With a slightly fanged smile plum haired Persephone held fast to her bo staff. Her opponent, boisterous and crude Gaston the Third. Like his Father the thirty year old was a broad, hairy chest and wide arms. The perfect type of man to smother girls in an iron grip.
And a small part of her supposed, that should be a scary thing.
His blue eyes glinting with arrogance, amused of a kitten thinking herself shrewd.
He hardly bothered, sauntering towards her. Eyes closed while he spoke, opening with a smirk to see his charge had not moved except to duck her legs and cast her staff across her chest in protection.
Completely caught off guard when she lunged, weapon becoming a blur as she sideswept his feet.
Fleeing away from his reaching hands, effectively swapping positions to him righting himself.
For a time he swept and parried her with his bare hands, but she didn't relent and he was beginning to falter.
Step by step, just a bit closer to the edges of the mat.
"Ho ho now little one," he said.
Persephone's eyes turned to smoldering emerald, showcasing a growing confidence as her expression edged to a sharp point.
Without warning she leapt back, staff held in front of her. Turning her hands into just the precise figure for the weapon to spin.
Catching the tepid, airy touches of the magic that began to rise at the tips of her hair, becoming purple, lathering flames that sought to lick whatever came too close.
Her weapon having caught a scant two flames, held them strong as a matchbox lit.
At this point making a swan song of the lesson in her fluid pounce.
Gaston recoiled to the wall, knocking over a hearty pile of equipment in his wide eyed terror at the young girl, frantically avoiding petals of fire.
With a laugh she extinguished her fire then checked her clothes with burns.
"I'm sorry," she giggled sweetly, smiling with a smattering of embarrassment she couldn't help but be tempered with humor. "Did I do well though? I sure hope I did."
"Yes, yes, stunningly well princess. Per usual," he attested, always a degree of grit making the admission. Redeeming himself with the dismissive end of their lesson, "run along now princess and collect your things."
Waving her off as if she were some flighty admirer.
Despite the slightly sexist behavior, well, he never had done her harm. She supposed they were something like tenuous colleagues, trading barbs every so often. She smiled, comfortable within their own little routine. Fond much as she gags at such pettiness.
Having come back out to the main gym in her own clothes a rattling explosion shook the floor, traveling up her body straight to her jaw. Persephone slapped a hand to her still rattling mouth. Good Beast that had hurt!
An ominous vapor crept through the crack of the door. This unnatural fog spewing from across the hall, a toxic shade of green.