002 | open-ish

[sunbloom]

Who: Itsuki, Parley (distorts_space), open to other folks too
When: Sunday, August 10th (backdated)
Where: Myoudouin Dojo
What: The dojo has an exhibition today, and that means the heir is in combat. Combat can take some weird turns sometimes, though...

Every so often - maybe a couple times a month, sometimes more, sometimes less, it depends on how the Myoudouin patriarch is feeling - the Myoudouin Dojo opens its doors for a public exhibition match or several. Usually, these are arranged, but on occasion he'll take other folks that he knows are (or that claim to be) strong enough to let Itsuki give a good showing. Or remind her that she's not as strong as she wishes she were, in some cases, though that hasn't happened lately.

Today is one such day; there have been flyers posted around the city for several days now, as it's always a good spectacle to watch trained martial artists in their element. The main event is a spar; it's of course not the only event taking place today. Everyone has a role, from the lower-ranked students breaking boards and answering questions (and making sure nobody gets too close), to the higher-ranks demonstrating techniques, escapes, and general badassery. It's kind of an impromptu open house, which helps bolster enrollment rates aside from being a big to-do.

The fighters for the spar, though... that part may surprise folks. Not that Itsuki's fazed by that part; that's far from her mind, right now. The person she's facing today is someone she likes to think she can call a friend, and that means Itsuki needs to put on a good show, for more than just the crowd she already knows will assemble. Has assembled; it's only a few minutes to showtime at this point. She's left Potpourri asleep in her room, thankfully undiscovered thus far, so she only has one thing on her mind right now.

[[Itsuki is slated to spar with Parley; that fight has a particular ending, which mandates that Itsuki may or may not be back at its end. She'll be around to mingle before things start, though. And there's plenty of time for questions and commentary.]]

Comments

[sunbloom]

Had she, now. That was, in part, why Itsuki was anticipating today as heavily as she was - this was why Parley was here to begin with. So part of her role was to assess how quickly the new student had integrated the dojo's teachings into her style. There was also the fact that she wanted to check and make sure Parley could defend herself; in her new role as Cure Sunshine, she had a feeling she wouldn't be around as often, and that meant Parley might have to defend herself - or, heaven forbid, the dojo - in a pinch until Itsuki could get back.

But more than anything else, she's in this for the thrill of challenging someone to a test of strength and will, and that motivates her to charge in first, leading with a severely-telegraphed high punch. Which she is hoping will be sidestepped, because she's wanting to follow with a sweep and see how well the girl recovers. Not that she expects any of this to go to plan, but it'd be nice.

[distorts_space]

Parley bobbed her head to the side so the first narrowly missed and stepped in towards Itsuki, shoving her hip into his center of balance while grabbing for his shoulder to pull him to the ground. The leg sweep took her off guard, but it's hard to sweep someone who is that close to you.

[sunbloom]

Ooh, good reaction. And she's right, that changes the whole flow - she's not going to get out of that one readily. She'll abandon the sweep and let herself be pulled down, catching herself most of the way down and spinning awkwardly to get back to her feet. Not a good start. Perhaps a new tactic's in order. She'll step close again, looking to take a short, hard shot. At Parley's side, she judges.

[distorts_space]

Parley parried the shot with one arm while trying to get one in with the other in one motion, aiming at Itsuki's stomach.

[sunbloom]

Yep, scary fast. She can turn that aside, though, barely. And that puts her right up in Parley's face for a second, before she smiles and hops back to give herself room to work with, following with a kick toward Parley's middle. Parley probably won't rush in, and that creates a unique set of problems for her to deal with.

[distorts_space]

Parley took an involuntary step backwards when he smiled, her heart skipping a beat. Her mind filled with confusing thoughts, she didn't react to the kick until the last moment, awkwardly throwing up a block and stumbling aside a step.

Parley grimaced at the bad defense, while blood rushed to her face. She angrily cleared her mind of weird thoughts and threw herself into her next attack, throwing a series of rapid punches at Itsuki's face, chest, and stomach. This wasn't looking much like aikido anymore.

But in the back of Parley's mind, something started to subtly change. Like a light turning on in a room you didn't know about until you saw the light in the cracks of the door.