes turned gold as he watched them, and he uncrossed his arms, crouching down slightly, keeping his arms ready to pull out his Photos and Umbra.
The twins looked at eachother, "Why don't you draw your weapon...We're ready to fight." They said together.
Jay didn't flinch, "I will retrieve them when I need them. I don't pull them out immediately. It may sound condescending, but I prefer to feel out the water before I determine whether or not I need my weapons." he explained with a straight face. The twins looked at eachother again. Anna had never really understood why he didn't draw his weapon, but now that he explained it, it seemed a bit foolish...Without his weapons, he could be defeated before the match even began...But then again, with those eyes of his, maybe it was a sound tactic...He could let the opponent make their moves, get a good idea of their style, then draw and fight accordingly. Still, she preferred to not wait to draw her weapon. When Anna held her axe, it made her feel more confident. She felt stronger, and could go into the fight right off with that strength. The twins began to move, slowly at first, walking towards them, keeping their stances, then they broke into a run, crouching and moving at high speeds. Anna gripped her axe tighter, and moved forward to attack them. Jay saw her move forward and followed, keeping back a bit. Anna spun on her heel and brought her axe down on Tia, who put her batons up to block. Chris came in to Tia's side, ready to strike at Anna, but Jay intervened, putting his arms up to block the strike. Chris was deceptively strong though, and Jay gasped at the force. It didn't break his arms though, so Jay threw his arms out, pushing Chris back. Suddenly, Jay was struck from behind, as Tia hammered at him with one of her own batons. The blow knocked the air from Jay's lungs, and he feel forward. Anna looked over at Jay, and back at Tia. Tia noticed Anna's look, and hesitated a moment. Anna used that opportunity to lash out with a kick from the left, knocking Tia off her feet. Chris was moving back towards Jay, who stood, still not reaching for his weapons. Chris raised an eyebrow as Jay stood, and he began to swing at him. Jay moved back, farther and farther, watching carefully.
"Why don't you draw your weapons? That blow wouldn't have been as tough had you used them to defend..." Chris gasped out in between swings. Jay continued to dodge back this way and that, until he saw an opening, and struck Chris in his right shoulder, stopping his attacks and knocking him back. Chris stumbled, but stayed on his feet. Jay smiled, "Now I draw my weapons." he said as he reached back for his tonfas.
Chris saw this, and attempted to stop him, swinging his baton and throwing a bolt of electricity. Jay simply moved to the side a little, letting the bolt strike his left shoulder. The electricity dissipated, and Chris's eyes widened as Jay pulled out his tonfas and held them up in his stance, arms crossed over his chest.
He smirked, "This coat was a gift from someone before I began travels in very dangerous territory. It's insulated against heat, electricity, and cold." Jay explained.
Chris frowned, "What, is it bullet-proof too?" he said sarcastically, and attacked Jay again.
Jay didn't dodge this time, instead blocking the heavy blows that Chris came at him with. Electricity buzzed off of the tonfas, and Jay flinched as it touched his bare hands...'I should get a pair of gloves,' he thought as he blocked over and over. Neither of them tired, and they weaved around eachother. Chris was trying to return to his twin, but Jay wouldn't let him, continuing to draw back his attention with strikes and sweeping kicks that caused him to have to jump back, after which he'd push back at Jay with a storm of attacks through which Jay endured, spinning his tonfas on his arms and blocking the electric attacks. Jay's hands had begun to numb from the electricity though, and he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to hold out. Behind him, Anna and Tia continued going at it as well. Tia struck out, but without Chris with her, she was no match for Anna's close combat. Anna's wide range covering spin attacks hammered Tia back, ruined her attempts at recovery. Tia struck at Anna, who used the body of the staff to divert the blow, throwing her off balance, but she quickly rolled forward under Anna's slash, and began to move towards her brother. Chris and Jay continued to move circles around eachother, each unable to stop the other, or get past them. Anna looked back at Tia, and tried to run after her. Tia and Anna were just about even in speed, however, and Anna couldn't catch her. So instead, she reared back, and threw her axe at Tia. The axe spun through the air towards Tia. Chris, who was facing Jay, noticed Anna make this move, and his eyes turned the same light blue as his hair, differing from their greenish color. At the same moment, Tia saw through his eyes, and saw the axe coming towards her. She stopped, turned, and blocked the axe with her batons. The axe stopped as Anna caught up, and grabbed it in her hands before it fell to the ground. Tia jumped away from Anna as she began her attacks again. Anna ran to the side, to stand in between her and Jay and Chris. Tia continued moving back, and began to swing at Anna, who switched her weapon to long-sword form, and slashed away the small balls of fire dust Tia was throwing. Tia wasn't sure what she'd do...Anna was an incredible fighter, and Tia couldn't match her. Even her long range attacks weren't effective. Anna charged her, keeping her Felemina Fattale in long-sword form, switching from the large spin motion style of her poleaxe to a more focused attack style, and it wasn't that making things any easier for Tia. Anna's strikes became precise and full of strength, and Tia continued backing up, not even having the opportunity to pass her. Her eye's flashed light blue, and her twin saw her struggling. Chris attacked Jay more furiously now, trying to get him to back off a little. But Jay's golden eyes saw his moves. He had stopped trying to block, hoping to get an edge, and instead had spun the tonfas to have the bodies faced outward, and shot at Chris instead, using just his arms to defend when he couldn't dodge. Chris tried to move Jay aside, but he Jay's shots continued to put him off, as Jay moved him back. They struck at eachother's weapons, Chris swinging the batons around his arms to strike Jay's tonfa, which swung back to its original position, knocking the baton up into the air. Chris kicked low, and Jay jumped over his attack and as he landed, Chris jumped up himself, catching the baton in the air and bringing it down hard on Jay. He blocked the attack and let the tonfa spin around to strike Chris, who defended himself from even that. Chris was getting impatient. His sister needed help against Anna's strength, and here he was, separated from her by the fighter with the golden eyes. What could he do to gain an advantage? Then it struck him...He and his sister still had an advantage. He backed up a few steps. Jay let him, stepping tentatively towards him and taking his stance, hoping to force him to keep a little more distance from his sister. Chris closed his eyes. At the same time, his sister did the same, dodging out of Anna's range and crossing her batons out in front of her, standing carefully, ready to move. She also closed her eyes. Anna paused, unsure of what Tia was doing. She switched her sword back to axe form, and held it in her original stance, waiting for Tia's move.
Chris and Tia opened their eyes at the same moment. Jay crossed his arms over his chest. Anna readied herself to start her spin attacks. Chris and Tia both turned away from their respective opponent's for a moment, glancing at their twin's opponent instead. Jay saw it and his eyes widened...He knew what was going on. The twins turned back to the fights at hand, and moved towards their foe. Jay moved to meet Chris, who swung at Jay with his bolts of lightning. Jay frowned and stopped, blocking the blows with his coat. Tia glanced at Jay's back...Chris came up on Jay's right, swinging with one baton, and jabbed at his left leg with his other. Jay blocked one attack, but had to step right to avoid the jab. Tia glanced over again at Jay's back, and Chris swung, forcing Jay to block the attack with his left tonfa. Chris removed his baton from Jay's right, and turned on his heel, striking Jay again on the left while he was still off balance, and with both batons this time. Jay was thrown to his right and he landed hard on his side. Chris used the opportunity to run towards Tia.
Jay stood and ran after him, "ANNA, LOOK OUT!" he shouted. Anna, who was holding Tia in place with her attacks, stopped and looked back, seeing Chris moving towards her, Jay on his tail. Anna quickly had to turn back to Tia, who hadn't hesitated to move in towards Anna as she looked away. Tia came in towards her, and struck at her. Anna had to hold the staff of the poleaxe close to herself to block, which made it difficult for her to stay steady and counter. Anna tried to step back, but Tia pursued, and Chris had thrown a few bolts. Anna turned away from Tia to block the bolts, but when the struck the body of her axe, the electricity buzzed down the metal, and Anna flinched, nearly dropping her axe from the pain, 'I'm definitely getting gloves,' she thought. Chris had to turn to block Jay's shot, but he had gotten close to his sister again. His sister used her opportunity while Anna was stunned from Chris's bolts, and slammed her batons into Anna's shoulders. She fell to her knees at the force of the blow. The batons lit up with fire dust, and Anna felt them burn through her clothes. Tia stopped quickly though, not wanting to hurt her. Anna fell to the ground, and Tia leaped over her, regrouping next to her twin. Jay immediately jumped back. He looked over at Anna...He remembered that day, when his upper body was burned by the demon with red eyes...He felt the heat on his chest, even now. He looked back at the twins, and crossed his arms over his chest...The stance he had taken ever since then...The stance that he had used since he lived through his encounter, and had gotten stronger with...It was instinct at this point. Jay watched them take up their identical stance again. He looked at Anna again. He couldn't win without help...This had gone downhill very quickly, and Jay hoped he could hold these two long enough for Anna to get back up. They both lunged at Jay, still with their eyes light blue. He smirked. At the very least, their Semblances were active...The more they used their skills, their aura, the more clearly he could track their movements...
Anna started awake and tried to push herself to her knees. Her shoulders burned, and she couldn't see very clearly. She blinked a couple of times and grabbed her axe, which was still under her. She came to her feet, and looked forward. Her eyes widened slightly at what she saw...Jay stumbled and fell forward, dropping Photos and Umbra. He was breathing heavily and put his palms to the ground. Before him, stood Christopher and Tia Dragoon. They both looked like they had bruises on them. She pushed herself to her feet, and the sound of her axe dragging against the ground caught Chris and Tia's attention. They looked back at Anna, who was gripping her axe in her palms, trying to take her mind from the heat she felt on her shoulders. Jay's heavy breathing was interrupted as he jumped up suddenly, trying to take the opportune distraction Anna had caused. Tia looked back to him, her eyes still light blue. Chris saw through her eyes, and saw the move Jay was making. He immediately shoved her out of the path of Jay's right hand. Jay's left, gripping Umbra, slammed into Chris's stomach. He was shoved back and stumbled, falling on his back. Jay's right hand had continued moving, throwing his body to the right. Jay fell onto his right side and groaned. Tia watched her brother on the ground, curling up, clutching his stomach and moaning. Tia's eyes faded back to their green color, and she looked at Anna, who was doing her best to keep on her feet. Anna thought for a moment, and looked down at her axe. She and Tia looked at eachother again for a minute. Anna then shook her head, and carefully placed her poleaxe against the wall.
"We surrender..." she said. Tia looked over at her brother, and ran over to help him up. He groaned as she did. Anna went over to Jay and did the same, although she was barely able to stand herself. She and the twins went over to the benches. Both Tia and Anna looked over and saw all of the rest of their teams watching them with rapt attention. Sam started clapping. Anna turned red as she helped Jay sit down. She sat on his right, and Tia sat to Chris's left, next to her. They looked over at eachother once again, and Anna offered her hand. "You two really are incredible. It was a great spar..." she said to Tia, who was a little surprised as she took Anna's hand.
"Sorry about the burn...You two were really something too...I couldn't get past you, and I don't think my brother's ever struggled that much against an opponent...And that guy was resilient as hell when he faced the both of us...He held on longer than most are able..." she said, hoping to mimic Anna's kindness. She was hoping they'd be friends.
Jay groaned and muttered, "Next time...I'll-..." he couldn't finish his sentence though, as the world spun slightly. Anna looked back at Tia after being distracted by Jay's muttering.
She looked apologetic, "Sorry...He's arrogant sometimes, but he's really a good person. He cares about his position as leader, and takes it quite seriously...Perhaps too seriously sometimes...And he's a real force in battle. The reason he wanted to face you was because he wanted to pit his Sight against your Shared Vision." she said.
Tia nodded, "Still, you were the force there. You really know that axe..." Tia said.
Anna turned a little red again, "Yeah, it's been my weapon for as long as I can remember...I love it alot...You guys have some pretty powerful weapons yourself." Anna told her, then looked over at the others. Sam was talking to Nick over on the other bench, and Sasha and Rachel sat in that same tense silence. Anna turned back to Tia, and they continued talking for a few minutes, as Jay and Chris continued groaning...That's all that happened for the next ten minutes...But all of them were content at this...After all, the whole point of this was to get to know their ally team.
After their spars, the teams decided they would return to the dorms. Nick and Sam shook hands again. Rachel and Sasha separated without a word. Anna, Jay, and the twins shook hands before they parted as well. Jay walked in the back of the group, trying to keep it that way. Nick and Sasha were talking about their matches with eachother, with their hands again sewn together. Anna looked back at Jay, who walked with his head down and hood up, hands behind his back. After looking back at Sasha and Nick, she stopped a moment to let him catch up, and walked beside him.
"Something wrong? Your fight with the twins...It wasn't that humil-"
"I wasn't humiliated, nor am I now. They were simply far more formidable than I was alone. Their skill won out, and I must think over the fight in order to identify my mistakes. That's how it works." he interrupted her. She wasn't quite sure what to say. He didn't sound like he'd be accepting of any words of comfort. Jay cleared his throat, "I was observing your technique during the fight...You have excellent skill, and I believe had mine been a match for yours, perhaps we'd have proven a match for them. This was an oversight on my part, and I would like to correct it." he went on. Anna frowned a bit and looked over at him. He was nearly six inches taller than she was, and she had to look up to see his face.
"Correct it how? I'm not sure my skill is all that you think it is...I have no capacity for long range at all, and-"
"And you make up for that with high agility, and a wide defensive array. Your statement is incorrect. To the contrary, you have more skill than you believe. I think it would be advantageous for us to become a better tag team. I'd like to be able to overcome those two at least once, and thinking about the team, it would seem that you're the most fitting person to have in combat with those two." Jay spoke in odd circles with that little speech, but Anna thought she understood the meaning.
"Are you saying you'd like to train more with me?..." she asked, almost stuttering out the words, trying to keep a steady voice.
"Yes, I believe that's the best course of action." he responded. Anna wasn't sure how to respond. They'd reached their dorm however, and Nick and Sasha had already gone inside. Anna grabbed Jay's arm before he went in. He turned to her, his hood coming off, and pulled his arm free. "Please do not touch me. I don't like people touching me. It's quite annoying." he said, gripping the arm that she hadn't grabbed, but at the spot where she'd grabbed his other arm.
Anna felt a little taken aback, "Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to annoy you." she muttered.
"It's alright, just remember not to in the future if you don't mind." he responded, trying to compose himself, and pushing his glasses up on his nose.
"I just wanted to ask...Why me? Surely you'd make a better tag team with Nick..." she asked. Jay considered this a moment.
"Yes, I did consider Nick. But you have some advantages over him. For instance, you're much much stronger at close range. You're lighter, and more agile, giving you a better ability to combat the twins speed and power. Plus, I think he's a better opponent for Samuel anyway. They seem to get along well. As for Sasha...They'd crush her. Her claymore is simply not equipped to deal with their double-sided attacks. As you can see, that leaves only one option that has every advantage needed." he explained.
"And that's me?...Are you sure?" Anna asked, still not quite positive of what he was saying.
"Quite sure. Those two are...Well, quite frankly, they're an incredibly dynamic team, but I'm confident that if we work together, we can match them." he said. His eyes turned gold for a moment, and Anna didn't see the slightest trace of red.
She smiled, "Ok then...I'd be happy to work with you."
"Good." Jay said simply, turning and opening the door and walking into their room. Anna followed him in, but when she did, she saw Sasha sitting on her bed and staring at her, with an odd smile on her face. Anna's eyes widened a little, and she also smiled a little. Trying to hide it, she went over to her ladder and climbed into her hammock.
The next day, the team went down to the training room early. Jay was careful to drag them all out so that they'd get extra time to prepare themselves. When they did arrive, Jay dragged Anna to one of the rings and they practiced their abilities as tag team partners. Nick and Sasha were content to sit down and wait for their ally team, as it was mostly Jay who wanted to get ahead anyway.
As they watched, Sasha nudged at Nick, "Is it just me, or is he-"
"Oblivious as all-living fuck? No, that's the way he is..." Nick interrupted. Sasha shook her head and continued watching their movements. They continued until later in the morning, when Team SCRT arrived. The twins walked over to where Anna and Jay were standing, and they greeted Anna. Jay stood passively, and after greeting Anna, the twins both looked at him. Jay made no move. Chris did, however, offering Jay his hand. He hesitated at first, but shook it anyway, if only because they were allies.
"You've got a mean swing, you know..." he muttered, trying to sound friendly. He wasn't sure it worked. Tia faced him and offered her hand as well.
He took it, but before he released his grip, he muttered to her as well, "Try and tone down the flames next time...Those burns are hell." Tia's eyes raised in question. Nick got up, and tried to compete with Sam as to who could crush more of the other's ribs with a hug. Nick was happy to use his arm, and won easy. Rachel and Sasha said nothing.
"Ok! Round two. Let's go then..." Sam said out-loud. The twins went over to the same ring they were in yesterday, and Jay and Anna faced them. Today, Jay didn't wait to draw out Photos and Umbra. He also made the first move, and Anna followed him for support. Rachel and Sasha didn't speak before pulling out their weapons and lashing out at eachother. It slightly worried both Nick and Sam, seeing them be so viscous towards eachother. But they paid it no mind and began their own spar. Not much changed from the day before, except for a tie between Sasha and Rachel. After they'd all beaten eachother senseless for an hour or two, they left to the same conference room that they had been in for their first meeting. Sam had gone to Ozpin and had it reserved for their meetings. Once there, Jay filled them in on everything he'd found out about them from the old records. There wasn't much information, so he could only tell them about their grades and teacher's remarks. But as he did, this gave everyone a clear picture of their skills. Although these could've changed, it still gave them something to go on. The next day after their spars, when they went to their room, they were greeted by Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch, who informed them that they had successfully captured one of the enemy camera drones, and felt confident they could trace it back to it's origins within the week. That gave them the next three days to prep.
Jay was a bit disturbed by the information. He started insisting the teams sleep more, and train more. They would be ready for this when the time came, and Jay wold make sure of that. Nick didn't really like it, but he also understood why Jay was doing this, so he went along with it. On the second to last day, Jay and Anna successfully tied the twins in a fight, which was a huge accomplishment for them. The team laughed and clapped as Jay took Anna's hand and raised it up along with his own, in mock pride. Jay was happy because it meant real progress. Perhaps they'd be ready for Leif and Iskelle after all. On the final day, Ozpin stopped the teams at the door and instead took them straight to the conference room, where there was a hologram projector set up, and lines of chairs for the eight of them. After being seated by officials in Beacon uniform, Ozpin began the mission briefing. Beacon had tracked down, with the bug, an incredible sized facility in the deep Forever Fall. Jay shuttered a little...He remembered the deep F.F. well. Heat scoping didn't work on the facility, so it was well built, and well defended. They estimated near 130 hands could be present, and well armed. They were to be brought in in separate groups, one taking a path by the river, and another two teams going in through the front and the last two going in through a back entrance. If they needed to make such an entrance by hand, so be it.
Ozpin went on to explain that they'd be separated into teams and before he began Jay interrupted, "Sir, would it not be best for us to determine the teams ourselves?" Ozpin shook his head.
"We will be assigning your teams based on your recent progress, which we've been keeping track of...And besides, you're first years. You're quite lucky to be participating in this mission at all." Jay wasn't quite satisfied with this, but shut up anyway.
Professor Goodwitch took over from there, "The teams will be as follows: Nick and Sasha. Samuel and Rachel. Christopher and Tia. Jay and Anna." she said.
"And what exactly are these teams based on? By recent progress, shouldn't Nick be teamed with Sam and Sasha with Rachel?" he interrupted, still a little unsure.
"Our information would say that Sasha and Rachel wouldn't work well together. And that leaves these teams the only good options." Jay glanced sideways at Anna, and they both looked over at Sasha and Rachel, who were still sitting next to eachother. They both wore a scowl and they looked back at eachother.
"Understood," Jay said as he and Anna realized just what she was talking about. The mission would begin early, at 7:00 am. When the meeting ended, the teams went about for the rest of the day to prepare themselves. They would all go to sleep at about 7:00 pm that night, or at least Sam thought that to be fitting. After a few minutes of going about doing their business, they all met in the gym to train or just practice a little more. But Jay didn't meet them there. So to compensate, the twins alternated just practicing with Anna, instead of sparing. She wanted to go and look for him, but decided against it. Instead, Team JNAS found Jay already in the dorm when they returned. They asked him what he had been doing, but he said nothing. Instead they all got ready for bed. They'd need their rest for tomorrow...