for pyrrhaicvictory

[sarcaskick]

You're a world-renowned fighter.
We're obviously leagues apart.

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duel at high noon

[sarcaskick]

Mercury spent a good bit of time considering whether he should actually show up or not. There would, admittedly, be some humor in seeing Pyrrha's disappointment at being set up for something so engaging only to be met with nothing whatsoever. It's certainly not that he isn't enough of an asshole to pull it off - he's more than emotionally toxic enough to do exactly that.

But there's no promise that he'll ever get a chance to fight her for real again, not with Cinder's plan already underway, and as much as he doesn't want to admit it? He wants the rematch. This sparring thing is as close as he's going to get.

So, true to his word, he'll be there - and early, at that, about twenty minutes ahead of time. Equally true to his word, there's no armor or weaponry on his person - he's wearing a pretty basic set of workout clothes, and his shoes have even been kicked off to the side as he goes through a few warmup stretches.

Long story short, he's going to take this as seriously as he's allowed to. Might as well make the most of it.

[pyrrhaicvictory]

[ Was she tense? She couldn't tell. She doesn't really have fun sparring matches with people. There was the brief (but intense) food fight with RWBY and of course, her training with Jaune.

This? This was different. This may not have the stakes or the prizes, but it felt that she was approaching a battle between equals. And if she didn't throw her all, she would lose. So she chose a loose sleeveless shirt and a combat skirt. Mentally, she tucked away her ability. She wanted this to be a fair match. ]

[sarcaskick]

[ He peeks up mid-stretch as he spots her, offering a shrug of feigned disappointment at her arrival. The grin that tugs at the corner of his lip might be a little telling, though. ]

Oh, well. So much for the easy win by disqualification.

[ He straightens up again, rocking idly on his heels as he gives her a quick once-over. No weapons. No armor. Not that he'd expected her to try and cheat - she had this funny little thing called "honor" - but that doesn't mean he isn't going to at least make sure. ]

Shall we?

[pyrrhaicvictory]

[ She takes her stance. She does feel bereft of her weapons, an extension of herself, but she's not going to dwell on it. ]

Ready.

[sarcaskick]

[ He watches as she prepares herself, taking a couple steps closer. ]

Game on.

[ And that's it - he launches forward to close the gap between them, twisting his body to one side and lashing out with the heel of his foot in a high arc. Not the hardest attack to predict - or avoid - but he hasn't fought her unarmed before. He needs to get a feel for it. ]

[pyrrhaicvictory]

[ She has considerable strength of her own but her weapons always took the bulk of it. So while she managed to catch the foot, she couldn't help but grunt at the force while she threw it back at him and then tried to swipe for his knees ]

[sarcaskick]

[ At least she doesn't have the weight of his boots coming down on her - though he wasn't lying about having killer legs, in the most literal sense. Still, he would have been surprised if she didn't stop the attack at all.

He sees the sweep coming - it's very reminiscent of their first fight, when she'd knocked him on his back with her very first blow. This time he's a bit more prepared, hopping over the sweep to try and bring his foot down on her leg.

Already, there's a sharpness to his eyes and a grin on his lips. Fun's just getting started. ]

sob trying to fight like rwby characters

[pyrrhaicvictory]

[ She bends her knee to counter that and straightens it into a kick up as she flips backwards. Then she immediately goes again for the lunge, hoping to use his strength against him. ]

the struggle is so real

[sarcaskick]

[ He didn't expect this to be easy just because she was unarmed, and he's not disappointed. He barely weaves in time to avoid the flip-kick, but he has to turn his body to let his side take the brunt of her lunge attack. Not wanting it to go unpunished he snaps out with the leg nearest her in a few rapid kicks, both high and low, trying to sneak in a hit or two. ]

weeps forever

[pyrrhaicvictory]

[ The leg catches her side and she can't help the gasp of pain, but she tries to flip him over by grabbing his sides and rolling him over her and into the floor ]

[sarcaskick]

[ Whatever thrill he gets from feeling the strike connect is gone as he feels his world literally turn upside-down. He hits the ground solidly, but with a quick shove of his arms he flips back away from her and to his feet again, putting distance between them for a moment. A little sore, but far from finished.

He's in his stance again almost instantly. There's no smart remarks or snarky observations - he's into this, and gives a little wave of his hand as if to tell her to come at him. ]

[pyrrhaicvictory]

[ She needs a second to breath, but she's not going to get that second. The minute she lets up, he'll be on her and it'll be over. And she's not ready for this to be over. She decides for a straight approach; punch it until it falls over. She rushes over to aim a few well-placed jabs to the stomach ]

[sarcaskick]

[ It's hard not to get too into it - it was one thing when he knew everyone was watching, knew he had to keep his abilities in check, but right now it's just them. He's aching to go all-out, but he can't. Kind of a shame.

But there's no time to dwell on it - she's in his space in a flash, and he backpedals to avoid the first couple jabs. The last one's a bit too close, no way to dodge it - so he steps into it, letting the fist connect with his stomach as he aims a knee for her gut. He's not sure who'll come out on top if it turns into a blow-for-blow fight, but it'll be fun to find out. ]

(break a) leg day

[sarcaskick]

[ Boy. What a day.

After Yang's seemingly random violent outburst, the tournament had been postponed until the next day - people needed time to let the shock of it wear off, and the remaining combatants needed to have clear heads for their matches. Mercury had been brought to the nearest medical facility to have his leg checked out, and while the bone was broken (no surprise, what with Yang's strength) it was at least a pretty clean break. With a little help from Atlas and their advanced medical technology, as well as the passive healing powers of Aura, he'd probably be able to walk on it much sooner than expected.

He's actually out of the medical ward sooner than expected, too - contrary to their wishes, mind you, but it's for everyone's best interests that he not stay cooped up. Most people have made their way back towards their rooms or residences, but he's decided to wander the far corner of the fair grounds, supported by a pair of crutches, avoiding the crowds that would surely want to speak to him after his center stage performance. He didn't need that, not right now when he has some heavy thoughts on his mind regarding this whole plan of Cinder's and how much more he'll be expected to give before he gets anything.

Well, at least there's no one around to bother him right now.

... right? ]

Re: (break a) leg day

[pyrrhaicvictory]

[ It had been a stressful day. Yang's incident with Mercury hadn't helped and she still found herself divided. And Amber's face lingered in the background whenever she closed her eyes. She had the resolve. She meant what she said . . . hadn't she?

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost didn't see Mercury. He looked . . . uncertain. Her brow creased at that, as she wandered up to him. ]

Hey. How are you feeling?

[sarcaskick]

[ He's pretty caught up in his musings, so when Pyrrha's voice - of all people, Pyrrha - cuts through the silence he's visibly surprised for a moment, turning his head to face her with a blink of his eyes. It only takes a moment for him to regain his composure, though, his tone immediately snarky (if not a little dull) as he turns on his crutches to face her fully. ]

Oh, you know. Kind of hurt, kind of confused, pretty mad. So it's been a good day, is what I'm saying.

[pyrrhaicvictory]

So you don't know why she did it? I've known Yang for a long time. It's not like her . . .

[ She trails off. She doesn't know what to believe. ]

[sarcaskick]

Beats me.

[ ... He really doesn't, to be fair. Oh, he knows the gist of what happened - the illusion was all part of the plan, after all - but he has no idea what Yang actually saw. Hell, he wasn't even aware it was going to go so far as his leg being broken, which is what's really soured his mood.

Cinder sure hadn't warned him about that. ]

I mean, you saw what happened. I was just trying to tell her I'd see her in the arena next festival for a rematch. She just... flipped.

[pyrrhaicvictory]

[ Something isn't right. But she's not going to accuse either of them without the facts. She glances around, searching for Emerald but doesn't seem to spot her ]

Where are your friends? Should you really be alone right now?

[sarcaskick]

Eh, they're just going to nag me to get back in bed and rest my leg. Me, I can't sit still.

So I kind of snuck out.

[ A wink. ]

Don't tell.

[pyrrhaicvictory]

Yes, you were doing a great job of it too.

[ She glances at his leg ] It must be hard. Especially when it's a part of you when you fight.

[sarcaskick]

... Yeah. It's rough.

[ Why would Cinder let him lose a leg like this? Sure it'll heal, but with how things are going won't he probably need it again soon?

Or is this a sign that she won't need him much longer?

It's a question too unsettling to ponder while Pyrrha's right there, though, so he doesn't let himself dwell on it for long. ]

Oh, well. Still got one that works. I could take down some Grimm on crutches if I had do, no big deal.

[pyrrhaicvictory]

[ Taking down Grimm. She's still not what being one of the Maidens would entail. Would she still fight? What kind of power would she have? ]

Well, it's a good thing everything's so quiet lately.

[ Quiet for an eventual war. ]

[sarcaskick]

Well that's easy for you to say, Miss I-Still-Have-Two-Working-Legs.

[ He shifts his weight a little on his crutches, wincing slightly as his bad legs gets a little too much pressure put on it. Yeah, he was going to have to be mindful of that for a while. ]

On the plus side, your round couldn't possibly end as badly as mine did now.

[pyrrhaicvictory]

[ Unbidden, the image of Amber rises to the forefront of her mind and she swallows ]

Hopefully not.