Wild Fire - Rei and Katelyn's schoolyard brawl
Hino Rei reached into her closet, past her miko robes and her straw broom to pull out a long, wooden staff. When stressed, she almost always either swept the temple grounds, meditated in front of the Sacred Flame, or practiced her grandfather's martial arts training. Her room had already been cleaned thoroughly earlier in the week, putting her nervous energy to good use. Her mind was still too troubled by all her many burdens that she could not get herself in the proper mindset to reach the trance-like state needed for deep meditation. The other options being eliminated, she and her bo staff left the dorm room for the quiet area near the gym.
Upon reaching the shady area underneath the one lonely tree, she bowed to the nonexistent audience and began her kata. The staff swung wide circles around her body, striking imaginary targets with well-honed precision. No other sounds came from that corner of the world except for the occasional kiai when a powerful blow was to be delivered. Unbeknownst to her, these battle cries had startled a small squirrel that had been playing in the branches of that particular tree. This small creature scurried down the trunk and took a seat at the base of the tree, watching with much curiosity before resuming the shape of a human girl.
Rei's attention was soley on her art, her mind so focused on her every movement that she did not notice the young Druid until she released her wild shape and shifted back into her original form. Violet eyes cut sideways at the sudden audience where earlier there had been no one, though she carried on with the remainder of her kata without missing a step. After finishing, she planted one end of the quarterstaff down against the earth as she turned and looked at the brunette, slightly startled.
"That was very impressive," the naive young girl commented. "But why do you fight? There is no one there, yes?"
"This is just practice. It's called a kata...a series of attacks and blocks that you repeat to perfect your style." Rei looked over at the girl, noticing that she wore a green and yellow pleated skirt, colors other than St. Catherine's. "I don't think we've met. Are you a new student here? My name's Hino Rei."
"I am the one called 'Katelyn'. I am a Slayer here." Her big, blue eyes followed Rei's down towards the odd clothes that she wore. "These are not my school clothes. Not for here, no. But this is what I wear when not in school." She cocked her head sideways as she stared at the martial artist standing before her. "I do not understand what it is you do. You are not a Slayer. And you practice with no one?"
"I see." Rei smiled warmly at the new girl. "Well, It's good to meet you, Katelyn." She paused for a moment as her spiritual sense took in this girl's unusual arua. "I'm not a Slayer, but I still train like this. It helps me to relax, and keeps me in shape. But I suppose it's nothing like the way of fighting that you do, with swords and armor and such..."
"No, no. I can not fight well with swords. I am, untrained in most of the Slayer ways." Katelyn looked down slightly as she admitted her weaknesses. "But! I have had much years of practice with using my hands, and fighting with staff like you do."
Rei had already wondered how this girl could have been a Slayer. She was only slightly taller than Liz or Vivian, a good foot or so shorter than the other Slayers she had met. Her build appeared soft and feminine, not tough with the firm muscles of her melee counterparts. Able to stifle a laugh, she did smirk slightly as the small girl with the gentle, peaceful aura tried to convince her that she was a savage fighter. "I'm sure you are," she replied, not wanting to dash the girl's hopes and dreams. "I, don't normally do this in front of people - I kind of like to be left alone. But if you want I suppose you could watch. Since you seem interested and all."
Katelyn slowly shook her head. "I still do not understand. How can you get better if you fight no one? It is not practice. Would you like a partner? We could practice together?"
Rei was about to politely decline when she watched this girl pick up a small twig from the ground. Curious as to why she was brandishing it like a weapon, she was slightly shocked to watch it twist and grow into a gnarled staff roughly the same size as her own. The wood looked to still be alive, covered with a thin bark and the occasional green leaf, as if it were a small, limbless dogwood tree instead of a manmade weapon. Allowing her curiosity to get the better of her, she nodded her head in agreement. She bowed to her new opponent, and paused as the girl clumsily tried to replicate the foreign movement, not fully understanding the meaning behind the gesture.
Rei's first few strikes were slow and deliberate, allowing Katelyn plenty of time to react. Meanwhile, Katelyn began by playing defensive while she judged this new girl's strengths. Her living weapon was quick to react, effortlessly blocking and parrying the miko's weak strikes. Seeing that Rei was toying with her, she began to take the offensive, swinging her staff at a more respectable speed. This surprised the raven-haired girl, but her training was more than enough to bring her own quarterstaff into a blocking position. She likewise began stepping up her pace, putting all of her Aikido skills to use as she parried and counterattacked the smaller girl's blows.
Katelyn's complete lack of formalized training made her a very unpredictable opponent. Her quick and agile body ducked and dodged several of the skillful attacks made against her, and in return her staff flew at the priestess from awkward, unexpected angles. One blow nearly clocked Rei upside her head, at which point she gritted her teeth and began to attack with her full intensity. Katelyn likewise smiled, seeing that her opponent was no longer holding anything back. A powerful overhead blow came crushing down upon her, slamming against her readied Druidstaff with a loud sound that echoed off the nearby gymnasium. Their weapons locked, Katelyn hissed at her opponent in the same manner as a wild cat would when cornered and forced to fight. Shifting her weight, her flexible body twisted Rei's staff in one direction while she freed her own weapon. Rei tried to catch her with a low sweep, but the girl nimbly hopped over the edge of her bo and countered with an attack that Rei was only barely able to block. Their weapons clashed several more times, the battle growing louder and louder as nearby students became curious and formed a small crowd around them.
Rei was stunned to see this small and peaceful girl suddenly attacking with so much ferocity. She was forced into a defensive battle, spending far more of her time countering and blocking her opponent's strikes that seemed to come from every direction except the ones they should. She swung her bo with all her skill, trying the most effective and accurate maneuvers that she knew, but Katelyn was always one step ahead of her, only bothering to block half the time as she often could turn and twist and duck out of the way. A few strikes connected, but they were only glancing blows. Katelyn was not able to overpower Rei, as she lacked the powerful build many of her classmates had, and was shorter and had a smaller reach as well. However, her quickness kept her in the battle far longer than anyone would have expected, and in the end was more than Rei was able to handle. The Druidstaff quickly parried a desperate blow from the priestess, and a half-turn by it's wielded allowed the other end to connect solidly with Rei's exposed ribs.
The dark-haired girl sank to her knees, one hand clutching her new wound. Katelyn was instinctively about to deliver a finishing blow, but seeing the girl weakened and helpless snapped her out of her savage fury, her Druidstaff reverting back to a harmless switch that she still idly held. Kate took a deep breath, and then sank to one knee to try and look at her opponent's face, now partially hidden by her midnight hair. "Are you...okay? Are you in pain?"
Rei's fingers rubbed softly against her ribcage. She did not think anything was cracked, but she knew that she would be bruised up for the next day or two. "No, It's, I'm..." Pausing a second to catch her breath, she tried to speak again. "I'm okay. You just, knocked the breath, out of me." She laughed slightly and added "No matter what Utena says, there's no way that I'm cut out to train with you Slayers...she's going to laugh when she hears about this..."
Katelyn looked relieved that her new friend was well, but still somewhat saddened by seeing her in pain. Pain that she caused. Pulling an arm over her shoulder, she offered to help. "I am, sorry for taking your wind. Let me, help you up, help you to your room."
Rei was in no position to argue. All she needed was a little bedrest, and perhaps a mug of hot cocoa. "Thanks," was all she managed to say as she walked back towards the dorms under her own power for the most part, slightly favoring the one side that Katelyn was helping to support.
[OOC: Mostly just a mini-ficlet about Rei and Katelyn meeting, done prose style instead of LJ style because I'm too damn lazy to dual-wield browsers or constantly log in and out back and forth. But, I suppose it's open to anyone who feels like being in the area and watching. Rei and Katie are kind of busy not like that, you pervs!, but feel free to either quietly observe or talk amongst yourselves or whatever else your characters might feel like doing, if anything at all.]
Upon reaching the shady area underneath the one lonely tree, she bowed to the nonexistent audience and began her kata. The staff swung wide circles around her body, striking imaginary targets with well-honed precision. No other sounds came from that corner of the world except for the occasional kiai when a powerful blow was to be delivered. Unbeknownst to her, these battle cries had startled a small squirrel that had been playing in the branches of that particular tree. This small creature scurried down the trunk and took a seat at the base of the tree, watching with much curiosity before resuming the shape of a human girl.
Rei's attention was soley on her art, her mind so focused on her every movement that she did not notice the young Druid until she released her wild shape and shifted back into her original form. Violet eyes cut sideways at the sudden audience where earlier there had been no one, though she carried on with the remainder of her kata without missing a step. After finishing, she planted one end of the quarterstaff down against the earth as she turned and looked at the brunette, slightly startled.
"That was very impressive," the naive young girl commented. "But why do you fight? There is no one there, yes?"
"This is just practice. It's called a kata...a series of attacks and blocks that you repeat to perfect your style." Rei looked over at the girl, noticing that she wore a green and yellow pleated skirt, colors other than St. Catherine's. "I don't think we've met. Are you a new student here? My name's Hino Rei."
"I am the one called 'Katelyn'. I am a Slayer here." Her big, blue eyes followed Rei's down towards the odd clothes that she wore. "These are not my school clothes. Not for here, no. But this is what I wear when not in school." She cocked her head sideways as she stared at the martial artist standing before her. "I do not understand what it is you do. You are not a Slayer. And you practice with no one?"
"I see." Rei smiled warmly at the new girl. "Well, It's good to meet you, Katelyn." She paused for a moment as her spiritual sense took in this girl's unusual arua. "I'm not a Slayer, but I still train like this. It helps me to relax, and keeps me in shape. But I suppose it's nothing like the way of fighting that you do, with swords and armor and such..."
"No, no. I can not fight well with swords. I am, untrained in most of the Slayer ways." Katelyn looked down slightly as she admitted her weaknesses. "But! I have had much years of practice with using my hands, and fighting with staff like you do."
Rei had already wondered how this girl could have been a Slayer. She was only slightly taller than Liz or Vivian, a good foot or so shorter than the other Slayers she had met. Her build appeared soft and feminine, not tough with the firm muscles of her melee counterparts. Able to stifle a laugh, she did smirk slightly as the small girl with the gentle, peaceful aura tried to convince her that she was a savage fighter. "I'm sure you are," she replied, not wanting to dash the girl's hopes and dreams. "I, don't normally do this in front of people - I kind of like to be left alone. But if you want I suppose you could watch. Since you seem interested and all."
Katelyn slowly shook her head. "I still do not understand. How can you get better if you fight no one? It is not practice. Would you like a partner? We could practice together?"
Rei was about to politely decline when she watched this girl pick up a small twig from the ground. Curious as to why she was brandishing it like a weapon, she was slightly shocked to watch it twist and grow into a gnarled staff roughly the same size as her own. The wood looked to still be alive, covered with a thin bark and the occasional green leaf, as if it were a small, limbless dogwood tree instead of a manmade weapon. Allowing her curiosity to get the better of her, she nodded her head in agreement. She bowed to her new opponent, and paused as the girl clumsily tried to replicate the foreign movement, not fully understanding the meaning behind the gesture.
Rei's first few strikes were slow and deliberate, allowing Katelyn plenty of time to react. Meanwhile, Katelyn began by playing defensive while she judged this new girl's strengths. Her living weapon was quick to react, effortlessly blocking and parrying the miko's weak strikes. Seeing that Rei was toying with her, she began to take the offensive, swinging her staff at a more respectable speed. This surprised the raven-haired girl, but her training was more than enough to bring her own quarterstaff into a blocking position. She likewise began stepping up her pace, putting all of her Aikido skills to use as she parried and counterattacked the smaller girl's blows.
Katelyn's complete lack of formalized training made her a very unpredictable opponent. Her quick and agile body ducked and dodged several of the skillful attacks made against her, and in return her staff flew at the priestess from awkward, unexpected angles. One blow nearly clocked Rei upside her head, at which point she gritted her teeth and began to attack with her full intensity. Katelyn likewise smiled, seeing that her opponent was no longer holding anything back. A powerful overhead blow came crushing down upon her, slamming against her readied Druidstaff with a loud sound that echoed off the nearby gymnasium. Their weapons locked, Katelyn hissed at her opponent in the same manner as a wild cat would when cornered and forced to fight. Shifting her weight, her flexible body twisted Rei's staff in one direction while she freed her own weapon. Rei tried to catch her with a low sweep, but the girl nimbly hopped over the edge of her bo and countered with an attack that Rei was only barely able to block. Their weapons clashed several more times, the battle growing louder and louder as nearby students became curious and formed a small crowd around them.
Rei was stunned to see this small and peaceful girl suddenly attacking with so much ferocity. She was forced into a defensive battle, spending far more of her time countering and blocking her opponent's strikes that seemed to come from every direction except the ones they should. She swung her bo with all her skill, trying the most effective and accurate maneuvers that she knew, but Katelyn was always one step ahead of her, only bothering to block half the time as she often could turn and twist and duck out of the way. A few strikes connected, but they were only glancing blows. Katelyn was not able to overpower Rei, as she lacked the powerful build many of her classmates had, and was shorter and had a smaller reach as well. However, her quickness kept her in the battle far longer than anyone would have expected, and in the end was more than Rei was able to handle. The Druidstaff quickly parried a desperate blow from the priestess, and a half-turn by it's wielded allowed the other end to connect solidly with Rei's exposed ribs.
The dark-haired girl sank to her knees, one hand clutching her new wound. Katelyn was instinctively about to deliver a finishing blow, but seeing the girl weakened and helpless snapped her out of her savage fury, her Druidstaff reverting back to a harmless switch that she still idly held. Kate took a deep breath, and then sank to one knee to try and look at her opponent's face, now partially hidden by her midnight hair. "Are you...okay? Are you in pain?"
Rei's fingers rubbed softly against her ribcage. She did not think anything was cracked, but she knew that she would be bruised up for the next day or two. "No, It's, I'm..." Pausing a second to catch her breath, she tried to speak again. "I'm okay. You just, knocked the breath, out of me." She laughed slightly and added "No matter what Utena says, there's no way that I'm cut out to train with you Slayers...she's going to laugh when she hears about this..."
Katelyn looked relieved that her new friend was well, but still somewhat saddened by seeing her in pain. Pain that she caused. Pulling an arm over her shoulder, she offered to help. "I am, sorry for taking your wind. Let me, help you up, help you to your room."
Rei was in no position to argue. All she needed was a little bedrest, and perhaps a mug of hot cocoa. "Thanks," was all she managed to say as she walked back towards the dorms under her own power for the most part, slightly favoring the one side that Katelyn was helping to support.
[OOC: Mostly just a mini-ficlet about Rei and Katelyn meeting, done prose style instead of LJ style because I'm too damn lazy to dual-wield browsers or constantly log in and out back and forth. But, I suppose it's open to anyone who feels like being in the area and watching. Rei and Katie are kind of busy not like that, you pervs!, but feel free to either quietly observe or talk amongst yourselves or whatever else your characters might feel like doing, if anything at all.]