Friendly Sparring
WHO: Hakoda, Suki
WHAT: Hakoda and Suki spar as they get to know each other better.
WHERE: Ba Sing Se
WHEN: Not long after their victory. Soon after "I'm your Girl" in the Avatar Suki drabbles.
Hakoda had of course met Suki on more than one occasion previously, but they’d never really had a chance to speak much, there’d always been far more pressing business with the war going on. He’d been aware that the Avatar and his son had a thing for each other- indeed, he was pretty sure that they were the last people to know about that one. And, well, it was pretty hard to mistake the fact that they’d come down at around the same time, looking rumpled but very happy.
It wasn’t a matter of his approving or trusting Suki- she’d, after all, defeated the Fire Lord and given the whole world, including his people, the chance they desperately needed. With his men finally being able to go home and with the help of their brothers and sisters from the Northern Tribe, they might be able to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe after all. She’d saved his children’s lives on many occasions (and of course, they’d saved hers too), but even more, she’d given them purpose.
It bothered, him, though, that he just didn’t know very much about the young woman who his son was so obviously in love with. He’d tried to figure out how to change that without seeming too obtrusive, not wanting to upset Sokka or embarrass Suki. He’d finally decided on sparring, which she’d agreed to readily enough. Probably not exactly a typical way for a father to get to know his son’s girlfriend, but Suki was hardly an ordinary woman.
He examined the young Avatar closely as she came up over the hill, wearing her full Kyoshi Warrior makeup and uniform. He’d never had a chance to examine the Kyoshi Warrior’s battle dress up close. Medium armour, probably heavy enough to withstand arrow points but obviously cut to emphasize flexibility and manuverability. Padded clothes underneath. Kyoshi was fairly cool by Earth Kingdom standards and it was probably built with keeping warmth in mind, though he imagined it’d be hellishly hot in a Fire Nation summer. The silk was probably intended to be practical as much as beautiful- good silk would not be pierced by arrowheads, even if the arrow pierced the flesh, making it far easier to remove the wound. The famous fans, which could be used as either blunt or bladed weapons. She also had a daisho tucked into her belt, a katana and wakizashi that suggested broad weapons training.
“Morning, Suki.” Hakoda smiled broadly. “So you think you could learn a thing or two from sparring with an old man?”
Suki smiled back, in a disarmingly sweet way that reminded Hakoda of just how young she was, really. Both she and Sokka were only eighteen, and they’d already been through so much. He wondered, briefly, how he could have handled the weight of the world like the Avatar probably carried.
“Chief Hakoda, it would be my pleasure to learn what I could from you.” Though Hakoda honestly wondered if it would be he who would be doing the learning.
“Please, you can just call me Hakoda.” Hakoda chuckled lowly. “I’m not much of one for titles. I figure you’re not the type who likes being called Avatar Suki all the time, either.”
“No, sir.” Suki smirked slightly. “You know, this is a slightly unusual way of a father getting to know his son’s girlfriend.”
“Highly unusual. But honestly, I’m not much for drinking and dinner will be a whole family affair. You’re invited, of course.” Hakoda grinned.
Her mouth quirked just a little at the mention of drinking, athough the smile returned, broader than ever. “I’m honoured. Truly.” Her smile turned mischievous. “Just don’t expect me to hold back. I’m bad at that, you know. No bending, I assume?”
“Be a bad showcase of Kyoshi Island martial arts if you had to resort to bending all four elements, I imagine.” Hakoda had dressed up himself in the full traditional combat garb of his own people. Armour of boiled leather, weapons mostly built with stone and bone. Nothing nearly as beautiful or finely crafted as Suki’s uniform, though he liked to think they were just as functional. They struck stances.
Hakoda liked to infer a lot from a combat stances. Firebenders tended to be tightly coiled, ready to make explosive strikes. Earthbenders were virtual brick walls. Hers reminded him a bit of the waterbenders he’d seen, fluid, ready to flow around the arena gracefully. Hakoda knew that in the distant past, Kyoshi had been a major point of contact between the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe. The Islanders took most of their seafood raw, and many of them, like Suki herself, had brilliant blue eyes.
His own probably looked more than fluid- he reasoned it looked downright sloppy to her. The truth was that the traditional combat arts of the Southern Water Tribe had been in decline before Hakoda was even born- he wasn’t any great shakes in any formal combat system. He relied on adaptability, decades of experience and native wit, as well as a certain healthy disregard for the norms of honourable, systematic combat. This was a spar of course, but in a real fight, Hakoda never hesitated to fight dirty if he had to.
They circled each other. Neither tended to like making the first move, unless circumstances were ideal- though Hakoda had learned, that against firebenders, you often had little choice- their first strikes were often too powerful to chance enduring. He made exploratory jabs with his club. She effortlessly redirected them, though he was fast enough that she never really got a chance to counter them, though that was plainly her intent. No wonder she’d so thoroughly defeated Sokka when they’d sparred in the past- his son had a worrying tendency to put everything he had on one attack.
The fans were the obvious threat, but what Hakoda learned almost immediately, was that Suki’s footwork was far more aggressive. The fans were dangerous enough weapons, but they couldn’t really stand up to actively clashing with solid weapons like wrought blades or stone clubs and they were used to redirect force more than apply it. Hakoda was a strong man, though, with a good sense of his own centre of gravity and while he wasn’t quite as fluid with striking, he was more than capable of holding his own, keeping her from knocking him down.
Had they been engaged in mortal combat rather than a friendly spar, he would’ve gone for her wrists. The fans were beautifully designed and deadly in the hands of an expert, but they could not possibly have been good at deflecting a direct strike. Deprived of the reach-enhacing effect of the fans and possibly suffering a broken wrist from the combat of the club, she would’ve had trouble against a much larger man with a longer reach.
It was Hakoda’s greatest advantage, really, the fact that he seemed capable of thinking normally and lucidly in the heat of combat. He’d heard and dealt with battle rage, but he’d never felt it. He’d always managed to keep a clear head, to analyze the threat. Right now he was glad that this was a sparring match and not a real fight, because he wasn’t certain if he’d win. Of course, if it were a real fight, she was the Avatar and he’d never try to fight her head on.
Broadly, he was stronger than she was and most likely significantly more durable- though her armour was on balance better than his and would probably mitigate that. She was without a doubt faster on her feet than he was, though. She had a real knack at taking superior force and redirecting it, and a foe who regarded combat less intellectually would have already been defeated. Her fighting style was conservative, and he wondered about her stamina, relative to his. He gritted his teeth and struck, more, harder, trying to get her on the pure defensive, in a position where her fluid footwork was of less value.
He’d actually got her close to wall, and it looked like he might get victory at least, but then she absolutely stunned him by running along the wall- he swallowed the instinct to chide her for cheating, because it seemed so contrary to her character. And then he was the one against the wall, pushed by a foe who could strike at multiple angles at once. The wall, though, gave him something to brace against, and for a flash of a moment, she was open and he kicked her. He heard the explosion of breath and winced a little as she flew to the ground. The armour should have absorbed the worst of it.
Any fear that he’d hurt her, though, disappeared as she got up with a deft move and brought him crashing down onto the ground. Though he’d managed with a lucky grip to bring her down as well- and, well, in ground grappling, all her best martial tactics were useless. It didn’t take long before he had her pinned.
“I guess I should’ve mentioned that I won every wrestling match I’ve ever been in, huh?” Hakoda laughed, expecting that the match was well over.
“You know, sir, this is a very unusual position for a proud father to have his future daughter-in-law in.” Suki smirked back at him.
Hakoda’s mind went blank at that. Sokka proposed to her? Daughter in law? Has Sokka proposed? He didn’t have a chance to ponder it any further, because it was his turn to gasp as he felt hard feet impact his stomach and knock him on the ground. But this time, when Suki stood up, it was not to place a fan at his throat in faux victory, but to offer a hand to help him up.
As soon as Hakoda got his breath back, he started laughing, and so did she. It was a good minute or so before the laughter faded and they were able to look at each other again.
“You’re faster on your feet than anyone I’ve ever fought, I think. That was a hell of a match.” Hakoda smiled at her. “And a pretty shrewd use of psychology at the end, to boot.”
“To boot? Sir, I think that’s what happened after the psychology. Because, you know, I kicked you.” Suki’s face quirked in an expression that once again betrayed her youth. Hakoda couldn’t help but laugh. No wonder Sokka liked her so much.
“... so was it just, psychology?” Hakoda really couldn’t help but ask. He knew that their relationship was anything but casual, but marriage was quite another thing. No, his son was far from a child now, but they were still very young.
“There’s no necklace, sir, but … we’ve talked about it.” It was an interesting contrast to the Water Tribe Chieftain- Suki’s combat style was based around elaborate deception, yet the girl herself was honest as could be, though she had a touch more tact and reserve than, say, Toph.
Hakoda nodded. He could accept that at face value. “Well, it’s a good thing then that I made sure that you were invited to that family dinner tonight.” His gravity broke into a broad smile. “You’d be a hell of a partner in a tough fight.”
He was pretty sure that she was blushing, though the makeup was thick enough that he’d never see it. “Thank you. It means a lot to me. To hear that from you.” Again, a sentiment free of any simpering or artifice.
“Come on, let’s go get us some breakfast before Sokka eats it all.” They both laughed and walked back to the villa where they were all staying.
WHAT: Hakoda and Suki spar as they get to know each other better.
WHERE: Ba Sing Se
WHEN: Not long after their victory. Soon after "I'm your Girl" in the Avatar Suki drabbles.
Hakoda had of course met Suki on more than one occasion previously, but they’d never really had a chance to speak much, there’d always been far more pressing business with the war going on. He’d been aware that the Avatar and his son had a thing for each other- indeed, he was pretty sure that they were the last people to know about that one. And, well, it was pretty hard to mistake the fact that they’d come down at around the same time, looking rumpled but very happy.
It wasn’t a matter of his approving or trusting Suki- she’d, after all, defeated the Fire Lord and given the whole world, including his people, the chance they desperately needed. With his men finally being able to go home and with the help of their brothers and sisters from the Northern Tribe, they might be able to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe after all. She’d saved his children’s lives on many occasions (and of course, they’d saved hers too), but even more, she’d given them purpose.
It bothered, him, though, that he just didn’t know very much about the young woman who his son was so obviously in love with. He’d tried to figure out how to change that without seeming too obtrusive, not wanting to upset Sokka or embarrass Suki. He’d finally decided on sparring, which she’d agreed to readily enough. Probably not exactly a typical way for a father to get to know his son’s girlfriend, but Suki was hardly an ordinary woman.
He examined the young Avatar closely as she came up over the hill, wearing her full Kyoshi Warrior makeup and uniform. He’d never had a chance to examine the Kyoshi Warrior’s battle dress up close. Medium armour, probably heavy enough to withstand arrow points but obviously cut to emphasize flexibility and manuverability. Padded clothes underneath. Kyoshi was fairly cool by Earth Kingdom standards and it was probably built with keeping warmth in mind, though he imagined it’d be hellishly hot in a Fire Nation summer. The silk was probably intended to be practical as much as beautiful- good silk would not be pierced by arrowheads, even if the arrow pierced the flesh, making it far easier to remove the wound. The famous fans, which could be used as either blunt or bladed weapons. She also had a daisho tucked into her belt, a katana and wakizashi that suggested broad weapons training.
“Morning, Suki.” Hakoda smiled broadly. “So you think you could learn a thing or two from sparring with an old man?”
Suki smiled back, in a disarmingly sweet way that reminded Hakoda of just how young she was, really. Both she and Sokka were only eighteen, and they’d already been through so much. He wondered, briefly, how he could have handled the weight of the world like the Avatar probably carried.
“Chief Hakoda, it would be my pleasure to learn what I could from you.” Though Hakoda honestly wondered if it would be he who would be doing the learning.
“Please, you can just call me Hakoda.” Hakoda chuckled lowly. “I’m not much of one for titles. I figure you’re not the type who likes being called Avatar Suki all the time, either.”
“No, sir.” Suki smirked slightly. “You know, this is a slightly unusual way of a father getting to know his son’s girlfriend.”
“Highly unusual. But honestly, I’m not much for drinking and dinner will be a whole family affair. You’re invited, of course.” Hakoda grinned.
Her mouth quirked just a little at the mention of drinking, athough the smile returned, broader than ever. “I’m honoured. Truly.” Her smile turned mischievous. “Just don’t expect me to hold back. I’m bad at that, you know. No bending, I assume?”
“Be a bad showcase of Kyoshi Island martial arts if you had to resort to bending all four elements, I imagine.” Hakoda had dressed up himself in the full traditional combat garb of his own people. Armour of boiled leather, weapons mostly built with stone and bone. Nothing nearly as beautiful or finely crafted as Suki’s uniform, though he liked to think they were just as functional. They struck stances.
Hakoda liked to infer a lot from a combat stances. Firebenders tended to be tightly coiled, ready to make explosive strikes. Earthbenders were virtual brick walls. Hers reminded him a bit of the waterbenders he’d seen, fluid, ready to flow around the arena gracefully. Hakoda knew that in the distant past, Kyoshi had been a major point of contact between the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe. The Islanders took most of their seafood raw, and many of them, like Suki herself, had brilliant blue eyes.
His own probably looked more than fluid- he reasoned it looked downright sloppy to her. The truth was that the traditional combat arts of the Southern Water Tribe had been in decline before Hakoda was even born- he wasn’t any great shakes in any formal combat system. He relied on adaptability, decades of experience and native wit, as well as a certain healthy disregard for the norms of honourable, systematic combat. This was a spar of course, but in a real fight, Hakoda never hesitated to fight dirty if he had to.
They circled each other. Neither tended to like making the first move, unless circumstances were ideal- though Hakoda had learned, that against firebenders, you often had little choice- their first strikes were often too powerful to chance enduring. He made exploratory jabs with his club. She effortlessly redirected them, though he was fast enough that she never really got a chance to counter them, though that was plainly her intent. No wonder she’d so thoroughly defeated Sokka when they’d sparred in the past- his son had a worrying tendency to put everything he had on one attack.
The fans were the obvious threat, but what Hakoda learned almost immediately, was that Suki’s footwork was far more aggressive. The fans were dangerous enough weapons, but they couldn’t really stand up to actively clashing with solid weapons like wrought blades or stone clubs and they were used to redirect force more than apply it. Hakoda was a strong man, though, with a good sense of his own centre of gravity and while he wasn’t quite as fluid with striking, he was more than capable of holding his own, keeping her from knocking him down.
Had they been engaged in mortal combat rather than a friendly spar, he would’ve gone for her wrists. The fans were beautifully designed and deadly in the hands of an expert, but they could not possibly have been good at deflecting a direct strike. Deprived of the reach-enhacing effect of the fans and possibly suffering a broken wrist from the combat of the club, she would’ve had trouble against a much larger man with a longer reach.
It was Hakoda’s greatest advantage, really, the fact that he seemed capable of thinking normally and lucidly in the heat of combat. He’d heard and dealt with battle rage, but he’d never felt it. He’d always managed to keep a clear head, to analyze the threat. Right now he was glad that this was a sparring match and not a real fight, because he wasn’t certain if he’d win. Of course, if it were a real fight, she was the Avatar and he’d never try to fight her head on.
Broadly, he was stronger than she was and most likely significantly more durable- though her armour was on balance better than his and would probably mitigate that. She was without a doubt faster on her feet than he was, though. She had a real knack at taking superior force and redirecting it, and a foe who regarded combat less intellectually would have already been defeated. Her fighting style was conservative, and he wondered about her stamina, relative to his. He gritted his teeth and struck, more, harder, trying to get her on the pure defensive, in a position where her fluid footwork was of less value.
He’d actually got her close to wall, and it looked like he might get victory at least, but then she absolutely stunned him by running along the wall- he swallowed the instinct to chide her for cheating, because it seemed so contrary to her character. And then he was the one against the wall, pushed by a foe who could strike at multiple angles at once. The wall, though, gave him something to brace against, and for a flash of a moment, she was open and he kicked her. He heard the explosion of breath and winced a little as she flew to the ground. The armour should have absorbed the worst of it.
Any fear that he’d hurt her, though, disappeared as she got up with a deft move and brought him crashing down onto the ground. Though he’d managed with a lucky grip to bring her down as well- and, well, in ground grappling, all her best martial tactics were useless. It didn’t take long before he had her pinned.
“I guess I should’ve mentioned that I won every wrestling match I’ve ever been in, huh?” Hakoda laughed, expecting that the match was well over.
“You know, sir, this is a very unusual position for a proud father to have his future daughter-in-law in.” Suki smirked back at him.
Hakoda’s mind went blank at that. Sokka proposed to her? Daughter in law? Has Sokka proposed? He didn’t have a chance to ponder it any further, because it was his turn to gasp as he felt hard feet impact his stomach and knock him on the ground. But this time, when Suki stood up, it was not to place a fan at his throat in faux victory, but to offer a hand to help him up.
As soon as Hakoda got his breath back, he started laughing, and so did she. It was a good minute or so before the laughter faded and they were able to look at each other again.
“You’re faster on your feet than anyone I’ve ever fought, I think. That was a hell of a match.” Hakoda smiled at her. “And a pretty shrewd use of psychology at the end, to boot.”
“To boot? Sir, I think that’s what happened after the psychology. Because, you know, I kicked you.” Suki’s face quirked in an expression that once again betrayed her youth. Hakoda couldn’t help but laugh. No wonder Sokka liked her so much.
“... so was it just, psychology?” Hakoda really couldn’t help but ask. He knew that their relationship was anything but casual, but marriage was quite another thing. No, his son was far from a child now, but they were still very young.
“There’s no necklace, sir, but … we’ve talked about it.” It was an interesting contrast to the Water Tribe Chieftain- Suki’s combat style was based around elaborate deception, yet the girl herself was honest as could be, though she had a touch more tact and reserve than, say, Toph.
Hakoda nodded. He could accept that at face value. “Well, it’s a good thing then that I made sure that you were invited to that family dinner tonight.” His gravity broke into a broad smile. “You’d be a hell of a partner in a tough fight.”
He was pretty sure that she was blushing, though the makeup was thick enough that he’d never see it. “Thank you. It means a lot to me. To hear that from you.” Again, a sentiment free of any simpering or artifice.
“Come on, let’s go get us some breakfast before Sokka eats it all.” They both laughed and walked back to the villa where they were all staying.