PM to join Skin Game (Ramona)

[Konrad Venger]

It was a lowdown sneaky trick, bereft of honor and even basic politeness, so it came naturally enough to Konrad. Nearly a year among the Drykas and away from the vile underworlds of Kenash and Sunberth had mellowed the man, and even he could see that. His temperament was easier, less likely to resort to violence. His skills were now focused on surviving through hunting, tracking, working with others, but simple, remorseless murder for pay.

But he never forgot what he was, and how he became that way. That was clothing he would never truly shed, and now he had a chance to indulge it...

He listened to her ask him about staying in Endrykas, and shrugged as he swallowed. He gauged distance as he answered, shaking his waterskin a little... yeah, just enough in there.

"I may. Not sure yet. Not many place to go in Sea of Grass. But when Spring and Winter come..."

Another shrug. He truly hdn't given it much thought, even though ten times a day there was some facet of Endrykas that set him groaning and whishing he was somewhere else.

Well, anywhere but Riverfall. Place is petching boring.

"I know how to punch. And roll. Just in case of emergencies."

Konrad took another full swallow as she spoke. Held it in his mouth. Let her get that last word out, and in almost the same tick as she said it-

-spewed the water into her face from barely a few feet away, blinding her with a spray of lukewarm, smelly liquid-

-and as she staggered and rubbed at her face, mayhap through the folds of water across her eyes she'd see something swinging towards her.

But Konrad wasn't about to give her the chance to get away, let alone identify the strange thing whirling through the air. With a sharp step forward adding to the blow, he swung his half-full waterskin like a mace and-

-smacked it into her temple. Not her face, where it have raised a livid, angry bruise, but higher. Shattering her balance and sending sparks shooting across her eyes. Making her stagger away from him while Konrad shook his head, disappointed shake of his head scattering sweat from his brow.

"You think we are having chat with tea?" He all-but-snarled, anger roiling and simmering under his words. "You think this is place for you to ask about me? This is fight, this is brawl, and you not think, not talk, not ask about other thing but winning."

He held up the waterskin.

"This is weapon. Water was weapon. Everything is weapon in brawl. Just know how and when to use. You wanted to talk and chat, I take advantage of that. Now you have stars in you eyes, yes? Because you forget this is brawl."

He tossed the skin away, not even looking as it landed with a wet thunk in the grass.

"You want talk? Wait until we finish. Now, you come to learn, so I teach. And my lesson hurt, and hurt more if you forget what I am." He opened his arms and made a little "come here" gesture with his fingers. "Now attack me. Stop wasting time with talk."

[Ramona Silvertongue]

Ramona was shocked, as Hansel sprayed spit water from his mouth, she went to instantly wipe it off her face, and before she could say a word. Hansel whacked her with the scale-like waterskin across the side of her face. She stumbled back and rubbed her head.

She grumbled in agitation, he was hitting her too much. Ramona wouldn't want to give up, she wants to at least hit him first before the lesson is over, though it hasn't been for too long.

"You think we are having chat with tea?"Hansel seemed agitated himself, Ramona recuperated as he was talking, but still rolled her head a bit as she was stretching her upper body. She felt the adrenaline rise within her, along with the anger, but she wasn't really angry with Hansel. Just... annoyed, but she didn't want to call it rage either. She didn't really like violence, she only needed to fight when it was necessary, and the huntress barely knew enough to keep her feet stable. Hansel was using every tip in the book.

Hansel wanted her to attack him? He would know it was coming. Maybe something that he could use to distract him. Ramona nodded as she came closer to Hansel, showing off her body as she was hoping to distract the man. She conjured enough saliva to spit at his face, and she was face to face with him. She used her momentum, and round house kicked him, as Hansel would want to wipe away the spit. It was dirty, but if Hansel wanted to play dirty- Ramona had to ad well.

[Konrad Venger]

Not exactly subtle, this one.

Experience is the meanest educator available. Such it was for Konrad, and his "style", as Ramona called it. Every scar he'd earned from a fight came with a lesson. A tactic or trick, a mistake, even a hard-won victory... all of them came with pain. He didn't begrudge them that: it ensured that he remembered them.

Case in point.

The woman swung her hips as she approached, movement made sensual by her form, which was admittedly delightful. Konrad's focus was broken for a moment with carnal flashes that were equally delightful, and battered into fragments a half-tick later.

Remember your own advice, fool. Only the fight.

He opened his mouth to critique and something wet splashed onto his face. He blinked out of instinct, unable to prevent the natural reaction, and as his hands went up he saw her body start to whirl-

-leg swinging up and around, aiming high-

Konrad grunted as his arm snapped up the short distance and Ramona's shin cracked into his forearm. Absorbing the blow, he moved, reacted-

-countered-

-lashing out with his right fist even as his left arm still smarted from blocking her roundhouse. A body shot, vicious and low, uppercut aiming to smash the wind from her lungs. As she bent over, too close to avoid the blow, his left arm would hammer down onto her shoulder-

-rendering that limb numb for a moment, long enough for-

-his knee to jerk up into her bent-over torso, hammering into her chest-

And back to the ground she went. Three times in as many chimes. Konrad didn't think too badly of her for that: he'd had worse performances, among the other gutter rats in Sunberth, back in the misty Old Days when he was just starting out in a cruel, dark world.

"Do not kick from so close," he admonished her as he waited for her stomach and chest and lungs to work again. "Not enough space to make good kick. Too easy for enemy to block. Like I did, yes? Use these-" he patted his knees "-and these-" then his elbows "-and even this."

Finally, the crown of his head. Ah, the ol' Sunberth Smiler. Many a man had been treated to Konrad's rapidly-approaching skull as his last waking memory, shortly before it smashed their nose across their face and sent them spinning into the Dreamscape. He chuckled in recollection, massaging his sore left arm as he circled her.

"Get up," he said without mercy. "Try again."

Don't Make Me Repeat Myself.

[Ramona Silvertongue]

She was proud that she had managed to distract Hansel, but she was upset and sore when he retaliated. She managed to kick him, but it wasn't as hard as Hansel had when he countered her attack. Ramona gathered her breathing, and her lower body felt sore. She wanted to check to see if it was bruised or not, but she didn't want to show Hansel that she was weak, after all; Ramona had traded a half a pound of deer meat for lessons. So, it would have to be worth it.

"Do not kick from so close," Hansel advised, and Ramona looked up at him. Though, he did say a few chimes ago to get close to your opponent, was it different when making a different kind of an attack, other than a punch? "Not enough space to make good kick. Too easy for enemy to block. Like I did, yes? Use these-" Hansel patted his knees, she glanced down at her legs, which were a little shaky themselves. Her father had taught her how to kick, but it had been awhile since she was learning how to fight, and since she had used her skills in general.

He explained and pointed to his; elbows, and his head. Ramona cocked a brow in confusion. She wasn't so sure about using her head, since she preferred to keep it in tact. She wondered where in the world of Mizahar, Hansel had learned to fight. What would make him to fight without learning true combat? He mentioned the Knights, up North, but he didn't learn from them... later, Ramona could figure it out later, not now.

"I don't really get it?"Ramona inquired with her confused state of mind. "So to Brawl, is to use whatever you have on you?"

[Konrad Venger]

"I don't really get it? So to Brawl, is to use whatever you have on you?"

Konrad kept his face neutral, or as neutral as one could on that battered mug. He didn't want his disappointment to show so blatantly. Her words told him that she understood the concept, but he could almost see the capital "B" in "brawl" when she spoke. As if it was some style of fighting that monks of Nyka or the Knights in Syliras would teach.

Which oddly made Konrad feel somewhat... offended? There was no style to brawling; that was the whole point of it. And as he started to cloud his mind with reasons why, he realized he was teacher and mentor in this place. So he had to act like it.

"Yes. That is how it is. Think of..." He licked his lips and struggled to find the words, put them in the right order. Simply battering her back into the grass would have been far easier. "When you learn style? You see things in boxes. This box for kick, this one for punch, this one for fight on ground. When you fight other who know style, they see boxes, too. But Brawling?"

Gods, now you're doing it!

"In brawl?" Better. "Whole world is box. Everything you can use, like you saying. Have to think quickly. Have to see everything as a weapon." He kept talking but could see the confusion still clouding her eyes. "But more than that? Is to forget about fair. Forget about fight how you hear in stories. In brawl, you do what you can do that you know will hurt."

Sparring was obviously not working, so instead he spread his arms again, a little lower. Letting her see all how body, from toes to crown.

"You tell me what you would hit. What you know would hurt most. Not just obvious-" he said with a smirk and a pat on his crotch "-because man know about that one. Other places. Say I come at you, but not think you can fight. Where would you attack?"

Don't Make Me Repeat Myself.

[Ramona Silvertongue]

"When you learn style? You see things in boxes. This box for kick, this one for punch, this one for fight on ground. When you fight other who know style, they see boxes, too. But Brawling?" Hansel began, it was as if he was starting a lecture, and Ramona rubbed her side as Hansel explained what it was like to know how to brawl.

"In brawl?" He paused. "Whole world is box. Everything you can use, like you saying. Have to think quickly. Have to see everything as a weapon."Ramona nodded and circled her shoulder.

"Like... when you used the water, and the water skin?"Ramona inquired, and watched Hansel with caution, but spoke with functionality in her use of words.

"But more than that? Is to forget about fair. Forget about fight how you hear in stories. In brawl, you do what you can do that you know will hurt." It was a little hard to understand Hansel speak Pavi, bit she tried to piece together what the non-Drykas was saying. So to fight in brawl, one must forget anything that had corresponded to fairness, and do what you have to do to survive... that sounded reasonable.

"You tell me what you would hit. What you know would hurt most. Not just obvious-" he said with a smirk and a pat on his crotch "-because man know about that one. Other places. Say I come at you, but not think you can fight. Where would you attack?"

"My Upper Chest?"Ramona asked as she looked down, she didn't feel comfortable at this point, but felt it was close to where Hansel was talking about. "Or below... My stomach?"

[Konrad Venger]

"My Upper Chest?"

Konrad's lips twisted for a moment in irritation. Big, obvious target. Only a novice would leave himself open to a fist aimed at his bloody chest, and that wouldn't help her much. But just as he was about to shoot out some barb about her thinking less like a damned boxer, she rallied with-

"Or below... My stomach?"

"Yes! Better!" He couldn't hide his excitement, like a scholarly mentor finally seeing his student master some difficult equation. He patted his stomach and settled into a quick fighting stance. "In a brawl, men swing for the head or the chest. It comes... natural, yes? So, when they go high-"

He demonstrated, throwing wild, broad punches into the air between them... before crouching lower, head tucked, fists closer to his side.

"-you go low-"

He lunged at her, knees straining a little as he tried to "go low" against a woman a fair bit shorter than him. But Konrad still managed to pull it off, ducking below where her arms would naturally swing and swinging his own right straight at her stomach-

-stopping it just before he connected.

"Hit them good and hard there, they double over. Maybe even lose their legs." He backed up a pace or two, straightening up. "And learn speed. Being bad bastard helps in a brawl, but speed-"

Another demonstration. He darted forward, then slide to Ramona's right like the floor was made of glass. Moving faster than a man his side had any right to, he swung out his foot and took her right leg out from under her. Not hard, but coming out of nowhere, it would send her back to the ground or at least down to one knee.

"-that get you to winning, yes?"

So she'd hear his words from above her, yet again. When she looked up at him, he was grinning, nodding at her prone or kneeling form.

"Bad place to be, in brawl. On knees or on back. You get you enemy there, fight is half over." His foot rose and jerked down in one fluid motion, stopping just before her face. Close enough for her to see the dirt and shyke on the sole of his boot. "Few of these in face, in balls, in chest, man not get back up again..."

A thought occurred to him, loming over her with one foot in the air. He peered around his boot so she could see his face.

"Let us say, you are on back, in fight. You see bastard, see enemy, like me, about to kick. Foot comes up... about to come down. What do you do?"

More hypo... hypno... no, that wasn't it... shyke, he didn't know the bloody word, he wasn't some Wanker Of Sodding Letters. But they were examples, most of which he'd lived and somehow survived. If he couldn't throw her straight into a fight, he'd do the next best thing and give her these little conundrums to puzzle over.

Don't Make Me Repeat Myself.

[Ramona Silvertongue]

OOCSorry for the long wait Konrad! I've just been tired lately with the new school schedule, I've been trying to write a reply, but was really busy!

Ramona seemed to understand, when Hansel was explaining what to do, and partially of what not to do.

Hansel had even demonstrated, what was right when one was in a brawl. Stay low, as Hansel demonstrated on Ramona, she flinched backwards in response and stopped herself from throwing a punch at Hansel when she realized that he was only showing her how to punch low. Hansel explained more, and claimed that they would fall if people get hit below the waist. Ramona didn't doubt it for a tick.

Hansel returned to his original position, and demonstrated speed, she knew he was sliding, she saw it. She didn't react, and Hansel knocked her onto her arse. She made a 'oomf' noise as her bottom slammed against the earth.

She rubbed her bottom, and mumbled under her breath. Ramona looked up at Hansel.

"-that get you to winning, yes?"He was grinning, and Ramona wanted to wipe off that grin as easily, and smoothly as possible, but Hansel... he was starting to irritate Ramona. It was hard for someone to get through her shell. "Bad place to be, in brawl. On knees or on back. You get you enemy there, fight is half over."Fight is half over, though it seemed like it was far from over... "Few of these in face, in balls, in chest, man not get back up again..."Ramona scooted away from his shoe, and would rather not face a shoe caked with mud and shyke. "Let us say, you are on back, in fight. You see bastard, see enemy, like me, about to kick. Foot comes up... about to come down. What do you do?"

Ramona raised herself to one knee, and as Hansel was talking she was situating herself. "I'll do something like-"As she spoke, Ramona grabbed the shoe, and used her momentum to pull Hansel down, using the last of her strength. If it alarmed Hansel enough, he would slip and land on the ground beside Ramona. She would smile back at him. If it didn't, Hansel could counter her move however he pleased.

[Konrad Venger]

"... not bad."

That came from the ground. Truth be told, he'd been expecting some kind of yanking or pulling, even braced for it... but he hadn't expected the woman to find that much strength still in her bones. His tenses up body didn't help as Ramona yanked hard, forward and down, and before Konrad knew what was coming-

-his balance on one leg was ruined-

-and he was toppling forwards.

The big man landed next to the woman and rolled over onto his back. A groan escaped his throat that was both throaty and convincing. Which was not to say it was entirely genuine.

Best to play it up a bit, he thought. Give her some confidence. She won't come back if you don't give her some hope, and then you're out another hunk of deer.

"But, next time?" He leaned forwards and grabbed her foot, hoisting it up so she could see it clearly. "Not just pull. You grab foot and you twist-" he demonstrated, twisting Ramona's foot around sideways until she felt a twinge in muscles and tendons "-before you push. Yes, you push. Pull works, yes, but also pulls foot towards you. Which is where is going anyway. Better to push away, after twist. Get him away from you."

He got up to his knees quickly, then scolded himself. He was supposed to be a little more winded, wasn't he? So he took a few extra ticks to get to his feet, and when he did, there was a little knife in his hands. Oddly shaped and balanced, slipped out of his boot without Ramona seeing. Konrad held it up and grinned.

"Only time you pull? When you pull with one hand, kill him balance-" he thrust the blade quickly up, free hand miming pulling at an imaginary leg "-and then you put blade in his balls. You do that, fight over."

Thank you for stating the completely bloody obvious.

He slipped the blade back where he got it, and waited for the woman to get up. She was dirty and sore and sweaty and while he was none of those things, Konrad knew when his student had been at it long enough. He found his hat and put it back on his head, nodding to her sternly.

"Enough for one lesson. You come back, with other thing to trade, and we train again." He held up a warning finger, slow smile like a wolf staring at a lamb. "Next time, though? I see if you remember. If you do not, will hurt more. So... practice, if you can. Not forget. Or next time, pain will make you remember."

[Ramona Silvertongue]

Ramona frowned as Hansel didn't appear as winded as she was. Her arms were sore, and exhaustion slowly filled her system, and she was getting a slight headache, the call for Djed was annoying her, and she wondered if her headache would ever go away. Though, Hansel did appear a bit weakened and so that filled her with some hope, knowing that she could even trick her teacher. She smiled a weak smile over to Hansel, was about to speak.

"But, next time?" and Hansel leaned forwards, he grabbed hold of her foot and Ramona hobbled to balance herself. She tried to pull away, but was too tired to do so. "Not just pull. You grab foot and you twist-" Hansel twisted her foot, and she screeched and adrenaline quickly entered her body. The pain of her ankle singed her like touching a hot skillet. "-before you push. Yes, you push. Pull works, yes, but also pulls foot towards you. Which is where is going anyway. Better to push away, after twist. Get him away from you."Ramona nodded sheepishly and pleaded Hansel with her expression to let go. She nodded vigorously, and he finally got up and released Ramona's foot.

At the last second Ramona realized that Hansel had a knife hidden in his boot. She wondered how annoying that must've been with the edge of the blade digging at the side of his foot.

"Only time you pull? When you pull with one hand, kill him balance-" Hansel thrust the blade into an imaginary leg, and Ramona watched as carefully as she could, because Ramona wouldn't know what else he had hidden beneath the man's clothing.

"-and then you put blade in his balls. You do that, fight over."Oh... of course why couldn't Ramona think about that, she knew that. It wasn't the leg he was stabbing... it was his... nevermind. Ramona would keep that noted next time.

"Enough for one lesson. You come back, with other thing to trade, and we train again."Ramona would have to think about trading, she didn't know what else that she could trade for some more training. Her ankle tickled her with pain, and the Djed kept annoying her.

"Next time, though? I see if you remember. If you do not, will hurt more. So... practice, if you can. Not forget. Or next time, pain will make you remember."Ramona didn't need any help on remembering. She'll be sure to find something that she'll like to use.

"Yes I'll do what I can. I'll buy a weapon. I-"She was going to protest about buying one, she doesn't like swords, or daggers, or anything sharp. It reminds her of Zith. Their sharp teeth, and claws. It scared Ramona and truly frightened her. The sharp edges of the blade. The sharpness of it just scared her, but Ramona cut herself off when she was going to protest.

"I'll be back later in the season, if you need me I'll be at the edge of the inside of the corner of the Diamond Clan. Also."Ramona was more than glad that she found Hansel to teach him. Even with the sores on her body that she left him, she came up to him after he put his blade away and gave him a dab of a kiss with her lips on his left cheek. "Thank you."Ramona whispered, before she grabbed her short bow, and quiver and headed back to her Pavilion to see Bhug, and to rest.