Ayla sighed softly, shaking her head as she glanced in Sayuri's direction. It had been a few of months since Sayuri started taking lessons from Kentaro. The only reason she knew that was because Sayuri had told her. She would admit, it was a bit of a stretch, teaching someone how to defend themselves. Especially if that someone who was learning, had never picked up a blade in their entire life. Sayuri wasn't a warrior. It was apparent in her bearing, her stance, and just the way she held a wooden bokken. Ayla wasn't certain she would ever be a warrior, however; she wasn't going to throw her under just yet. She was determined to learn, and Ayla could respect that.
"Shift your hands up a little, Yuri-chan. No, not that much," she sighed heavily as Sayuri readjusted her grip on the bokken. She shook her head and made her way towards her. "Months of training, and you still can't hold it right?" she spoke, letting a little bit of amusement into her voice so that Sayuri knew she wasn't being mean. Sayuri frowned, though.
"I'm trying, Ayla-chan, but I'm not exactly the warrior type. At least I know which end to hold, but the grips are still a little... confusing," she replied. If she was having trouble with grips, then Ayla could help with that.
"Alright, we're going to try something different," she said as she went to the racks where the weapons were kept. She grabbed a bow off of one and made her way towards Sayuri. She had a look of confusion on her face, and Ayla rolled her eyes. "Here, hold this," she spoke, handing the bow to Sayuri. She did as she was told, but remained silent.
"Now, draw it," she commanded.
"Do I need an arrow?"
"No. You're just pulling on the string for now, but make sure you're holding onto the grip, properly," she replied, watching as Sayuri complied. She held the grip, and pulled back on the bowstring. She continued to do this for a few minutes before she frowned.
"What's the purpose of this, Ayla-chan?" she finally asked. Ayla merely grinned.
"That is teaching you tension," she replied. Sayuri pursed her lips together, and stopped what she was doing. "It helps to know how hard or soft you should pull. You don't want to pull so hard that you snap the string, but you also don't want to pull too soft that there is no resistance," she explained. Sayuri made a slight 'oh' with her mouth, but didn't say it.
"What has that have to do with a sword, though?" she asked.
"Kentaro is teaching you kendo, right?" Sayuri nodded. "Learning the tension on the bowstring and gripping it properly will help you with that. The more you pull on the bowstring, the more familiar you become with it. It's the same with your bokken. Learning something is more than just hitting and swinging your sword, Sayuri-chan. And it's not so romanticized as being one with the weapon. It's the feeling of it in your hands, and being able to wield it as an extension of yourself," she explained. She wasn't sure if she was actually making sense, though, but she had faith in Sayuri.
"I'm going to let you practice with that for awhile," she stated, watching as Sayuri pulled on the bowstring, again. This went on for at least an hour before Ayla had given her an arrow to see how she'd fair with a bow, instead of sword. She wasn't too bad with it, and Ayla surmised that Sayuri could be just as good of an archer as herself. Of course, she'd have to practice for a long time, something she didn't exactly have. At least she was improving, though. Pushing that thought out of her mind, she gave Sayuri permission to leave.
They were done for the day.
She watched as Sayuri left, and smiled to herself. She was a good kid, just like the others were. Now that she was alone, though, she might as well practice her martial arts. She wasn't rusty, per se, but it'd been a while since she'd last hit something. Aram was busy, currently studying the oni, so he wasn't available to be her sparring partner. She couldn't smell Tsubasa nearby, otherwise she'd have asked him. Tatsuya wasn't entirely wrong, after all, when he said she got along with someone like Tsubasa. She actually liked the boy, but perhaps not so much as the word would imply. There was a difference between liking someone, and being fond of them.
She liked Tsubasa, but she wasn't fond of him. He wasn't exactly her type. Still, that did not distract her enough from the disturbing rumors of oni sightings the last few weeks. She'd dismissed them at first because Aram hadn't said anything about it. Usually, he'd have seen something by now, however; as of late, he hadn't. That didn't concern her too much, but something nagged in the back of her mind that it should. The warm air on her face caused her to sigh softly. Summer wasn't exactly her favorite season. She was already warm to begin with, given what she was. She didn't feel like burning during the months that followed. There were ways to cool off, but most of that required cool baths and things like that.
She didn't want to be a fish.
“You sure you want to get sweaty?" came a voice from nearby. That was weird; she hadn't been able to smell him at all, but he was no more than ten feet behind her. Tatsuya tilted his head, crossing his arms over his chest. His shitagi and kosode were short-sleeved, apparently the one concession he made to the rapidly-heating weather. Strangely for a being that did not scar easily, he had a big one on his right forearm, pale against his relatively tan complexion.
“You look like you might melt if you overheat out here. Like a yuki-onna, ne?" His tone was blasé and a little bit impertinent, but he had a way of drawling his words so they sounded more languid than anything.
She rolled her eyes at him. "And if I do want to get sweaty? Are you going to help?" she spoke, raising a brow in his direction. She didn't know when it happened, only that she actually enjoyed his company somewhat, and exchanging choice words. It wasn't as much fun if there wasn't anyone else around to tease, like Reiko, but she didn't mind. It was almost like... she stopped that train of thought as quickly as it had formed, and shook her head.
"Yuki-onna have it easy. They get to hibernate during the summer; I have no such thing."
“Always happy to volunteer my services for a good cause." He tilted his head to the side; some of his hair fell loose over his shoulder. It had grown a little to sit near the nape of his neck, but he didn't seem bothered by it in the heat. He arched an eyebrow. “Now of course, you're boring, so you mean sweaty from sparring and not anything more fun. Hand-to-hand, I take it?"
She laughed. "Well, if by boring you mean I don't have a sense of humor, then by all means, I'm boring," she replied, shaking her head. "But hey, if you could sex an oni to death..." she trailed off; he'd get the implication. She might appear boring to him, but she wasn't exactly shy talking about the subject. She just knew she'd never involve herself in the act of it. It wasn't so much as saving anything for anyone. She just didn't think she'd be able to give herself like that to anyone.
He laughed, though it was more a shake of his shoulders than a sound.
"Hand-to-hand is fine. I'm not always going to be able to use my bow, or tantō. And I might not have enough time to change, so," she stated, shrugging lightly and taking a stance. All were true, though. She might run out of arrows, her tantō might get knocked away from her, and shifting wasn't exactly instantaneous. It took at least a minute to complete it.
“If you say so," he replied, cracking his neck to the left, then the right before stepping into the ring properly and taking up a spot about five feet away from her. He bowed shortly, the martial artist's custom, then settled back into a stance of his own. Curiously for a fighter as aggressive as Tatsuya, it looked to be a defensive form.
“Ladies first." He smirked at her with narrowed eyes, a corner of his mouth lifting just slightly.
She returned the smirk with one of her own, and inclined her head. "Look at you being so sweet, calling me a lady," she spoke. The smirk didn't leave her face, and instead, she obliged. She knew better than to go easy, though. They couldn't afford to do that, if the rumors were true. Plus, she wasn't exactly expecting him to go easy on her, either. That's alright, she needed a good fight, anyway.
He met the strike with a smooth catch, enclosing her fist in his hand, then flowing smoothly in a twist, bringing her arm in behind her and pressing up close, his back to her chest, so she'd have a harder time kicking him away. “Aren't you?" he asked, though it sounded like he already knew the answer. The words were close to her ear; close enough for her to tell that his breath was cooler than the outside air by at least ten degrees, if not more.
"Depends on your definition of a lady," she frowned. She resisted the urge to shudder at how cool his breath felt, though. Compared to the warming weather, she'd prefer it if it were ten degrees cooler. "Because frankly," she began, trying to twist out of his grip. "I could care less what people thought defined a lady." Everyone had a definition of it, and she didn't quite care to conform to whatever that definition was. She managed to break free, and stood some feet away from him.
"But I'm sure your definition is a little more... defining," she stated, resisting the urge to laugh at herself. She moved towards him again, this time, going for his legs. He was taller than her, and for some odd reason, she didn't want him to be right now. She hated being short, sometimes.
His balance was steady, though, and even when she kicked at him, it didn't seem to bother him much. He chuckled in her ear, then let her go, jumping backwards and resetting himself ten feet away, taking up the same defensive stance again. “I've always preferred a woman to a lady anyway," he replied. “And you're definitely one of those."
One palm up, he twitched his first two fingers, beckoning her forward and tilting his chin up, just a little. The expression on his face was clearly meant as a challenge.
"You're a smug little bastard, you know that?" she replied, narrowing her eyes slightly. Challenge accepted. The smirk was still on her face, though it tilted up into more of a grin. She kept her eyes narrowed and took a moment to assess rather than attack outright, again. Clearly he had the upper hand. He was taller for one thing, and he had good balance. Oni were kind of the same way, however; the bigger they were, the harder they fell. She'd have to get better momentum if she wanted to take him down.
With that in mind, she smirked. She could use the distance to her advantage. She might not have been particularly swift, but she made up for that by being a little more sturdier. When she ran at him, she did so with every ounce of speed she could muster, and put most of her strength behind her legs.
He seemed willing enough to go with this strategy, however, because he didn't even attempt to get out of the way; rather, he adjusted his stance so that when they went to the ground, he was able to put one of his knees between them, pressing down on her sternum with it and locking her legs in place with his other.
“Really, Ayla? You want to do groundwork with someone who outsizes you this much? I'll give you credit for guts, but not much else." He leaned down, solid in his hold but moving his face closer to hers. “Well... maybe one other thing. This is much more interesting than catching punches."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, well I never said I was an expert at it. Strategy obviously wasn't my strong point. I'm a distance fighter; up and personal isn't my cup of tea. The only time I get personal," she strained out the word a bit as she tried to move, "Is when I'm not exactly this," she continued, referring to her wolf rather than her human self. She was better at fighting up close when she was a wolf. At least then she could use her teeth and claws to tear out chunks of flesh.
"I'm glad you're having fun and all, but you can let me up now, I yield," for now at least.
He didn't immediately do so, instead studying her with narrowed eyes. “So let it out," he suggested, like it was the most commonplace thing in the world and not an enormous risk. “I'm not going to break like glass just because you grow some teeth worth talking about." He bared his own at her in something between a grin and a snarl; was it just her, or were they thicker and more prominent than usual?
She furrowed her brows in response. Let it out? That was easier said than done, but perhaps, within these walls it would be okay. There wasn't anyone around, and it was obvious enough that the servants of the household wouldn't exactly take mind to it. "Fine, have it your way," she replied, baring her teeth at him in the process. He might have been strong, but the shift from human to beast wouldn't exactly allow for him to remain as close as he was.
Besides, she should take advantage of this. She wouldn't be able to shift when she sparred with the others, and the only other one who could possibly handle her, was Aram. Since he was the one to suggest it in the first place, she would oblige.
Well, this is better, she spoke, shaking her entire body as she did so. She flexed her paws for a moment before she glanced at him. If she could have, she would have arched a challenging eyebrow at him, however; she didn't exactly have eyebrows to quirk. Shall we?
He actually had to look up at her now, though not that far. Not as far as she normally had to look up at him, anyway. Rolling out his shoulders, Tatsuya settled into a different stance. This one looked much more like an attack form. “I'm glad you're taking this seriously. That means I can, too, right?"
He did arch a brow, but gave no further warning before he burst forward with all the suddenness of a gust of wind, making a grab for one of her arms. It looked like he might be attempting a joint-lock, and he was fast.
Luckily, though, she was also quicker. She had to be in order to get an advantage on the oni, however; compared to his speed, she was still a little slower. So instead of moving out of the way, she allowed him to get closer. Granted, he'd have a bit of an advantage being so close, but she would also be closer to him, and she could make for his arm with her jaws. Height wise, it would be easy to grab his shoulder, at least. If she missed, she still had a free arm.
Her attempt to bite was thwarted; surprisingly, Tatsuya actually took hold of her jaws from the safer sides and forced them shut, twisting his whole body away from her first swipe. The second one, however, caught him in the side, tearing through the linen fabric he wore and leaving a bloody furrow in his side.
He hissed softly; from as close as she was, she could see his eye color flicker from red to gold. He pulled in a laborious breath, and they faded back, but they had definitely changed for a moment there. His lips pulled back from his teeth.
“If you can bite, I'm going to think I can too, you know." Even despite the wound, and the fact that he was still holding her jaws clamped shut, he seemed to be amused, though it was edged by something else.
Never said you couldn't, she replied back. Even if her mouth was clamped shut, she could still speak. Though she wasn't sure if she could actually call it that. But I'm afraid you'll only get a mouthful of fur, she added. She would have smirked if she could. She shook her head, trying to get out of his hold.
Bite or no bite, she began, finally breaking lose from his hold and jumping back, You said you were going to take this seriously; use every advantage you can get. If that means you have to bite something, then bite it, though in some perspectives, that might be considered cheating.
Oni won't care either way, and it wasn't like she really needed to give advice.
“I suppose you make a fair point," he replied casually. His side was already nearly healed up; he certain wasn't bleeding anymore. There was only a bit of it soaked through the fabric of his kosode.
Hooking his fingers, Tatsuya cracked his knuckles. This time, when he charged, it was barely even visible. It seemed that he was suddenly just in front of her, and then he leaped, jumping over her and twisting in midair. One of his arms hooked around her neck from behind, forcing her into an awkward position.
Instead of the expected bite, however, he blew cold breath into her ear. “I think I'll collect when it wouldn't taste mostly like dog," he said with a snort. “I don't fancy the tang of fur." But he'd effectively made his point—he could have gone in for a bite there if necessary.
Pushing off her back, he landed a good eight feet behind her, crossing his arms over his chest. “You know, you've made all this fuss about control issues, but I really don't see any. You're not even being the aggressive one here."
She didn't have an answer for him. She didn't even know why that was the case. She sat in her spot, the spar obviously over, though she elected to remain as she was, for the moment. She tilted her head in his direction, and narrowed her eyes. I've got nothing, she spoke the words quicker than she'd realized. She hadn't meant to say it, but she did anyway. She was still calm in his presence, despite the fact that her heart rate was accelerated. That was due to the spar, or so she thought. What else could it be? She sighed softly.
I suppose that concludes the little spar, for now, she spoke. Her lips pulled into a fine line before she sighed. She should really keep a spare kimono around, or at least hide one in every possible spot around the place. She didn't really think at the time when she shifted, but her gaze landed on her torn kimono, and she huffed again. She'd torn his clothing, too, so it wouldn't exactly help, and she didn't need to give him the satisfaction of her wearing something that was his, again.
She rolled her eyes.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to go properly cloth myself. My hair can only do so much," she spoke. She'd shifted with her back towards him and had pulled her hair in front of her. It covered what it needed to considering it was long enough to do that. She wasn't ashamed, but perhaps she should have a little more common decency. She snorted. "So if you'll excuse me," she stated, walking past him, no shame whatsoever. If she was lucky, there wouldn't be anyone in the halls until she reached her room, though.
“You're clear if you take the back hallway," he said, apparently aware of who was where in the castle. “No one's ever there at this time of day." For all his bluster, he kept his eyes fixed firmly away from her for the duration.
“I'll be collecting on that taste someday, by the way." The words followed behind her as she left the ring.
"Yeah? Good luck with that."
"Shift your hands up a little, Yuri-chan. No, not that much," she sighed heavily as Sayuri readjusted her grip on the bokken. She shook her head and made her way towards her. "Months of training, and you still can't hold it right?" she spoke, letting a little bit of amusement into her voice so that Sayuri knew she wasn't being mean. Sayuri frowned, though.
"I'm trying, Ayla-chan, but I'm not exactly the warrior type. At least I know which end to hold, but the grips are still a little... confusing," she replied. If she was having trouble with grips, then Ayla could help with that.
"Alright, we're going to try something different," she said as she went to the racks where the weapons were kept. She grabbed a bow off of one and made her way towards Sayuri. She had a look of confusion on her face, and Ayla rolled her eyes. "Here, hold this," she spoke, handing the bow to Sayuri. She did as she was told, but remained silent.
"Now, draw it," she commanded.
"Do I need an arrow?"
"No. You're just pulling on the string for now, but make sure you're holding onto the grip, properly," she replied, watching as Sayuri complied. She held the grip, and pulled back on the bowstring. She continued to do this for a few minutes before she frowned.
"What's the purpose of this, Ayla-chan?" she finally asked. Ayla merely grinned.
"That is teaching you tension," she replied. Sayuri pursed her lips together, and stopped what she was doing. "It helps to know how hard or soft you should pull. You don't want to pull so hard that you snap the string, but you also don't want to pull too soft that there is no resistance," she explained. Sayuri made a slight 'oh' with her mouth, but didn't say it.
"What has that have to do with a sword, though?" she asked.
"Kentaro is teaching you kendo, right?" Sayuri nodded. "Learning the tension on the bowstring and gripping it properly will help you with that. The more you pull on the bowstring, the more familiar you become with it. It's the same with your bokken. Learning something is more than just hitting and swinging your sword, Sayuri-chan. And it's not so romanticized as being one with the weapon. It's the feeling of it in your hands, and being able to wield it as an extension of yourself," she explained. She wasn't sure if she was actually making sense, though, but she had faith in Sayuri.
"I'm going to let you practice with that for awhile," she stated, watching as Sayuri pulled on the bowstring, again. This went on for at least an hour before Ayla had given her an arrow to see how she'd fair with a bow, instead of sword. She wasn't too bad with it, and Ayla surmised that Sayuri could be just as good of an archer as herself. Of course, she'd have to practice for a long time, something she didn't exactly have. At least she was improving, though. Pushing that thought out of her mind, she gave Sayuri permission to leave.
They were done for the day.
She watched as Sayuri left, and smiled to herself. She was a good kid, just like the others were. Now that she was alone, though, she might as well practice her martial arts. She wasn't rusty, per se, but it'd been a while since she'd last hit something. Aram was busy, currently studying the oni, so he wasn't available to be her sparring partner. She couldn't smell Tsubasa nearby, otherwise she'd have asked him. Tatsuya wasn't entirely wrong, after all, when he said she got along with someone like Tsubasa. She actually liked the boy, but perhaps not so much as the word would imply. There was a difference between liking someone, and being fond of them.
She liked Tsubasa, but she wasn't fond of him. He wasn't exactly her type. Still, that did not distract her enough from the disturbing rumors of oni sightings the last few weeks. She'd dismissed them at first because Aram hadn't said anything about it. Usually, he'd have seen something by now, however; as of late, he hadn't. That didn't concern her too much, but something nagged in the back of her mind that it should. The warm air on her face caused her to sigh softly. Summer wasn't exactly her favorite season. She was already warm to begin with, given what she was. She didn't feel like burning during the months that followed. There were ways to cool off, but most of that required cool baths and things like that.
She didn't want to be a fish.
“You sure you want to get sweaty?" came a voice from nearby. That was weird; she hadn't been able to smell him at all, but he was no more than ten feet behind her. Tatsuya tilted his head, crossing his arms over his chest. His shitagi and kosode were short-sleeved, apparently the one concession he made to the rapidly-heating weather. Strangely for a being that did not scar easily, he had a big one on his right forearm, pale against his relatively tan complexion.
“You look like you might melt if you overheat out here. Like a yuki-onna, ne?" His tone was blasé and a little bit impertinent, but he had a way of drawling his words so they sounded more languid than anything.
She rolled her eyes at him. "And if I do want to get sweaty? Are you going to help?" she spoke, raising a brow in his direction. She didn't know when it happened, only that she actually enjoyed his company somewhat, and exchanging choice words. It wasn't as much fun if there wasn't anyone else around to tease, like Reiko, but she didn't mind. It was almost like... she stopped that train of thought as quickly as it had formed, and shook her head.
"Yuki-onna have it easy. They get to hibernate during the summer; I have no such thing."
“Always happy to volunteer my services for a good cause." He tilted his head to the side; some of his hair fell loose over his shoulder. It had grown a little to sit near the nape of his neck, but he didn't seem bothered by it in the heat. He arched an eyebrow. “Now of course, you're boring, so you mean sweaty from sparring and not anything more fun. Hand-to-hand, I take it?"
She laughed. "Well, if by boring you mean I don't have a sense of humor, then by all means, I'm boring," she replied, shaking her head. "But hey, if you could sex an oni to death..." she trailed off; he'd get the implication. She might appear boring to him, but she wasn't exactly shy talking about the subject. She just knew she'd never involve herself in the act of it. It wasn't so much as saving anything for anyone. She just didn't think she'd be able to give herself like that to anyone.
He laughed, though it was more a shake of his shoulders than a sound.
"Hand-to-hand is fine. I'm not always going to be able to use my bow, or tantō. And I might not have enough time to change, so," she stated, shrugging lightly and taking a stance. All were true, though. She might run out of arrows, her tantō might get knocked away from her, and shifting wasn't exactly instantaneous. It took at least a minute to complete it.
“If you say so," he replied, cracking his neck to the left, then the right before stepping into the ring properly and taking up a spot about five feet away from her. He bowed shortly, the martial artist's custom, then settled back into a stance of his own. Curiously for a fighter as aggressive as Tatsuya, it looked to be a defensive form.
“Ladies first." He smirked at her with narrowed eyes, a corner of his mouth lifting just slightly.
She returned the smirk with one of her own, and inclined her head. "Look at you being so sweet, calling me a lady," she spoke. The smirk didn't leave her face, and instead, she obliged. She knew better than to go easy, though. They couldn't afford to do that, if the rumors were true. Plus, she wasn't exactly expecting him to go easy on her, either. That's alright, she needed a good fight, anyway.
He met the strike with a smooth catch, enclosing her fist in his hand, then flowing smoothly in a twist, bringing her arm in behind her and pressing up close, his back to her chest, so she'd have a harder time kicking him away. “Aren't you?" he asked, though it sounded like he already knew the answer. The words were close to her ear; close enough for her to tell that his breath was cooler than the outside air by at least ten degrees, if not more.
"Depends on your definition of a lady," she frowned. She resisted the urge to shudder at how cool his breath felt, though. Compared to the warming weather, she'd prefer it if it were ten degrees cooler. "Because frankly," she began, trying to twist out of his grip. "I could care less what people thought defined a lady." Everyone had a definition of it, and she didn't quite care to conform to whatever that definition was. She managed to break free, and stood some feet away from him.
"But I'm sure your definition is a little more... defining," she stated, resisting the urge to laugh at herself. She moved towards him again, this time, going for his legs. He was taller than her, and for some odd reason, she didn't want him to be right now. She hated being short, sometimes.
His balance was steady, though, and even when she kicked at him, it didn't seem to bother him much. He chuckled in her ear, then let her go, jumping backwards and resetting himself ten feet away, taking up the same defensive stance again. “I've always preferred a woman to a lady anyway," he replied. “And you're definitely one of those."
One palm up, he twitched his first two fingers, beckoning her forward and tilting his chin up, just a little. The expression on his face was clearly meant as a challenge.
"You're a smug little bastard, you know that?" she replied, narrowing her eyes slightly. Challenge accepted. The smirk was still on her face, though it tilted up into more of a grin. She kept her eyes narrowed and took a moment to assess rather than attack outright, again. Clearly he had the upper hand. He was taller for one thing, and he had good balance. Oni were kind of the same way, however; the bigger they were, the harder they fell. She'd have to get better momentum if she wanted to take him down.
With that in mind, she smirked. She could use the distance to her advantage. She might not have been particularly swift, but she made up for that by being a little more sturdier. When she ran at him, she did so with every ounce of speed she could muster, and put most of her strength behind her legs.
He seemed willing enough to go with this strategy, however, because he didn't even attempt to get out of the way; rather, he adjusted his stance so that when they went to the ground, he was able to put one of his knees between them, pressing down on her sternum with it and locking her legs in place with his other.
“Really, Ayla? You want to do groundwork with someone who outsizes you this much? I'll give you credit for guts, but not much else." He leaned down, solid in his hold but moving his face closer to hers. “Well... maybe one other thing. This is much more interesting than catching punches."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, well I never said I was an expert at it. Strategy obviously wasn't my strong point. I'm a distance fighter; up and personal isn't my cup of tea. The only time I get personal," she strained out the word a bit as she tried to move, "Is when I'm not exactly this," she continued, referring to her wolf rather than her human self. She was better at fighting up close when she was a wolf. At least then she could use her teeth and claws to tear out chunks of flesh.
"I'm glad you're having fun and all, but you can let me up now, I yield," for now at least.
He didn't immediately do so, instead studying her with narrowed eyes. “So let it out," he suggested, like it was the most commonplace thing in the world and not an enormous risk. “I'm not going to break like glass just because you grow some teeth worth talking about." He bared his own at her in something between a grin and a snarl; was it just her, or were they thicker and more prominent than usual?
She furrowed her brows in response. Let it out? That was easier said than done, but perhaps, within these walls it would be okay. There wasn't anyone around, and it was obvious enough that the servants of the household wouldn't exactly take mind to it. "Fine, have it your way," she replied, baring her teeth at him in the process. He might have been strong, but the shift from human to beast wouldn't exactly allow for him to remain as close as he was.
Besides, she should take advantage of this. She wouldn't be able to shift when she sparred with the others, and the only other one who could possibly handle her, was Aram. Since he was the one to suggest it in the first place, she would oblige.
Well, this is better, she spoke, shaking her entire body as she did so. She flexed her paws for a moment before she glanced at him. If she could have, she would have arched a challenging eyebrow at him, however; she didn't exactly have eyebrows to quirk. Shall we?
He actually had to look up at her now, though not that far. Not as far as she normally had to look up at him, anyway. Rolling out his shoulders, Tatsuya settled into a different stance. This one looked much more like an attack form. “I'm glad you're taking this seriously. That means I can, too, right?"
He did arch a brow, but gave no further warning before he burst forward with all the suddenness of a gust of wind, making a grab for one of her arms. It looked like he might be attempting a joint-lock, and he was fast.
Luckily, though, she was also quicker. She had to be in order to get an advantage on the oni, however; compared to his speed, she was still a little slower. So instead of moving out of the way, she allowed him to get closer. Granted, he'd have a bit of an advantage being so close, but she would also be closer to him, and she could make for his arm with her jaws. Height wise, it would be easy to grab his shoulder, at least. If she missed, she still had a free arm.
Her attempt to bite was thwarted; surprisingly, Tatsuya actually took hold of her jaws from the safer sides and forced them shut, twisting his whole body away from her first swipe. The second one, however, caught him in the side, tearing through the linen fabric he wore and leaving a bloody furrow in his side.
He hissed softly; from as close as she was, she could see his eye color flicker from red to gold. He pulled in a laborious breath, and they faded back, but they had definitely changed for a moment there. His lips pulled back from his teeth.
“If you can bite, I'm going to think I can too, you know." Even despite the wound, and the fact that he was still holding her jaws clamped shut, he seemed to be amused, though it was edged by something else.
Never said you couldn't, she replied back. Even if her mouth was clamped shut, she could still speak. Though she wasn't sure if she could actually call it that. But I'm afraid you'll only get a mouthful of fur, she added. She would have smirked if she could. She shook her head, trying to get out of his hold.
Bite or no bite, she began, finally breaking lose from his hold and jumping back, You said you were going to take this seriously; use every advantage you can get. If that means you have to bite something, then bite it, though in some perspectives, that might be considered cheating.
Oni won't care either way, and it wasn't like she really needed to give advice.
“I suppose you make a fair point," he replied casually. His side was already nearly healed up; he certain wasn't bleeding anymore. There was only a bit of it soaked through the fabric of his kosode.
Hooking his fingers, Tatsuya cracked his knuckles. This time, when he charged, it was barely even visible. It seemed that he was suddenly just in front of her, and then he leaped, jumping over her and twisting in midair. One of his arms hooked around her neck from behind, forcing her into an awkward position.
Instead of the expected bite, however, he blew cold breath into her ear. “I think I'll collect when it wouldn't taste mostly like dog," he said with a snort. “I don't fancy the tang of fur." But he'd effectively made his point—he could have gone in for a bite there if necessary.
Pushing off her back, he landed a good eight feet behind her, crossing his arms over his chest. “You know, you've made all this fuss about control issues, but I really don't see any. You're not even being the aggressive one here."
She didn't have an answer for him. She didn't even know why that was the case. She sat in her spot, the spar obviously over, though she elected to remain as she was, for the moment. She tilted her head in his direction, and narrowed her eyes. I've got nothing, she spoke the words quicker than she'd realized. She hadn't meant to say it, but she did anyway. She was still calm in his presence, despite the fact that her heart rate was accelerated. That was due to the spar, or so she thought. What else could it be? She sighed softly.
I suppose that concludes the little spar, for now, she spoke. Her lips pulled into a fine line before she sighed. She should really keep a spare kimono around, or at least hide one in every possible spot around the place. She didn't really think at the time when she shifted, but her gaze landed on her torn kimono, and she huffed again. She'd torn his clothing, too, so it wouldn't exactly help, and she didn't need to give him the satisfaction of her wearing something that was his, again.
She rolled her eyes.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to go properly cloth myself. My hair can only do so much," she spoke. She'd shifted with her back towards him and had pulled her hair in front of her. It covered what it needed to considering it was long enough to do that. She wasn't ashamed, but perhaps she should have a little more common decency. She snorted. "So if you'll excuse me," she stated, walking past him, no shame whatsoever. If she was lucky, there wouldn't be anyone in the halls until she reached her room, though.
“You're clear if you take the back hallway," he said, apparently aware of who was where in the castle. “No one's ever there at this time of day." For all his bluster, he kept his eyes fixed firmly away from her for the duration.
“I'll be collecting on that taste someday, by the way." The words followed behind her as she left the ring.
"Yeah? Good luck with that."