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| Training by Moonlight; Open | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 21 2016, 04:01 PM (916 Views) | |
| Shadies | Jan 21 2016, 04:01 PM Post #1 |
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Serena peaked inside the dojo, her wooden sword in her hand. It seemed the coast was clear, there wasn't anyone in the dojo that she could see. She sighed with relief before making her way into the dojo, she wanted to get some practice in since she hadn't had time to train on her way to the academy. While it should've been no problem, she was hesitant to train while other people could be around and watching her. In the silence of the dojo she looked around curiously, attempting to find a wooden post or a training dummy or the like. She needed something to practice against after all. While she could try and do practice through a shadow fencing like drill, Serena felt like improving her striking would serve her better. While neither was as good as an actual opponent to spar with, she wasn't comfortable enough to accept someone else watching her swordplay. It was probably extremely lacking after all, she wanted to be able to be skilled at it. After a while, she eventually found a wooden post and set it up. She stood in front of it and held her wooden sword with her right hand, breathing out for a moment Serena swung a somewhat clumsy strike towards the dummy. The recoil of the strike shot back through her arm, a small amount of discomfort present. Several more strikes were aimed at the dummy, it seemed that she was fully occupied by her training now. |
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| Lawman | Jan 21 2016, 11:31 PM Post #2 |
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Keep Calm and Cheeki Breeki
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"Time to head back to the dorms," Andromeda mused, after spending an evening working out, the Amazon could certainly head back to her dorm to get a shower and some sleep, strolling down the hallways of the gym complex, the Amazon dressed in her usual blue sports bra and bike shorts, with her tracksuit top tied around her waist. She had to admit, this place had pretty good training facilities - and found it very much to her liking as she marched briskly down the mostly empty hallways, drying off the beads of sweat from her forehead and neck. As Andromeda walked past the dojo, the sound of wood striking against wood stopped the Amazon in her tracks - was someone still training at this hour? Pushing the door slightly ajar and peeking inward, the blonde warrior beheld the sight of a twintailed redhead practicing away on a wooden post, performing a barrage of strikes with a wooden sword that packed much ferocity, but in the Amazon's mind was lacking in finesse. "That is a impressive display of ferocity - a barrage like that would quickly take down an opponent," Andromeda remarked flatly as she stepped inside the dojo to get a better look at the redhead in her training, making sure that she could hear her above the noises of her training. "But an attack like that would only be useful against an opponent that is standing still, like that dummy you're striking right now," the Amazon continued, setting down her bag by a bench. "Andromeda Fedorovna Emelianenka," Andromeda spoke her name once she managed to get the redhead's attention, looking at the redhead in the eye with a deadpan expression. "You practicing swordplay? Or are you venting your frustrations?" Edited by Lawman, Jan 22 2016, 09:18 AM.
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| Shadies | Jan 22 2016, 03:59 AM Post #3 |
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Hearing a voice behind her, Serena jumped and turned around with her sword pointed at the ready. She wasn't expecting anyone else, she was supposed to be alone. It seemed like it had just been another student which wasn't really a problem, though Serena looked slightly away from the student in embarrassment. Hearing the critique of her training from the girl made Serena annoyed, a frown appeared on her face. "O-of course I knew that." She clearly didn't but she wouldn't admit that she didn't. "Who wouldn't know that after all." She asked a rhetorical question even if the answer was annoyingly enough herself. Lowering her sword, Serena listened as the girl introduced herself. It was a rather long and odd name, it made Serena feel slightly envious of how unusual of a name it was. "S-Serena Rose." She stammered out, still a bit nervous from the surprise. She wanted to train on her own and was now unsure of what to do since there was a new observer. Hearing the girl's question, Serena turned to look at the wooden post for a moment. "Just refining my skills, not that they need refining really." That was probably because they weren't even really that existent. She stepped side to side apprehensively. "How about you?" She was curious as to what the girl was doing here herself, would she be he long? Could Serena continue training or would it be easier to try a different time? A lot of questions were wondering around but for the moment, the one she asked would have to do. |
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| Lawman | Jan 22 2016, 07:50 PM Post #4 |
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Keep Calm and Cheeki Breeki
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Andromeda nodded as the redhead introduced herself as "Serena Rose". Was Rose her last name? If so, that certainly fits her hair colour well... though she certainly wasn't as calm or serene as her name would suggest. Probably the prideful sort as far as the Amazon could tell; it didn't take a genius to figure out that Serena was lying through her teeth with regards to her swordplay. Less of "needed refining" as far as Andromeda was concerned, and more "needs properly to go through the basics". "I was heading back to the dorms after spending the better part of the evening training," Andromeda replied to Serena's question, the Amazon crossing her arms in front of her chest. "At least after I heard you practicing here," the blonde warrior continued, her voice and expression betraying no emotion. "Then I figured, I could sure use someone to practice with... better than hitting punching bags and dummies, right?" The Amazon uncrossed her arms to have them fall to her side as she closed the distance between herself and Serena, closing the gap with a series of measured steps. "So, what do you say? My fists, versus your blade," Andromeda asked, stopping just beyond the reach of Serena's wooden sword. Edited by Lawman, Jan 22 2016, 07:52 PM.
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| Shadies | Jan 23 2016, 08:42 AM Post #5 |
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"Ah, I see." Serena nodded her head in response, of course she was just going back to her dorm. That wasn't that surprising at all. Serena breathed a small sigh, it seemed that she was what had attracted the girl's attention. That meant that she likely wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. It was then that she approached Serena and asked about sparring with her in a rather round about way. Serena gulped before he grip on her sword tightened. "S-sure." This could be a good gauge of where she was at compared to others at the very least. If she could beat Andromeda in a spar then it could prove that she had her own ability, then again was Andromeda that strong? She took a few steps away from Andromeda whilst still facing her. This way the wooden post wouldn't interfere in their spar. She held her sword pointed towards Andromeda. "Alright, let's go." She waited, she shouldn't sacrifice her range, that meant rushing in close would only allow Andromeda to close the distance even quicker right? Letting her attack first and coming into her own range seemed like it was the best course of action to begin with. |
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| Lawman | Jan 23 2016, 09:37 AM Post #6 |
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Keep Calm and Cheeki Breeki
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"Alright, then we'll keep things standard - first one to be knocked down three times, loses," Andromeda remarked as she glanced at Serena's wooden sword as she held up her left hand, making a gesture for the number three. "And by a knockdown, it means landing on your back with your shoulders touching the ground, or to land on your belly, also with your shoulders touching the ground; of course, being down for 10 seconds, would count as an instant defeat." And the conditions were laid forth - victory by either first to three knockdowns, or knockout. And so it was on. Andromeda noted that Serena had taken a few steps back, and wisely so. Clearly, the redhead was expecting the blonde to enter the striking range of her weapon, instead of charging in with her blade where the Amazon could negate her reach advantage by closing in beyond the minimum effective range of her wooden sword. For a few seconds, neither combatant would make a move, as Andromeda opted to probe her opponent's defences as she slowly circled around Serena, sizing her up with her cold blue eyes, studying her stance for any possible openings. A couple of times, Andromeda would make a feint or two, making a dramatic shift in her otherwise relaxed posture to look as if she would attempt to lunge at Serena, just to see how the swordswoman might respond. |
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| Shadies | Jan 26 2016, 09:45 AM Post #7 |
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"Sounds fine to me." Serena replied with a hint of arrogance in her voice, she had to win this. She had to show that she was capable of her own strength and that it wasn't all inherited. She breathed out for a moment, relaxing herself to let go some of the tenseness. If she stiffened up it wouldn't do any good, she didn't know her opponent's abilities after all. Along with Andromeda's feints, the tip of Serena's sword would flicker in the direction, moving back to it's original position after a moment. If anything it was more like keeping the head of a spear aimed at someone then using the sword properly, it seemed her original training was still rooted within her to a degree. Would she end up moving forward? Serena's grip faltered for a slight moment as she tried to decide what she had to do next. If she moved forward then it was likely that she would end up sacrificing her range, was she fast enough to manage to land a blow? Thoughts swirled around Serena's mind as she realised that this wasn't like normal practice. It was against a thinking opponent who wouldn't follow a determined set of steps, how was she supposed to guess what Andromeda would do next? |
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| Lawman | Feb 2 2016, 02:22 PM Post #8 |
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Keep Calm and Cheeki Breeki
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It looked like her redheaded opponent wasn't exactly the jumpy sort. Sure, she'd gotten her guard up whenever Andromeda performed a feint, but the Amazon wasn't able to get her to let her guard down and strike first in a moment of false security. However, the Amazon believed that she'd "figured" out what Serena might do next. Armed with this confidence, it was when Andromeda made the first move. The Amazon would make her move just like her previous feints, performing a quick lunge that was meant to close the gap between herself and her sword-wielding opponent in a couple of fleet-footed strides - the first stride would bring Andromeda within the reach of Serena's weapon, but with the second stride the Amazon would sudden shift from moving in a straight line, to moving in a circular motion. In other words, if Serena tried to counter Andromeda by performing a straight line attack such as a frontal thrust or overhead strike, she would find her attack whiffing past its mark as Andromeda swiftly turned her body sideways to let Serena's strike miss her by a mere fraction of an inch. If Serena were to somehow overcompensate on her strike, the two girls would literally have their bodies touching against each other. In an attempt to capitalize on the opening, Andromeda would attempt to seize Serena's weapon arm by grabbing her wrist, whilst wrapping her arm around the back of the other girl's head in an attempt to bring her into a clinch! Edited by Lawman, Feb 2 2016, 02:25 PM.
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| Shadies | Feb 5 2016, 03:24 AM Post #9 |
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It seemed that her opponent had decided to make the first move, and did she make the first move. Her first stride easily put her within the reach of Serena's weapon much to Serena's surprise. It seemed that she was facing someone who was very fit or at least much more fit then she herself was. What was she supposed to do now? It seemed like Andromeda was way to close to just simply thrust her sword forwards, especially when she was able to close the gap more or less in a single stride. Quickly reacting on instinct more then actual thought, Serena pulled her arm back a fraction before rotating her wrist and swiping sideways with the sword, due to the need for speed over power, her strike was weaker the. What she was capable of. In this situation though it seemed that she couldn't let Andromeda near her. Serena wondered who Andromeda was, it was quite clear that she was experienced in fighting somewhat. Being ale to close the distance so quickly wasn't something Serena was expecting, would she even be able to keep up with her opponent's movements? Sean had no way of telling, the best she could do was just try and do so. |
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| Lawman | Feb 6 2016, 12:53 AM Post #10 |
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Keep Calm and Cheeki Breeki
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Serena's quick thinking managed to thwart Andromeda's grapple attempt as her wooden sword found its mark on it's target, smacking the Amazon in the side just below the floating rib, and for a fleeting moment the blonde girl's stony expression was broken with a wince, indicating that she felt it - however, as the redhead's swing didn't have the chance to build any momentum the blow lacked the stopping power it needed to bring the Amazon down. Мой ход," (Russian = My turn) the blonde girl remarked, her voice an icy whisper. Despite the Amazon's momentary display of pain, Andromeda barely flinched from the assault; and as soon as Serena's blow landed Andromeda would attempt to control the blade by pressing her arm down against it, tucking it firmly under her armpit while grabbing hold of the blade in her hand in a vice-like grip. At the same time, the Amazon would bring her legs up in an attempt to scissor the redhead's waist between her legs, looking to bring Serena down in a scissors takedown! |
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| Shadies | Feb 8 2016, 09:21 AM Post #11 |
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It seemed that she had managed to hit the girl, for a brief moment Serena felt confident. Upon hearing the icy whisper of her opponent though, all that confidence seemed to melt away. Who was like that during sparring? That was way to scary, regardless she still had to stand her ground. Or at least she would have, in a blur of motion Serena felt her legs swept out from underneath her, her arm was also pinned so she couldn't do much. Pain shot through her back. It hurt, it hurt really bad. She wasn't expecting her opponent to be this skilled. She had already lost one point. Serena would start to try and free her legs from Andromeda's grip through the rather ungraceful art of simply trying to pull them away from her. If she was successful she would tame back up a few feet away from her opponent. Her sword once more at the ready, her breathing was already getting ragged but that was probably because of the pain flowing through her back. Edited by Shadies, Feb 8 2016, 09:21 AM.
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| Lawman | Feb 14 2016, 03:23 PM Post #12 |
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Keep Calm and Cheeki Breeki
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Thankfully for Serena, she didn't need to fight her way out of Andromeda's grasp, for as soon as the Amazon succeeded in taking down the redhead she would quickly break contact, performing a backwards roll to put a distance between herself and Serena, landing on her hands and knees as she stopped her roll while watching the redhead like a panther stalking her prey. As the redhead recovered and readied her weapon, Andromeda's stance shifted, getting into a half-kneeling position not unlike a sprinter moments before the referee's gun goes off, or a rugby player getting into position for a scrum. The instant that Serena's stance indicated that she was ready, the Amazon would make another go at her opponent, taking a beeline towards the swordswoman, looking to bait her into taking another swing or strike as she lunged towards her in a tackle attempt... Only to duck down low as she made a sharp turn and made a swift circling move in an attempt to get to Serena's rear, before wrapping her arms around the swordswoman's torso from behind in an attempt to drive her into the mat with a German Suplex! |
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| Shadies | Feb 28 2016, 02:25 PM Post #13 |
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Watching Andromeda charge towards her, Serenea readied herself. She doubted that she would be able to easily be able to stop her if she charged head on, she had to get into a position where she could easily knock her off balance and perhaps manage to score a point. She rotated to the side just as Andromeda seemed to go around the other side in an attempt to grab her from behind. It seemed she managed to luck out into a good position, she couldn't afford to waste this otherwise she wouldn't have another good chance. Serena swung her sword towards Andromeda in an attempt to knock her down, it was relatively clear that it wasn't exactly a precise, practised strike and more a sheer application of force. |
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| Lawman | Feb 28 2016, 10:52 PM Post #14 |
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Keep Calm and Cheeki Breeki
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The Amazon gave vent to a muffled grunt as she took a clean hit from Serena's practice sword - the swordswoman had struck at a perfect timing, and coupled with the Amazon's position it was a perfect strike that sent Andromeda crashing face first to the mat, the taller blonde girl hitting the floor with a dull thud and skidding across the mat on her belly by several inches. "This point goes to you, Serena; that makes us 1-1," Andromeda replied, her voice stoic as ever despite her opponent scoring a point. Rolling across the mat, the Amazon would recover onto her feet, wiping her face with the back of her hand as she sized up the shorter redhead, silent and thoughtful, with the only sound in the dojo being the girls' breathing and footstep. Time itself seemed to slow down as the two of them stared down, a stray droplet of sweat from Andromeda's temple rolling down her cheek, hanging briefly from her chin before falling down to the floor below. "That means you have the earned the privilege to witness это," the Amazon suddenly broke the silence, relaxing her stance. ![]() "Lord Ares!" Andromeda called upon the name of her patron deity, raising her hands above her head as a golden light radiated around her, a glowing spell circle bearing Ares' spear and shield emblem appearing beneath Andromeda's feet as the Amazon invoked the strength of her deity! What appeared like liquid bronze would appear from the circle, flowing upwards starting from the Amazon's legs and working their way up until it enveloped her completely. Wisps of steam rose from the surface of the metal as the Amazon underwent a transformation, the metal that covered her body changing from a shiny to matted sheen as she gained a couple inches in height, her physique becoming more athletic, more idealized as her shoulders, back, abs and leg muscles become more pronounced and well-defined. "Shall we continue then?" Andromeda asked, her voice now possessing a metallic ring to it as she stared down Serena, her eyes now appearing like a pair of gems, radiating a faint blue-white glow, the Amazon now looking more like an animated bronze statue with what would be considered an idealized physique by classical Greek standards, than a human being. Edited by Lawman, Feb 28 2016, 10:53 PM.
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| Shadies | Mar 14 2016, 01:57 AM Post #15 |
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She did it? Serena could hardly believe her eyes when she managed to land a hit on Andromeda and send her to the floor. Maybe she could actually win this? Maybe it wasn't as far off as she initially thought. When Andromeda stood back up, Serena raised her sword once more pointing it towards her opponent. She tried to calm her breathing which had turned ragged at some point, it seemed that she had been putting a fair amount of effort into the fight as well, of course she had. Watching as Andromeda did... Something, Serena couldn't help but feel a bit of dread, she wasn't sure what Andromeda did but she could tell it wasn't good for her. "Hold it." Before Andromeda could continue, Serena turned her sword parallel to her and placed her non dominant hand underneath it. Concentrating for a moment, she moved the hand up the length of the blade and as she did, the blade began to glow a pale white light. Serena wasn't even sure if this would be useful against whatever technique was being employed, hopefully at least the prescence would be enough to make Andromeda more cautious tough. She held herblade back out towards Andromeda. "Alright, I'm ready now." |
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| Lawman | Mar 21 2016, 01:11 AM Post #16 |
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Keep Calm and Cheeki Breeki
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Andromeda raised an eyebrow as Serena pulled off a trick of her own, her wooden sword now glowing with a pale white light - whatever it was, the Amazon figured the redhead must've done so in order to give herself a fighting chance against the enhanced defences afforded to her in her current armoured form. "Interesting skill you have there," Andromeda remarked, pointing a right index finger at Serena's weapon. "Let's try your sword against my armour," the Amazon said in her usual impassive tone as she got into a fighting stance, advancing towards the young swordswoman with a fleetness of foot that betrays her increased mass, taking a zig-zag path as she darted from side to side, trying to keep her opponent guessing as to where she might attack from. And as soon as Andromeda entered arm's reach, she would launch a quick one-two combo at Serena, throwing a left jab aimed at the face intended to test her defences, followed by a far more forceful right straight aimed at the sternum! |
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| Shadies | Apr 4 2016, 07:23 PM Post #17 |
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"Let's." Serena appeared confident but nothing could be further from the truth. She wasn't sure if her ability would be enough, what did that technique mean? Should she be fighting defensively, offensively? Unfortunately she didn't get the time to consider as Andromeda launched forward, moving side to side, throwing Serena off balance even more. Her strike was far to slow and suddenly an intense pain rocketed through both her cheek and then her sternum, falling onto her back. She bit her lip as the pain shot through her body. The pain throughout her body began to turn into a dull aching as she brought herself to her feet. If she just lay down, she would never move forward. She had to stand up and attempt to fight, even if it hurt as much as it did. Calmly, without a word she readied her sword. It seemed like once more she was going to let Andromeda make the first move but for what it was worth, this time she was resolved to react to it properly. |
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| Lawman | Apr 6 2016, 01:23 AM Post #18 |
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Keep Calm and Cheeki Breeki
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Andromeda: 2, Serena: 1 These were the words that flashed in the Amazon's mind as the swordswoman fell to her one-two combo punch, with Andromeda stepping back to give her room to recover, as well as to avoid any possible counterattacks she might attempt from her recovering position, stalking Serena like a panther, eyeing the girl for her next move. "Steel yourself," Andromeda remarked, her eyes glowing brighter as they narrowed, the Amazon raising her right hand in a biceps flex pose, before giving her flexed a bicep a smack with her left hand, before turning her waist around, digging her heels into the ground as she pulled back her right arm. And then she struck - given the short distance between the two of them the Amazon easily cleared the gap in a second, her right arm cocked back, and with a quick swivel of her hips Andromeda would use the momentum of her charge and the explosive burst of power from her lower body to deliver a mighty clothesline, her arm sweeping through the air with an audible whoosh looking to knock down the swordswoman! |
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| Shadies | May 17 2016, 06:40 PM Post #19 |
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Panting, Serena narrowed her eyes towards Andromeda as beads of sweat dripped down her. Was she really going to lose this here? She couldn't right? She needed to be stronger, she needed to be able to prove that she was more capable then her mother. She held her sword out pointed towards Andromeda, should she use her technique? When Andromeda charged at her, she began to swing her sword down "Astr-" unfortunately, she was to slow. She got knocked off of her feet, landing on her back once more. The familiar sting once more spreading throughout her body, it was her loss. She barely got one point on her and that point was a sham. Serena covered her face with her arm, her sword dropped on the floor beside her as she bit her lip in an attempt to hold back tears. Was she really this weak? Forcing herself to regain control of her emotions, she slammed her fist on the ground beside her and used it to begin to push herself up off of the floor. |
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| Lawman | May 20 2016, 01:12 AM Post #20 |
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Keep Calm and Cheeki Breeki
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An uneasy silence hung in the air as Andromeda landed the blow that signalled the end of the match - the Amazon handily taking the third point while Serena managed to score one. As Andromeda returned to her normal form, walking over to the redheaded swordswoman the blonde warrior found herself at a loss - good sportsmanship dictates that she was to thank the other warrior for a match well-fought. But Andromeda had to be honest with herself - this was hardly well-fought; having won this easily, the Amazon felt no glory, no pride. Only disappointment - towards her opponent for being overcome so easily; and towards herself, for not knowing better - to win a fight this easily was not becoming of an Amazonian warrior! If anything, Andromeda wished she hadn't decided to spar with Serena to begin with - what would her mother, her fellow Amazons, or Queen Hippolyta herself - think of her if they saw this mockery of a fight? Deep inside, Andromeda knew she'd conducted herself badly tonight. Physically, Andromeda might've won this match - but mentally, she considered this a loss; by picking on a less-than-worthy opponent, she'd disgraced herself. "I... I've lost..." Andromeda remarked - her inner turmoil hidden behind a mask of stoicism. "It wasn't supposed to turn out this way... it was a failure on my part to assess my opponent before accepting a fight." "Sorry," Andromeda bowed her head, and without another word would walk past Serena, making her way towards the exit and disappearing down the hallway. |
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10:43 PM Jul 11



