Love on the Star Ocean [Azecreth & Noire]

[Azecreth]

"Haa." Though she tried to hold it back Maria Traydor could not hold back a sigh as she walked down the halls of the castle in Aquios. It was strange, at least for her. There had been so much hustle and bustle with the outbreak of war in the Federation, the fighting, the running, and yet here she was now with basically nothing to do. As the leader of what was essentially a terrorist organization she was used to having a lot to do, or even just to the old adage of 'hurry up and wait', but right now there was nothing that depended on her input. It was all just a matter of time for others to do their work, and she had complete faith in their ability to do so.

Though she had to admit that Aquios, located on the planet of Elicoor II, did look nice. They might be stuck in some weird transition phase between medieval and modern tech as a result of their war with Airglyph, but they had maintained an architecture and a style that you would be hard pressed to find outside of a museum or a protected site on Earth. Maria could appreciate it as she wandered to pass the time away.

Well it wasn't entirely true to say that she was wandering. She had some ideas of things that she would like to do, she was just looking for the person that she planned to talk to about it. She was sure that Nel was around here somewhere, it was just a matter of finding her. From what Maria had been told the agent wasn't busy with a mission at the moment, and for what she had in mind there was no one else she would choose (Aside from Cliff or Mirage, but they were busy)

To the casual observer though Maria was all firm purpose, walking with a long stride. Her coat flowed around her as she walked and her gun rested in a holster at her side. Even when she was supposed to be casual, she couldn't really help herself from looking like the confident leader that she had made herself into over the years since she had joined Quark.

At last she succeeded, catching a glimpse of the redhead as she walked past one of the many rooms of the castle. That brought her to a halt, and she stepped back before turning to approach the woman that she had been looking for. "Lady Nel," she said as she approached, indicating her presence lest it be assumed that she was trying to sneak up on the person who made a living off of sneaking into places. "I'd like to have a word, if I'm not interrupting anything."

 

[Noire]

Nel Zelpher had made a habit of spending long hours in the library. She had taken so many notes, gathered so much information... all of which she was poring over with the reveal of people from far afield their cosmos.

None of it made sense. There was no denying it, however much she wished she could. Fayt, Cliff, Mirage, and now this Maria girl. It had been revealed to all that they were aliens, and even among them there were other aliens, almost every one of them originating from a different planet and origin, at least as far as she had been told.

It was a little disconcerting for a spy to know so little about their own world, though she was absolutely determined to fix that.

She was as she always was, hunched over one of those tables. Clad in her uniform -- replete with their stockings and short skirt, which rode up just so as she leaned over her own meticulously written (and encrypted) notes. She was so absorbed that she barely heard the footsteps, and only reacted when her name was spoken.

Nel jerked her head over her shoulder, trying to school her expression so she didn't look too startled. "... oh. Maria--" Nel pushed herself up from the table, closing the leatherbound cover on her notes. "No, this is fine --" Nel paused a moment. "In fact, go ahead. I may have a question for you as well."

 

[Azecreth]

It was not so much of a surprise for Maria to locate Nel inside the library, pouring over some book or scroll with a trained eye. She could certainly appreciate the spy's drive to have as much knowledge as possible, especially in light of her own quest to determine her own origins and to learn about the strange power lurking inside her. Too bad she couldn't do that as easily as popping over to the local library.

Maria couldn't help it if her smile grew just a bit brighter with a hint of amusement at somehow managing to sneak up on Lady Nel, who did not react as if she had heard her coming from a mile away. She must have been very invested to earn that sort of reaction from her. Not that she would have said anything about it. It probably would not have been appreciated if she had to guess.

But she got what she had wanted, and gave a short look to the book before returning to the human with it once permission had been given. "Thank you," she replied before swinging into the question that she had, and what she wanted to do with it. "I was wondering if I could spar with you, if you're not too busy that is. With everyone else out on missions I suddenly have a lot of free time that I don't know what to do with."

A hand came to rest on her hip as she regarded her companion, figuring she would agree but wanting to make sure just in case. "If you have any questions for me, I would be happy to answer them in the meanwhile."

 

[Noire]

"... a sparring match, hm." Nel gathered together her own notes into a satchel she wore on her side before she gathered together the small pile of books that she had taken down to rifle through. She took them to a rack at the end of the line of tables, so that the librarians might see to their safe return on the shelves.

"I suppose that I can. We have some excellent training facilities here at Aquios. The Legion trains there, though I believe at this time of day it should be open." Nel paused a moment, peering down at the pile of books. They had afforded her precious little knowledge -- her runeology and their symbology was so close. Why? They were so similar and so different in so many ways...

"I think that I would like a tour of your... ship, once we are done with our match, provided you can do that. I've been trying to find out what I can from our archives about your world, your people. But you know more about our world than any of our people know about yours. I'd like to read your own reports, to see what lay beyond our world," Nel said, turning on her heel.

"... if you could provide that, I'd be happy to let you use our facilities here. You fight so much like Cliff and Mirage, but it doesn't seem to suit you as well. Perhaps I could teach you a thing or two as we fight."

 

[Azecreth]

Maria watched with a pleased expression as Nel began to pack up her stuff, agreeing to her offer. It was an opportunity to get to know the other woman better, something that she would never pass up. She needed to know that she could rely on all her teammates, and while Fayt could vouch for the spy she wanted to get her own look, to see how invested she would be in a conflict where her own people weren't directly in danger. That would be important in terms of planning her tactics and overall operations.

"Thank you, I did see those facilities and it should be interesting to train on them. We don't have so much space on our ship," Maria replied with a grateful nod as she paced alongside Nel, keeping equal with her as Nel made her own request in compensation for sparring with her. It could have been expected that she would not do so for free, though she had been silently hoping. But she would deal with it nonetheless.

Fingers traced along the crafted wooden tabletop as she considered the request. "There are a few places that would have to be off limits, but I think we can accommodate a tour," she agreed after a moment. Stuff like the Creation Engine would have to be restricted in their tour, but other than that there would be no harm in showing Nel around. Maria very much doubted that Aquios was going to build their own spaceship any time soon.

With that worked out she would wait for Nel to join her before returning to the halls of the castle, walking towards the aforementioned training facilities so they could get to it. "Perhaps. I suspect that we both have our tricks," the blue hair girl answered with a confident smile. She had the feeling that this was going to be interesting, even if she ended up as beat up as she usually did when sparring with Cliff.

 

[Noire]

"I had wondered about that, I admit," Nel said. She gestured to Maria's hip as they moved with one another, where the sleek pistol was holstered. Nel had seen the weapon in action, and had been somewhat shocked at its existence. It seemed as if it shot arrows of magic, though Nel understood (or rather, didn't understand frustratingly enough) that it fired some kind of ammunition. Like arrows, but decidedly not. "You do not seem to have much room from what I have seen to practice with such a weapon."

The Aquios halls were wide but somewhat clammy -- it was not yet late into the day, and they were in the midst of their cooler months. Despite the shortness of her skirt, Nel did not seem to overly mind the chill, for all that she wrapped her arms across her stomach, pushing her chest out somewhat.

"Perhaps," Nel said with a miniature smile. She led Maria out into the early day sun and thence behind the castle. There were a smattering of buildings -- one of which was a little more nondescript than the others -- designed economically rather than fashionably, with hard corners and a distinct lack of decoration. The office of the Secret Legion, into which Nel led Maria. It was a wide and open building, one that opened out into a large indoor field, replete with archery targets, a sparring ring, and a variety of apparatuses that hung from the ceiling, clearly there to practice acts of manual dexterity and gymnastics.

It was also entirely empty today.

"May I ask, though. What draws you to spar with me, specifically?" Nel asked. She was drawing her short swords, setting them down in an area that seemed to double as their armory. Nel strapped on a pair of blunted short blades in turn.

 

[Azecreth]

The duo headed down the halls of the castle with a decent pace, though there was a chill in the air as well. Maria didn't mind that too much, especially since it seemed that Nel wasn't bothered by it. If her companion could be so unfazed then it would be a poor showing for Maria to let herself indicate that she was feeling discomfort. She was supposed to be the strong leader after all, so she could treat it as an annoyance at best.

They exited out into the sunlight and moved beyond the castle to several other buildings. Naturally they ended up at the one that was more mundane and less decorated, inside which was a training field with a variety of options to pick from. No one was there at the moment, meaning that they had free rein to practice as they wanted. Maria followed along as Nel went to an armory of sorts, though she did not change her weapons out. She was good with what she had.

She shrugged at the question, figuring she would be up front with her reasoning rather than trying to hide it from the master spy. "Well, I figured it would be worthwhile to vary my opponents a bit," she explained as she began to move towards one of the more open areas in the structure, without things to get in the way for their match. "That and I don't know you that well, so I was hoping that fighting with you might help me learn a bit more. I hope that isn't a problem."

 

[Noire]

"Hm. It's fine," Nel said. She drew those short swords as they went, spinning them between deft fingers. They were covered in runic script -- perhaps they were there to increase her symbological force, rather than slice and dice through flesh and sinew. She somewhat crouched as she moved, a sort of skulking motion that saw the sound of her footsteps entirely disappearing -- it didn't even seem that it was conscious on Nel's part, for she continued to speak ordinarily.

"I'll admit my own curiosity. You're above Fayt and Cliff in the hierarchy, yes? So you'll be the one leading us into battle from now on?" Nel took up a position some ten feet away from Maria, on the other side of a white line painted on the dusty flooring. "For if that's the case, I think I'll need you to prove your strength to me," she said with a smile. It was one full of challenge, as sharp blue eyes focused in on Maria.

She had no doubt the other woman was strong -- they had fought alongside one another, after all. But Nel appreciated competence above all else, and it was the duty of a leader to assuage the misgivings of their subordinates.

Besides.

As subconscious as it might have been... she was always looking for someone as competent as they were beautiful.

"So. Shall we begin?" Nel asked, holding her blades in reverse grip as she pulled up the front of her scarf, covering her mouth.

 

[Azecreth]

Coming to a stop at her marked position, Maria stretched a bit and prepared for the fight that was to come. She was glad that Nel wouldn't be using something that could seriously hurt her, though she was sure there was more to it than that. At the same time she couldn't help but notice how Nel moved as she headed to her own spot. It seemed that acting the part of the spy was second nature to her, even if there was no need to it. That could be a good thing, though it also left some doubt as to whether she was trustworthy or not.

"That is correct," she confirmed with a nod as Nel questioned her position. "If I'm around then I would be command, but I trust the others to act appropriately if I'm not around as well." A smile came to her lips as well upon noticing the look she was receiving from her opponent, one that spoke of quiet confidence and firm resolve. If this was to be a test then she was more than ready to pass it.

To the question Maria reacted quickly, assuming a combat stance just like she had learned from Cliff and Mirage. "Yes, let's,' she replied with a nod before springing into action. Out would come her pistol and she fired at Nel with snap precision. Red bolts of energy lashed across the training field at the spy, though they would only deliver an electric jolt and were otherwise not particularly harmful.

She didn't expect it to last beyond the opening barrage though, and braced herself to act once Nel had closed the distance between them. She didn't expect her opponent would let her shoot at her with impunity in the end, and she would lash out with a sharp kick aimed at roughly where her waist would be to forestall her counterattack. She was looking forward to this.

 

[Noire]

"Hmph. A fair enough statement. Then...-"

Nel lowered her stance, that skirt of hers hiking up and baring the runological script spread across pale thighs. She held the blades in a reverse grip, holding herself coiled, ready to move into action--

The spy was quick, throwing herself to the side with a twist of her hips. The first two red bolts moved wide, but Nel had seen enough to know that that wouldn't be the end of it. That was why she had begun whispering an incantation the moment she moved, a faint aura following her as the rest of the barrage zeroed in on her.

"Icy Needles!"

Needles, pinpricks of pure frost, fired straight from a symbological array directly before her -- several of them hit the bolts midway in the air, splintering the ice, the ionized plasma superheating the frost to instantly dissolve Nel's attack. It would have been entirely ineffectual on Nel's part if it weren't for the fact that it blew the ice into mist, obscuring the area between them, the silhouette of the young spy the only thing visible before it, too, faded into nothing.

It was only the rebel's training that forestalled the spy's assault.

A spray of dust, and Nel came out of nowhere from the side, rising with both blades in a cross formation -- only to be caught by Maria's kick. However, Nel had not quite anticipated Maria's sheer strength -- training with Cliff would do that for you -- and the blow nearly broke Nel's own strike, forcing the spy to move around Maria clockwise, using the momentum of her stalled strike to lash out, attempting to catch Maria across her side with both blunted blades.

 

[Azecreth]

Of course Maria should not have expected that Nel would be a straight forward brawler, but even she was impressed with the use of Smybology to turn her own weapon against her in the form of a mist. It was the perfect cover for someone who had trained in stealth, and she would have to be careful in turn. Otherwise she would be a sitting duck.

So she holstered her gun, waiting for any signs that might indicate which direction Nel was going to come from.Hr eyes scanned the mist as her ears strained, and it was only in the last few seconds that sh caught a glimpse of motion. It was enough to earn a sharp kick, and the feeling of impact was her reward as she caught Nel coming in for a blow as she had predicted.

It did not stop her attack though, merely redirected it in another direction. Unfortunate for Maria as she could not react as quickly, and a grunt escaped as the blades slammed into her side. At least her armor held, though the sheer blunt force wasn't exactly pleasant either even if she wasn't getting hit with the sharp part of the blade.

She couldn't simply cede the initiative though, not so easily. Hr weapon came back out, with a quick adjustment of the settings. "Laser blast!" she cried as she swept it in an arc around where Nel was, bolts covering that area in a more localized fashion without the range that she usually had. On the heels of that she struck again, Charging forward with an elbow check like Mirage had taught her to keep Nel from vanishing into the mist again.

Still, so far so good. Nel was proving an interesting challenge for her, as she had hoped might be the case. She wore a confident grin, her body growing more eager for the next clash. This had definitely been worth it.

 

[Noire]

First blood. It was a thought that sprung from the back of her mind, her blue eyes narrowed and focused on Maria. She'd struck the woman on the side, right where her armor had been positioned to protect her in her martial arts bouts. Which was fine by Nel. She'd just have to speed blitz the woman right out of her armor.

Nel caught the gun coming back out of its holster, and Nel at least knew the basics of fighting ranged enemies. If you got past an archer's bow, it was just an unwieldy stick. If you got past the gun, it would be only a paperweight.

The spray was unexpected -- Nel had thought it would just be some more forward blasts, which saw Nel diving to the side, only to get blasted by stunning shots all across her lower back and her legs. It caused her to gasp and she hit the ground ungracefully, almost going sprawling. She got her feet back under her in time, however, regaining fine muscle control just as Maria pressed her advantage with that elbow check.

But Nel wasn't running.

Charge.

It was more brutish than Nel's usual style, but she was more confident in her swordplay than her range. She was briefly enveloped in a pink symbological light, and Nel met Maria's strike full on, supplementing her own physical strength to match Maria's own natural power. The magic burst around Nel as they clashed, the force running all through her limbs as she attempted to strike from below with her blade.

This was exhilarating in a way her fights rarely were -- and Nel was not holding back outside of swapping out her blades. She knew she had to give it her all, and it was gratifying for her blows to be met time after time.

Maria was a worthy fighter.

 

[Azecreth]

There was a flash for a second, and Maria couldn't help but take some amusement at how Nel was taken off guard by the other capabilities of her gun. She was far from a one trick pony, thanks to Federation and Quark tech, and she'd barely scratched the surface of what she could do. She had no doubt that she was going to go through a few more of those tricks by the time this was done.

Her blow quickly followed on the heels of that, only to find that her opponent would not back down but was instead going to counter the offensive with a charge of her own. Augmented symbology definitely wasn't going to make this any less painful though.

Another grunt escaped at the blows that landed upon her as Nel slipped past her guard, but she was quick to counter in her own way. A quick step back would be all the preparation that she needed to strike again, drawing on another little trick that Mirage had taught her when she was younger and learning how to fight.

Crescent Locus

Her foot glowed with symbology as she lashed out at Nel with another kick, but even if it did not land she would not be able to escape the attack that easily. A green shockwave moved from where her motion ended, pushing forward and striking upwards until all its energy had been spent.

Sure, she was a bit hurt and she had the feeling this was just the start, but she was definitely enjoying herself. She was no stranger to this kind of pain, and that meant she could more easily look forward to whatever happened next. Nel surely had her own tricks too, and she was eager to see them.

 

[Noire]

It was a trick that Nel endeavored to make only work once. That glow seemed to stay with Nel as she moved, keeping her magic flowing around her, ready to counter.

Maria's symbological glow was enough to catch Nel's attention, and she crossed her blades before her in a defensive stance. She took a step to the side, keeping her blades between herself and the strike. The last time she had expected a straight-on attack, it had been an area-based one... and Nel was prepared for that eventuality this time. When the green shockwave came from below, Nel moved with it.

The energy hit home, but Nel was rolling with the strike rather than trying to fully resist. She went straight into the air, higher and higher, glowing with her particular brand of energy. The momentum of the strike and the jump whirled Nel into a backflip, at which point she clutched the blades to her chest, and swung both right down at Maria.

Aerial

A guillotine blade of pink light slashed straight down toward Maria, and Nel came down for a landing, dropping at least ten feet from the sky.

When she landed, it was with a wince -- from the laser blast to the locus, she seemed to be taking all of her blows along her legs, the thigh-highs she wore already torn and baring the white, tattooed flesh beneath.

 

[Azecreth]

Nel was tricky, Maria had to give her that. Even with her attack she found that her opponent instead used it as a propellant to launch herself upwards into a backflip. She had to give kudos for the inventive move, though it was to be expected from the Blade of the Kingdom. She would not have made it this far without being able to think on her feet.

Her arms rose as Maria instinctively blocked, a grunt escaping at the solid force that impacted against her guard. She was sent stumbling by the blow, which had surprisingly more force against it than she would have expected. It was too bad that she didn't have arm guards, but this was not going to knock her out of the fight so easily.

"Not bad," she remarked with a nod to her opponent. There was no harm in taking a moment to acknowledge the skill of her opponent. This was a very good match after all, as good as any she would have with Mirage and Cliff. She was going to have some things to think over after this.

Quickly she returned to the fight though, moving to the side as she changed the ammunition type on her gun. Circling Nel, it was only when she came to a stop that she would fire. "Scattershot!" It was as the name implied, firing a burst like from a shotgun, which sacrificed raw power for the ability to hit a wider area. That seemed like it would be more useful against Nel, from how the match had gone so far.

 

[Noire]

"You fight well," Nel responded as she dropped back from their clash. It seemed to be the style of this battle of theirs -- neither of them could afford to stay at any given range with the other for very long, requiring them to continuously one-up one another in the style of rock-paper-scissors. If Maria went close, Nel went mid. If Nel went long, Maria responded with area attacks, constantly forcing both of them to adjust their footing lest they be overwhelmed by a range of attacks.

It gave Nel an idea.

Nel brought her blades together, smiling through the crossed steel as magic built up around her again -- this time it was something big. She moved with it, attempting to dodge the scattering shots as they came, but it was just as Nel had noted to herself -- area attacks were her own greatest weakness. It wasn't powerful, but she couldn't use her agility to stay ahead of it or her defenses to tank it.

The beams scorched at Nel just as she finished casting the spell, crying out as she was hurt and she expended the magic necessary for the cast.

The dust began to pick up around Nel, wrapping around her as she threw herself at Maria, striking with both blades as the Whirlwind picked up to gale force. Dust and small stones pelted at Maria, the wind whipping and ripping at her clothes as Nel pushed the offensive, striking at Maria from seemingly all sides, the persistent whirlwind and Nel's speed working together to put out consistent damage of a sort Nel couldn't otherwise put out.

 

[Azecreth]

Maria's gaze tracked Nel as she moved, making sure that the spy was taking the brunt of the Scattershot as much as possible. Sure it was a widespread blast, but it would defeat the point if she didn't do her part to make sure that Nel got hit as much as possible by what she was putting out. It didn't get her to stop though, leaving Maria to wonder what she had in mind next.

The Whirlwind was not entirely unexpected yet it was also a problem that Maria was not well equipped to face. She did her best to hold out against it even as she was buffeted from all sides. Her coattails were torn to shreds by the flying objects whilst she was knocked to and fro by Nel's attacks from every angle. It took all she had to not get knocked off her feet, and even then she was not in a good situation.

It was only when the wind began to diminish that she could pull back, her mind racing for a counter. She was a lot worse off after this beating, muscles aching with what would surely become bruises later. But she couldn't just give up the fight yet. She had come this far, and would not cede the fight so easily.

Quickly she adjusted the settings on her gun before jamming it onto the floor. Magnetic Field. The pulse flared out, creating an electric field that radiated out from where she had set it off, which would shock Nel for a good could seconds if she didn't dodge it. Enough for Maria to get in close and unleash a couple swift kicks in CQC. Just like Cliff had taught her, the only way to win was to use all the tricks one had at their disposal. And she could still deliver a beat down even without Symbology.

 

[Noire]

It was an edge that Maria ultimately held over Nel -- swordplay for Nel had always been of secondary concern, and even the young Fayt Leingod was already far and away a better swordfighter than Nel would likely ever be, to say nothing of Albel or the physical stylings of Cliff. As the whirldwind died down, Nel was dropping back, drawing more energy to herself as she went.

She could see pale skin poking through in places in the softer parts of Maria's outfit, and that was as sure a sign as anything that she had stumbled across a winning strategy. She brought in her enegy, preparing a secondary casting that she hoped would finish the fight when--

The field caught Nel at its outskirts, and it was enough to keep the woman still for just long enough. She grit her teeth as the field pulled at her, several blows raining hard on her, striking her in the knee, the hip, and the lower back, a series of strikes that forced Nel to her hands and knees, her twin curved blades clattering against the ground, knocked away in the struggle.

But her dodging had bought her just enough time, and as the field wore away, all of Nel's pent up energy was released. The final whirlwind took what had to be the last of her stamina, magic rushing out of her.

Nel caught the next kick under her arm and pinned it against her side. She left her blades behind, moving up and forward to try and bear Maria to the ground.

She had four seconds. She had to use them wisely, or she would lose the fight right there.

She attempted to go for a submission hold, to bear Maria down and use her agility to get across Maria. She had no hopes of outmuscling Maria's powerful and shapely legs, so she instead focused on twisting around until she had Maria's arm in a hold, twining her very own powerful legs around the shoulder joint and pressing her feet down against Maria's chest to pull it down in what any martial artist would known as an "arm bar."

 

[Azecreth]

The successful hit was good for Maria, further wearing down Nel and increasing her chances of success. She didn't know exactly what was going on in the mind across from her, but she did her best to try and predict what would happen next. That was the way to succeed in a fight like this, and there were only so many things that Nel could do at this point if she wanted to try and take back the advantage in this fight.

From the corner of her eye Maria noticed the swords go clattering away, a point in her favor. Her opponents options would be notably diminished without the blades to augment whatever moves she might try in the future. Now she just had to drive the advantage that she had until the next trick.

She had underestimated how close Nel was to striking back though, and the hold on her leg combined with the whirlwind sent her crashing down to the ground with a grunt of pain. She would have complained about move, but since Cliff would have just laughed at her or something she held her tongue. All was fair in love and war, as he had told her many a time.

The arm bar hold was familiar, yet it was something that she had experience with. The unwelcome addition was the whirlwind to it, which continued to bludgeon her with magic as Nel secured her hold. Maria knew that she had to break out quick, but it was going to be easier said than done in this situation.

She took a deep breath to steel herself before lashing back. Her hands linked just in the way that Cliff had taught her before she pushed Nel's leg above her head and arching her back to put her weight on that one leg. At that point she twisted, trying to throw Nel off even as the whirlwind continued to batter at her. Her gun was long gone, which meant that this was all she had. If only her strength would hold out!

 

[Noire]

Nel had only so long to hold on. The first second was the easiest as Nel secured her hold the best she could, straining back with all the force her body could muster. She had the added benefit of being a gymnast on top of everything else, ensuring that Maria's arm was held in the vice-like and lithe grip of a body made entirely of whipcord muscle, pride, and conviction not to lose.

The second second was a blessing as that pistol was abandoned to Maria's attempt to fight back.

It was on the back half of the whirlwind that Maria twisted underneath her, using all the muscle she had to fight back against Nel's hold.

They strained against each other for second after second -- the whirlwind disappeared as Nel's magical strength gave out, and Nel closed brilliant blue eyes in concentration as she tried to muster up another round of magic, anything to hold Maria at bay just those few seconds longer.

But it had become a contest of strength just as it had been a contest of wills. And with Maria's training, strength had been a poor final crucible on which to bet this match.

Nel twas twisted away, smacking into the packed dirt as the hold was summarily reversed, Nel trying to get back to her feet but finding her legs trembling and her eyes stinging with the sweat of her brow. It was the sort of feeling that fell over Nel at the end of a long workout, even if this one had only persisted for less than three minutes. Nel got her footing, and panted heavily.

It was one of those crystalizing moments -- seconds that would prove who had been the victor. If Maria didn't slump to the ground... Nel would.

 

[Azecreth]

Strength matched with strength as Nel and Maria put their wills to battle, with Maria struggling to escape the hold. They were matched for what felt like minutes at least, muscles straining as their bodies twisted against each other. This was her element, and she was not about to let it go to waste if she could.

When the end came it was quick and succinct. In a burst of motion Maria tore free, throwing Nel away before stumbling to her feet. Her muscles burned as her body gulped down air to assuage the heat that now tore at her stamina. It was lucky that Nel didn't have her Symbology right now, or she would be screwed.

But she forced herself to move, drawing on that wellspring of will like Cliff would have wanted her to. Stumbling over, she reached down at grabbed the gun with an unsteady grip. Her fingers tingled and twitched, almost like she wasn't holding it. Yet she forced them to curl, even if she wasn't sure that she could pull the trigger.

With the weapon in hand, Maria turned and came at Nel at an oblique angle, looking to end this fight once and for all. Her gun hand came up, ready for whatever the assassin would throw her way. She was going to have to move quick to end this.

So she did, the gun barrel tapping against Nel's shoulder in a fascimile of the attack that she could have launched. Instead it was more like a gentle nudge, as Maria shot her opponent a satisfied smile. "Good match," she panted. She certainly felt like it had been, skin increasingly slick with sweat and her hair practically ruined. Well, she'd dealt with worse. For now she just wanted to see if they were still going

 

[Noire]

Nel could barely keep her feet underneath her -- the battle had gone further than she thought it would. The whole thing couldn't have lasted longer than five minutes from beginning to end, and in fact it was probably a good bit shorter than it seemed. But even a minute-long engagement could lead to shaking in one's boots, the strain of muscle and willpower that came with a battle hard-fought.

Even a sparring match like this. One that wasn't even over yet.

Fortunately...

Nel had been in enough battles to see that Maria was in the very same shape that she herself was. They were both running on fumes, and for that split second Maria held the advantage by being able to retrieve her firearm -- Nel had lost hers in the dirt, and there was no easy way to retrieve them.

But that was fine. It wasn't weapons that would decide the match.

"Good match," Nel returned with half of a smile. She seemed to relax just a little bit, leaning just a bit onto the backfoot. She still looked like she was on-edge, standing there with all the tension of a coiled spring. But when wasn't she?

It was true. It wouldn't be a weapon.

It was her willpower to show the offworlder how things were done on Elicoor.

Nel grabbed at the gun with a rare devil-may-care grin, threw her hip into Maria's midsection, and sought to throw Maria straight over her tense, smaller body and into the dirt. But such was an overexertion on Nel's part -- for even if Maria went into the dust, Nel was going to be right there with her, her knees finally buckled from the strain of the fight.

 

[Azecreth]

Of course. Even as she was taken off guard by the sudden assault, Maria knew that she shouldn't have been surprised. Nel was practically a weapon in and of herself, and she would do whatever she could do to win a fight regardless of the circumstances that she found herself in. As a result, being thrown by Nel came as a shock to her system.

"Guh!" A grunt escaped as she impacted the round, the wind knocked out of her for a few moments as she laid there on the ground. At least it wasn't dirt, though hardwood didn't exactly make it any better. And her gun was gone again, though it probably hadn't gone far. She was a bit busy to look.

Instead Maria hauled herself up by sheer willpower, rising up onto her arms as she hauled herself over to the nearby Nel. She reached out and grabbed her hand in a firm shake, even if she made no move to attack just yet. "Guess a mutual kill is good enough for the crimson Blade," she commented amidst her own heavy breathing. "Just don't go and get yourself killed on me in a real fight, okay?"

 

[Noire]

Nel barked out a dry little laugh as she hit the ground, her arms and legs splayed wide as she rested. Magic was as a physical strain to her, and her every muscle cried out for some kind of relaxation and release, some time to recuperate from the combat. Her breathing grew slowly steadier as she sucked in the air that her own fall had expelled.

Sharp blue eyes turned onto Maria as the other woman dragged herself over, and she took the proffered hand with a fierce and dangerous smile across her lips. "It's a preferable fate to an out-and-out loss. You fought well. You might have won if you had pressed your advantage," Nel said, though there was no harsh condemnation in her tone. It was more impressed than anything, as it was not lost on the spy that the woman she had battled with was actually younger than she herself was.

It was a mark that the girl was as made for battle as she was for command.

"I won't. I don't expend this much energy on fights where my blades are sharp," Nel said. She rolled over onto her side, pressing herself into a seated position there on the ground, the cross-legged position hiking her skirt up those toned and tattooed legs of hers. "... thank you for the fight. It was... illuminating. Among other things," Nel said, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of one hand.

"We should clean before I get my tour of your ship," she said as she stood.

 

[Azecreth]

"Glad I could provide," Maria replied with a sigh as she hauled herself to a sitting position. Her coat wrapped around her form, though understandably she was probably as sweaty as Nel was right now. Her gaze drifted across Nel's legs, noting the tattoos and appreciating the build to it. No one could question that she was in shape.

Overall the fight had gone pretty well, and Maria would definitely take what she had learned to heart. This was different from fighting Cliff that was for sure. That did not mean that Nel was a worse opponent by any mans. "I'd love to do that again with you sometime," she added as she rested on her knees.

Moments later she rose, stretching a bit as she nodded in approval. "That sounds good to me." She was definitely going to need it, unfortunate or not. But she had to admit that she did enjoy the showers in Aquarios. They were very different from the ones that she was used to, even if the basic concept was the same. Perhaps it was the symbology or the waterfall that made it better.

Once Nel was ready she let her companion lead the way. Who knew, maybe there were private showers somewhere near here. That would be nice