Training and then Some[Orin]

by **Claudia Blackwood** on April 13th, 2015, 11:59 am

A wild roar pierced the air, and Claudia took a quick glance around trying to locate the source of the sound. Discovering that the sound actually originated from Mister Cookman himself. She was surprised at the man's sudden ferocity and wildness. Where in the world did that come from? Looks like his emotions were getting riled up. That's good she thought to herself. The spar might be a tad more interesting now, with some emotions thrown into the mix. Claudia had trained since young to be independent, and to be able to take care of herself. That was the condition her father had set for her, if she wanted to continue with her wandering exploring adventures within the city walls.

The young girl then had to try fending for herself, as she explored her way within the city walls. Some of the skills she had, she learnt from her father, imparting his skills to her at a young age, ranging from fighting to hunting. Unarmed was not a skill she had learnt, as her father was not really any good at it. The rest of the skills she had was self-taught, observed from people she saw doing, which she then tried out for herself. It was definitely not an easy process, and countless failures were seen and felt, as trying to learn a skill without being taught was alot more difficult than it may seem.

Claudia didn't grow up with many friends, if any at all. Most of her time in her younger days were spent exploring the city districts, or helping her father out in The Iron Works, or training away with her combat skills. Now fully grown up, she has worked on remedying that, meeting as many new people, and making as many friends as she possibly can. Her efforts have paid off so far, as she has met a group of wonderfully amazing people. Holland, Alex, and even Orin himself, were in the group among many others. Some talked about trust issues, and oh, she did have them.

The only difference was that she tend to give everyone a fair chance by giving them a good amount of trust in the beginning. Abuse them and you'll face her wrath and she'll probably never trust you again. She let out a brief smile as she thought about how amusing it was, reminiscing about her childhood and thinking about friends, during a spar with Orin in the pits, of all places. The brain works in the most interesting of ways.

Taking a glance at Orin, she saw the man equally as distracted as she was for the moment, probably thinking of past events as well. But that was quickly broken, as his eyes recognised their focus and he stepped into a boxing stance, with both arms coming up to his chest. He then answered her taunt "Nah. I think I got a few more rounds in me." Claudia grinned and answered as she got her hands into a equally similar pose, with both her arms coming up to her chest. "Great, I've got enough for that much as well." He promptly moved into distance, closing the gap between them quickly. Her respect for his combat abilities have improved alot since the beginning of their sparring match.

Orin was no longer the weak cookman she thought him to be. Instead, she thought him to be quite the capable fighter cook. Maybe she ought to call him The Warrior Cook. This fight was fun, as they weren't going all out to hurt each other, like most fights were, as this was mostly for fun and some training. Fighting on equal levels was turning out be alot of fun. From the way Orin changed his tactics from just trading punches and kicks, she guessed he wanted to do more than just that.

Just as well, as she didn't intend to spend this whole spar just boxing or kicking away anyway. Maybe he wanted to throw her to the ground again. She didn't want to be the one on the ground this time though. He deserved a chance to make friends with the ground too. He let out another wild yell, which he might have hoped to distract her. But she was not one to get distracted by yells, instead it just made her focus even more. She saw her arm arch and it coiled back poising for another punch. He seemed to be aiming for her bruised shoulder again.

She suddenly had a really reckless and foolish idea. Intentionally not blocking the blow to her shoulder, she allowed his arm to make contact. As it did, she grimaced it pain, shyke, that was even worse than she expected. But at least she was expecting it and knew it was coming. She grabbed his arm firmly with her unhurt arm and using it as a pivot, she swung her leg around with a yell, hitting both his legs, sending both of them crashing to the ground in a crash. Petch. That didn't went as planned.

Petching shyke.

by **Orin Fenix** on April 13th, 2015, 12:54 pm

Orin’s maneuver worked. Unfortunately it worked a little too well. As he had been attempting to push Claudia over, it seemed she had a similar idea in mind. So even while Orin’s punch connected and his foot did actually hook under Claudia’s to trip him Orin found himself falling. It took him a tick to recognize what had happened. Instead of turning away and trying to dodge the blow to her shoulder, Claudia had taken it full force and then turned inward, using Orin’s own momentum to propel him over one of one of her hips. To ensure that it worked, Claudia had swept one leg across both of Orin’s. So as Claudia tipped backwards, Orin tipped forwards. Orin just had time to think Oh shyke before they both slammed into the rapidly approaching ground.

Their limbs were tangled and Orin’s entire body smarted from the impact. Unfortunately, he’d been too mixed together with Claudia to do anything to cushion the fall. Usually Orin could’ve at least gotten his hands and knees between the rest of himself and the earth. This time, though, the full force of the fall had been distributed across Orin’s now battered and bruised self. And he still had to get away from Claudia. While Orin could try and fight her while they were both on the ground she probably had the advantage over him since Orin’s talents lay far away from contests of strength. Of course, if Orin were being honest his talents didn’t really apply to any realm that most people would find useful except for cooking. And cooking knowledge wouldn’t do anything to help him out of his current predicament.

Trying to extract himself with causing her undue pain proved tricky. Orin couldn’t tell if the fight was still going or not, so he was afraid to move too much lest it leave him open to whatever nasty technique Claudia was going to attempt next. Instead, Orin tried to keep at least one of her arms pinned down, the one on the side closest to her. He placed one of his He thought his leg was trapped between or under both of hers but Orin couldn’t get his head to turn enough to see what exactly had happened. Gritting his teeth, Orin tried to grab Claudia’s left arm and pull it into him. He had a vague idea that if he lay on top of the arm, the elbow especially, Claudia wouldn’t be able to get the leverage to move Orin. Still, there was no way of guaranteeing that Orin would succeed in his endeavor.

Orin’s other hand was still free though and he thought quickly. While they’d had an agreement not to strike each other’s faces Orin was seriously considering breaking it. Especially since what Orin was about to do wasn’t exactly a blow. It was more of a distraction that would allow Orin to escape Claudia’s hold. And it was very easy for Claudia to prevent it if she knew how. All she had to do would be turn her head or close her eyes and Orin’s trick would be completely useless. Still, it was worth a shot. Orin scrabbled around in the loose dirt of the Fighter’s Pit until he had a handful of loose earth clutched in his fist. Hopefully his arm was hidden by his body. However, executing this move would be slightly difficult considering that Orin’s right arm was on the opposite side of his body from Claudia. So, Orin threw it ahead of him and at the apex of arc, turned his wrist and opened his hand. The dirt flew out and aimed vaguely in the direction of Claudia’s face. That hadn’t worked out quite as well as Orin had planned. Hopefully it would still turn out well enough for Orin’s purposes.

by **Claudia Blackwood** on April 15th, 2015, 7:22 am

Claudia was still reeling from the failed attempt of trying to throw Orin onto the ground. Well, at least it wasn't a total failure, as he still landed on the ground. The only difference was that, she wasn't planning on being on the ground again as well. Petch, that sure did hurt. The both of them were tangled with each other as they tumbled down together. She was really thinking about anything else right now, just about the fight, and what she was going to do next. They were in a sticky situation here, in such close encounters, blows could come from anywhere at any time.

Aches were sprouting from all over her body, but she was glad that she at least went somewhere with that plan. It was a really reckless and foolish move,and shyke did it hurt. She wouldn’t try it again anytime soon. But then, it also fitted right in with her reckless yet foolish personality. It was sure to get her into deep trouble one of these days.

The two of them landed with quite a crash, which she was pretty sure, Orin must be hurting as well. She heard a yelp that could have possibly came from him. Or maybe that was from her. Either way, she was pretty sure they were both hurting, unbraced from the fall. She could feel Orin squirming and moving around trying to untangle himself from her. She tried the same, but when she attempted to get loose, she noticed that he was struggled to grab her left arm before attempting to pin it down.

Oh, just what was he planning to do right now? Both of her legs were resting on his, preventing any movement and escape he would try. She could feel him trying to move, but with her head in an disadvantageous position, she could not see what he was trying to do, only feel it. What she could feel suggested that he may be trying to sit on her left arm, therefore preventing her from launching any form of attack whatsoever. She had to do something and fast, lest she get trapped in his plan.

She moved as fast and as much as she could, struggling to get a grip over Orin's arm before he could do so. While she was in the midst of doing so, finally the merit of being in this horribly uncomfortable position made itself known. She saw something flung her way, and realised it was rain of earth and sand. Fortunately, she was facing down, so none of it got into her face. Some of it landed on her hair, while the majority of it rained inches away from her.

Claudia was taken aback by the sudden strike, as she realised what he had done. That petching bugger had tried to aim for her face, even though he had agreed on the rule. She let loose a stream of expletives at Orin, elbowing him in the ribs furiously. Not caring about that lock any longer, she got legs free, and gave him a swift kick in the gut. At least that was where she thought she aimed at.

She then did a quick roll away from him, placing her hands on the ground, before standing up. Her body was filled with aches, but she was more furious than anything right now. She pointed a finger at Orin, who was still on the ground. "YOU...you tried to break the rule! Didn't we agree on no faces!" He had the nerve to do so after agreeing to it earlier on.

"Bugger you."

Although she was furious right now, Claudia was also flabbergasted that he would do such a thing. Yeah, she knew that he had played dirty earlier on, but she didn't think that he would even attempt to break the rule that he had suggested. But then as she thought about it more, she found the situation to be rather ridiculous. Her anger subsided as easily as it came, as she did the unexpected. She burst into fits of laughter.

"You were intending on breaking that rule from the beginning, weren't you?" Shaking her head slowly, she said "I can't believe I fell for it. You got me good there." As she finished, she stretched out her hand, offering a hand to get him up, as well as offering a handshake. Whether he had done it intentionally or not, Claudia had learnt a very important lesson this day.

Whenever you are involved in a fight with any opponent, friend or not, trust no one. Anyone can be susceptible to lying or harming you, regardless of what they may say or do in the beginning. Always keep an eye out for everything, and stay alert for the entirety of the fight. Orin taught her a good lesson here today, and it would be something she would remember in the days to come, for the rest of her life.

by **Orin Fenix** on April 16th, 2015, 5:36 pm

Orin’s efforts with the dirt failed completely. Claudia’s face was basically turned away from him and therefore there was no way Orin could’ve actually reached her. And unfortunately, not only did it fail to do any damage to Claudia, it also enraged the woman. She elbowed Orin furiously in the ribs and Orin felt each impact on his already bruised and battered body. Orin tried to fend them off but he’d never fought with anyone while they were both on the floor and the angles weren’t right. So Orin was wiggling about to try and shield his body better but not let Claudia have complete and total access to Orin. Unfortunately, while defending his upper body, Orin let down his guard completely on his lower body. And that’s when everything went white with pain.

When Orin’s thoughts finally managed to get through the haze of agony he was in, Orin realized he’d curled up in a fetal position. His hand were between his legs and all pretense of Orin trying to fight with Claudia was gone. His privates had apparently taken a blow so hard that Orin had either been unconscious or lost the ability to have conscious thoughts for a few ticks. Whatever had happened, Orin was in excruciating pain. The only times it had been worse were when Orin had been beaten almost to death by his father. But even his father had never kicked him in the groin. Perhaps because there were things one man simply didn’t do to another man. Finally the pain subsided enough that Orin managed to straighten out from his curled up ball and get on his hands and knees. When his brain managed to get past the pain Orin finally replied to Claudia. ”I said maybe stay away from the face and I didn’t even hit it or strike at it.” Orin’s voice came out breathy and more than a few pitches higher than it normally did. Orin didn’t know if that was typical of this type of injury or something unique to Orin. However, beyond agony, Orin was feeling a deep anger as well as a grudging admiration for Claudia’s own dirty tactics. ”Tell you what, if we ever spar again, I’ll trade absolutely no face shots for no groin strikes, deal?” While the chances of Orin and Claudia having another bout were slim to none, Orin figured that was a good ground rule to have after both of their experiences today. Orin had no intention of ever letting someone hit him there again, if Orin had any choice in the matter. Still despite the pain there was probably no lasting damage done.

Orin did want to get a bit of revenge in after what Claudia had put him through. Seeing her hand offered, Orin clasped it as if he was giving a handshake and accepting help getting up. When Orin's weight was mostly on his feet though he was still crouching, Orin pulled Claudia down with all his might while at the same time surging upwards, aiming his shoulder for her gut. Hopefully, despite Orin's lack of strength and his knees still being a bit wobbly Orin would be able to complete the motion. Orin wasn't thinking very clearly beyond getting back at Claudia. And Orin had already proved that he was about as far from an honorable opponent as Claudia was likely to find in Syliras. Orin didn't exactly have the advantage of superior fighting prowess or strength of limb so Orin was forced to rely on his wits in combat. While many in Syliras might find it distasteful Orin knew it was better to be alive through the use of dirty tactics than dead with honor intact.

Regardless of the success of his last attack, Orin's body promptly informed him he was done for the day. His legs gave out, and Orin collapsed to the ground earning yet another bruise in the process. Orin slapped the ground and called out quickly "I'm done, you win. I swear, no more tricks, though you probably don't think much of my word at this point." Orin rolled over onto his back so he could look up at Claudia. He had to squint since she was framed by the sun. He didn't quite feel up to getting up and going to work yet, since Orin wasn't entirely sure he was up to walking at that particular moment in time. And it would be horribly embarrassing if anyone watched Orin fail to limp out of The Fighter's Pits. Claudia obviously was a worthy opponent. It was more that while they'd never do anything openly, some of the fighter's in the pits might see Orin's current weakness as an indication that he was easy pickings or prey. There were people who used excessive force in sparring because it was the only way that they could be violent in Syliras. Orin really didn't want to come to their attention. Backing down from their challenges was an option but then they'd simply torment Orin in other ways. Besides, Orin wouldn't walk away from a confrontation with a bully unless forced to.

Making small talk was a perfectly good excuse for lingering, so Orin laced his fingers together and put his hands behind his head. "I've got to run to work soon but I've got a few chimes to chat. Where'd you learn to fight like that? It was a good match, wouldn't you agree?" Orin was pretty sure they'd both be bruised tomorrow but nothing had happened that wouldn't be gone in a few days. And Orin was genuinely interested in discovering if Claudia had any training or if she was a naturally gifted fighter. Orin had to work hard for his skills but some people were just naturally gifted warriors. Orin guessed that Claudia was one of those blessed few.

OOCSeemed like a good place to start wrapping it up. Of course feel free to continue attacking and Orin will react accordingky

by **Claudia Blackwood** on April 17th, 2015, 1:28 am

After delivering a swift elbow into Orin's ribs followed by a kick into his lower body, she got loose from him as his grip went loose. Rolling a short distance away, before standing to get up, she took a look at the aftermath of the spar. Orin was curled up on the floor into a foetal position. His hands were clutched within his legs, and she realised what she must have done. She cupped a hand over a mouth as she slowly let out a chuckle, which quickly erupted into full-blown laughter. Thinking back, she realised that when the both of them were still in their grips with each other back on the ground. Unable to see what was going on and fuelled by rage, she had lashed out at him with both of her limbs, striking his upper body with her elbow before following up with a kick to his lower body. She initially thought that she had aimed for his gut, but now it had appeared to be alot lower than she had originally thought it to be. Oops. That did not go quite as intended, just like the rest of the day. She had not planned to strike that area.

He stayed there for quite the while, with both his hands clutched over his privates...She may have used a little too much force there; she was supposed to be aiming for his gut anyhow. She seriously hoped he was alright, and not at all seriously hurt. That would be bad. She had no real intention to hurt Orin. After several chimes, the pain must have subsided as he removed his cupped hands, and slowly straightened his body from his foetal position, getting back on his hands and knees. He must have finally felt well enough, as he began to speak. "I said maybe stay away from the face and I didn't even hit it or strike at it." She then replied shortly after "Well, I didn't recall a maybe in there, and you tried to throw stuff into my face, so it still counts!" His voice was breathy and pitchy, higher than it normally sounded, as he sounded exasperated by the day's events. Her voice on the other hand, sounded exhausted, but still somewhat clear, the anger that dominated her tone earlier had been replaced by a more cheerful one after she had realised what the shyke was going on.

He continued to speak, his voice still ragged. "Tell you what; if we ever spar again, I’ll trade absolutely no face shots for no groin strikes, deal?" Claudia let out a chuckle at that. “Deal! I have no problem with that, that is if you actually stick to what you say this time. You better watch out if you planning to pull a fast one on me though, I won't fall for the same trick twice!" With her arm outstretched as a peace offering to pull him up from the ground, she saw him clasped it going for a handshake, before he gave a strong tug, pulling her down, as he lifted himself up, shoulder first aiming for her gut. Although she was trying to present a sign of truce to him, she was not unprepared. As his elbow landed in her gut, her fist went for his gut. As both of their attacks connected with each of their stomachs, they both collapsed on the ground as their legs gave in. She got up quickly though, preparing for another attack, but it seemed like Orin was done. He remained lying on the ground face up, and she crouched over next to him. He gave an exasperated sigh as he said "I'm done, you win. I swear, no more tricks, though you probably don't think much of my word at this point."

Looks like the spar was finally over, unless he had something else planned, but she was still not letting her guard down despite what he said. She saw him lace his fingers as he placed them behind his head, trying to make small talk. "I've got to run to work soon but I've got a few chimes to chat. Where'd you learn to fight like that? It was a good match, wouldn't you agree?" "Aye, I agree. It was a good match. Some of my basics were taught by my father, but that was mostly blade work. As far as unarmed combat goes, I'm hardly trained in it at all, all the moves I've seen are observed from others." As far as the spar as has gone for the day, she reflected back on it. Her impression of Orin had definitely changed for the better. He was no longer the meek and helpless little cook she once met and knew. He was a capable fight in his own right, and she knew that if he had proper training, he could be quite the formidable warrior as well.

OOCOkay, let's end it right here.

by **Nivel** on May 6th, 2015, 5:38 pm

Claudia Blackwood :

Orin Fenix :

Additional Comments: If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to message me.

Closed Training and then Some[Orin]